This Monday, a negotiation round began in Geneva for a potential new international agreement aimed at ensuring that all children have free access to daycare, preschool, and secondary education. The event brings together governments, experts, and civil society representatives at the United Nations, where parties are discussing an optional protocol that would be added to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with an emphasis on the right to education.
The debates are part of the activities of the Intergovernmental Working Group, established in July 2024, through Human Rights Council Resolution 56/5. This initiative comes after an international consultation held in December last year, which reviewed legal options to formulate a robust treaty, supported by a technical study by expert Klaus D. Beiter.
The three-day meeting is chaired by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the UN, Samuel Saffa Esq., and features the presence of the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Awa Dabo, and the Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Sophie Kiladze. During the negotiations, participants will discuss the legal obligations that States should assume, as well as how to structure international cooperation and monitor goals.
The resolution under discussion emphasizes the need for the direct inclusion of children in the process of developing recommendations. Child activists from various countries were invited to participate, reflecting on their experiences and perspectives. The report of the President-Rapporteur will be released at the end of the meeting, serving as a basis for future deliberations by the Human Rights Council.
