Child in the City Seminar will be ‘live’ event in September

The 2021 Child in the City Seminar, How to make children’s rights mainstream in local policy planning? is to be held as a ‘live’ event.

Cascais in Portugal will be the location for the seminar from 9-10 September, say organisers the International Child in the City Foundation and City of Cascais.

Local governments all over the world want their cities and towns to become a child-friendly place based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). Since then, children’s rights have been referenced in many different local policy documents, and progress has been made, yet many cities continue to struggle with the translation and implementation of children’s rights.

The seminar aims to take the next steps in both theoretically reflecting on children’s rights, and implementing the UN convention within the context of specific local policies.

Speakers will share their experiences on how to professionalize and mainstream children’s rights. What challenges do they face, what problems have they struggled with and how do they engage young people in the process? These are particularly important questions to be answered during these times of corona.

‘Cities still struggle with translating and implementing children’s rights’

Within the central theme of the seminar, the Child in the City Foundation’s Scientific Programme Committee has set out five sub-themes for exploration:

• Critical reflections on the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
• Children’s rights in the fields of education and child care (during corona)
• The implementation of children’s rights in urban planning, development and design
• Children’s and young people’s participation as a tool to establish children’s rights
• Corona and the neglect of children’s rights, particularly in underprivileged areas.

Organisers say they will continue to follow developments regarding the coronavirus, and follow the guidelines set out by experts. More information about the programme and how to register to attend will be published soon.

Click here to sign up for email updates on the event.

For more information email Marieke Bouman, Event Manager, at marieke.bouman@childinthecity.org