Droits de l’enfant en danger : le BICE cosigne une lettre adressée à l’ONU

Cette lettre, adressée au Secrétaire général de l’ONU et aux représentations diplomatiques des États membres de l’ONU, appelle notamment :

• à préserver le fonctionnement du Comité des droits de l’enfant ;
• à intégrer les droits de l’enfant dans toutes les réformes de l’ONU ;
• à renforcer le pilier des droits humains des Nations unies, avec une attention visible portée aux droits de l’enfant ;
• à garantir la participation de la société civile, en particulier celle des enfants.

Pour que les droits de l’enfant restent une priorité au sein des réformes internationales.

La lettre adressée à l’ONU

To His Excellency, Mr António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
To all Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva
CC:
Mr Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy and chair of the UN80 Task Force
Mr Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights

Geneva, 18 August 2025

Re: Joint letter on the impact of the UN liquidity crisis and the UN80 Initiative on children’s rights

Excellencies,

We, the undersigned civil society organisations, individual experts, national human rights institutions and ombudspersons working for the promotion and protection of children’s rights worldwide, express great concern over the cancellation of meetings – the May pre-session, as well as the September session and pre-session – of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) due to the ongoing UN liquidity crisis.

We reiterate our concerns expressed in the joint letter of April 2024. These cancellations, together with the discontinuation of hybrid modalities, severely undermine the CRC Committee’s ability to fulfil its core mandate and significantly impair the opportunities for civil society, particularly children themselves, to participate meaningfully in the monitoring of States’ implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is particularly alarming as children around the world are increasingly impacted by a convergence of crises, from deepening poverty and economic shocks to climate change, armed conflicts, and the breakdown of essential health and education services.

The UN80 Initiative, launched in March 2025 by the Secretary-General, presents a critical opportunity to strengthen the UN’s human rights pillar. As emphasized in the joint civil society letter, measures aimed at increasing efficiency must not come at the expense of human rights protections. The human rights pillar of the UN must retain a strong and visible focus on children’s rights—anchored in sustained financial investment and political commitment.

To ensure the UN maintains its commitments and capacity to uphold children’s rights, the Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming should serve as a central guiding framework for any reforms undertaken under the UN80 Initiative. The Guidance Note has mandated the mobilization of the UN system to collectively strengthen and elevate a shared UN child rights agenda across all pillars – peace and security, human rights and development -, including through meaningful and effective child participation, adequate budgeting and coordinated implementation across all mandates.

We urge you to ensure that any reforms proposed in the name of efficiency do not weaken the protection and promotion of children’s rights, including the mandates and mechanisms tasked with protecting these rights, as well as the UN operational capacity to support Member States in fulfilling their human rights obligations. We call on you to safeguard the mandates and operational capacities of the CRC Committee, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children and on Children and Armed Conflict, and UNICEF. These entities represent crucial avenues through which children can access the UN directly as rights-holders and agents of change. Undermining these mechanisms through de-prioritization and resource cuts would close vital spaces for accountability and participation.

Reforms should capitalise on and better coordinate existing mandates, mechanisms, and expertise to avoid duplication, maximise synergies, and ensure cost‑effective action. Enhancing inter-agency collaboration and pooled resources for country-level human rights monitoring and technical assistance, including through shared capacity-building initiatives and tools – such as the online child rights training programme developed by UNICEF and made available to all United Nations entities – is critical to strengthening system-wide staff capacity on child rights, providing more streamlined support to States and better leveraging of existing expertise without increasing costs.

Finally, we urge you to ensure that any restructuring of the UN system preserves and strengthens the space for civil society engagement. As defenders of children’s rights, we too are facing severe underfunding that limits our ability to engage with the UN and to support children’s meaningful participation. In today’s global climate of backlash against human rights, it is more essential than ever that the UN stands firmly by its commitments to children and to civil society actors working to protect human rights. We further call on you to ensure that civil society is meaningfully consulted throughout the UN80 Initiative process, with special efforts made to reach underrepresented groups, including children.

We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and stand ready to support efforts that uphold the rights of all children.

Please accept the assurances of our highest consideration.

Child Rights Connect with the following members and partners

List of signatories:

1. Aba Woldetensae Gizaw Board Led Mothers and Children Charity Organization
2. Ability Bhutan Society (ABS)
3. ACFS Community Education and Feeding Scheme
4. Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC)
5. Alana Institute
6. All Human Rights for All in Iran
7. All Survivors Project
8. ARALMA, Asociación civil, Argentina
9. association ADO+
10. Association de Protection des Droits des Enfants au Tchad (APDET)
11. Association of the Survivors of Makobola Massacres (ARMMK)
12. Association des Jeunes Futurs Cadres du Pays
13. Austrian National Coalition for the Implementation of the CRC (Netzwerk Kinderrechte Österreich)
14. Awareness for Child Trafficking Africa (ACT Africa)
15. Beyond Our Hearts Foundation
16. BLIND SA
17. Bureau International Catholique de l’Enfance – BICE
18. Caleb Foundation-Save Life with Pennies .INC
19. Centre for Child Law, South Africa
20. Child and Youth Friendly Governance Project
21. ChildFund Alliance
22. Child Rights Coalition Asia
23. Child Rights Coalition Cambodia (CRC-Cambodia)
24. Children and Young People Living for Peace (CYPLP)
25. Children First Canada
26. Children Not Numbers
27. Children’s Rights Alliance for England, part of Just for Kids Law
28. Citizens Commission on Human Rights Europe (CCHR Europe)
29. Collectif des Ligues et Associations de Defense des Droits de l’Homme
30. Comunidad de Derechos Humanos (CDH)
31. Conscience and Peace Tax International (CPTI)
32. Consortium for Street Children
33. Coordinadora de Profesionales por la Prevención de Abusos (CoPPA)
34. Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience
35. Corporación La Caleta
36. Dare To Rise
37. Defence For Children International – Canada
38. Defensoría de los Derechos de las Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes de la República Argentina
39. Dutch NGO Coalition for Children’s Rights | Kinderrechtencollectief
40. ECPAT International
41. Edmund Rice International
42. Environment Africa Zambia
43. Ethiopian Mulu Wongel Amagnoch Church Development Commission (EMWACDC)
44. European Link Coalition
45. Federation of NGOs for Children – FONPC
46. First Rights Project of Methoria
47. Fondazione Marista per la Solidarietà Internazionale ETS
48. Fundación Quitu Raymi
49. Fundación Raíces
50. Future Curious
51. Gabriel Foundation Organisation
52. Global Detention Project
53. Global Survivors Fund
54. Golammogo child care centre
55. Greek Helsinki Monitor
56. Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor, Armenia
57. Hope and Homes for Children
58. IBFAN CZ – International Baby Food Action Network Czech Republic (SpoKojení)
59. Ikamva labantwana development programme
60. iLANGA Ethiopia
61. Ann Skelton, Independent Expert, Former Chairperson UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
62. Intact Denmark
63. International Centre for Civil Initiatives “Our House”
64. International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents (INCCIP)
65. International Federation of Social Workers
66. International Social Service
67. Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion
68. Instituto Promoviendo Desarrollo Social – IPRODES
69. Jelly Beanz Foundation
70. Keep The Dream196
71. Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
72. KJ Therapy
73. Learning for Wellbeing Foundation
74. Loo Niva Child Concern Group-Nepal
75. Love for Children and Family Development Organization
76. Meremeta Community initiatives organisation
77. Molo Songololo
78. Motheo Training Institute Trust
79. Music for Every Child
80. NGO for Children Confederation
81. One Child One Family Hope and Homes for Children SA
82. People for Successful COrean REunification
83. Plan International Inc.
84. Plataforma de Infancia
85. Plateforme CDE Maroc
86. Regards de Femmes France
87. Roshni Homes Trust, Gujranwala, Pakistan
88. Rural Women Empowerment Network.
89. Save the Children
90. ShonaquipSE
91. SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia
92. SOS Children’s Villages International
93. South African Disability Alliance
94. StopIGM.org / Zwischengeschlecht.org
95. The Central Union for Child Welfare
96. The Eastern Africa Child Rights Network (EACRN)
97. The Hands-on Generation
98. The Helix Foundation for Children and Youth
99. The Marian Rose Foundation
100. The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
101. The Teddy Bear Foundation for Abused Children
102. Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights)
103. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
104. World Vision International