The European Union/Council of Europe Joint Project “CP4Europe - Strengthening National Child Participation Frameworks and Action in Europe” will hold a mid-term Conference "Child and Youth Participation for Europe" under the Irish Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers and its theme: ’Hear Our Voices’ – Promoting participatory democracy and youth engagement in the 21st century’. The event is organised by the Council of Europe Children’s Rights Division in close collaboration with the Irish Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), Hub na nÓg and the National Participation Office and will be held on 23-25 May 2022, in Cork, Ireland, in a hybrid format.

The objective of the Conference is to celebrate the child’s right to express their views and have their opinions taken seriously. This will be the golden thread of the event where first results of the CP4Europe partner countries (the Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland, Portugal and Slovenia) will be presented and discussed in light of the good practices shared by Irish Youth Groups and key actors, who have contributed to numerous initiatives in the field of child participation. Discussions will be mindful of today’s context in which children are also confronted with new challenges in particular with the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The Conference will see the physical participation of adults and young people, including 10 children from the five CP4Europe country partners who have been engaged throughout the project in a wide range of activities.

Panellists will notably include:

• Minister Roderic O’Gorman TD for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth,
• Baroness Massey, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
• Ms Charlotte AlenhoenerDion, Advisor to the Council of Europe Commissioner on Human Rights
• Ms Regina Jensdóttir, Coordinator for the Rights of the Child, Head of the Children’s Rights Division, Council of Europe
• Marie Cécile Rouillon, Coordinator on the Rights of the Child, European Commission
• Ms Ruth Doggett, Principal Officer, representative of Ireland at the CDENF, Child Rights Policy Unit, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Affairs

The panels will be moderated by prominent experts in the field of child participation and members of the academia.

To follow this important event live, please register here.

More information on the conference and the programme can be found on the dedicated webpage.