Guidance Note of the Secretary-General on Child Rights Mainstreaming

When adopted in 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) enshrined, for the first time in international law, the recognition of children as subjects of the full scope of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights,1 a culmination in the evolution of the concept of childhood and a paradigm shift from the perception of children as the property of their parents. Since then, the Convention became the most ratified international human rights treaty in history and has prompted deep, transformative changes for children across the world, including with support from the United Nations (UN). More children than ever before now have access to health, education, protection, and participation opportunities.