Eurochild General Assembly – membership now tops 200

Eurochild, the EU’s leading child rights umbrella organisation, now has no fewer than 200 members spanning 40 countries.

That was the standout news from its Extraordinary General Assembly this week, which saw votes on key aspects of the organisation’s governance and membership.

Five new organisations were admitted to Eurochild as full members:

• Associazione Lea Onlus, Italy works to promote education and collaboration among parents, educators, and teachers, supporting them in their educational mission. Additionally, the association offers psychomotor therapy, artistic, linguistic, and communication programs to ensure the harmonious and positive development of young children.
• Børns Vilkår, Denmark, fights to ensure that no child in Denmark is abandoned – neither by the child’s closest adults nor by society. It ensures that every child has at least one person who listens to them to make sure they get the support and care they need.
• Friends of Children of Serbia, works to protect and promote children’s rights, and social care for children and to encourage activities to improve work with children and for children. It is distinguished by our direct work with children and young people in all phases of their activities and programs: from planning to evaluation and monitoring.
• ISSA, International Step by Step Association, The Netherlands, is a network that connects professionals and organizations working in the field of early childhood development. ISSA’s mission is to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old, based on the principles of UNCRC.
• UCRN, Ukrainian Child Rights Network, works to consolidate efforts and improve coordination among civil society organizations in Ukraine and their influence on the State childcare policy. Its goal is to ensure that every child grows up in a happy, healthy, secure, and family-oriented environment, where their personality and rights are respected.

Eurochild leads the way in campaigning for the rights of children on many important issues, including the protection of youngsters’ rights online, and putting forward recommendations to help countries tackle child poverty and exclusion through the European Child Guarantee.

The General Assembly also saw a further three organisations and two individuals were admitted as associate members:

• Child Rights Information Center, informs and trains adults to understand what needs the child has and what responsibilities they have about their fulfilment in the family, school, or other environments. It supports children to make their voices heard and to influence the decisions of the authorities.
• Nordic Council of Ministers office in Lithuania, is the official body for inter-governmental co-operation in the Nordic Region. The Prime Minister’ vision is that the Nordic region will become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. The co-operation in the Nordic Council of Ministers must serve this purpose.
• Star for Life Ukraine, is dedicated to empowering underprivileged children in Ukraine by granting them equal opportunities for quality education and computer literacy programs. It strongly believes that every child, irrespective of its socio-economic background or geographic location, should have access to a bright future.

Click here for more information on Eurochild’s General Assembly and the organisation in general.