Council of Europe

The Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec (2012)2 on participation of children and young people under the age of 18 was developed following comprehensive reviews of the reality of child participation in a number of member states and with the direct involvement of children in the work of the drafting Committee. The Recommendation covers the rights of children and young people to be heard in all settings, including in schools, in communities and in the family, as well as at the national and European level.

The Council of Europe has developed a Child Participation Assessment Tool with 10 specific and measurable indicators to measure progress in the area of children’s participation. The indicators can be used by states to measure progress in implementing Recommendation CM/Rec (2012)2 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the participation of children and young people under the age of 18.

Participation is an important area of the Council of Europe’s work, especially relating to young people. The Council of Europe is almost unique in having introduced a co-management system through the Joint Council on Youth, where representatives of European youth organisations (Advisory Council on Youth) and governments (European Steering Committee for Youth) decide jointly on the youth sector’s priorities, objectives and budgets. The task of the Joint Council, in a spirit of co-management, is to develop a shared position on the youth sector’s overall priorities and objectives. 

United Nations

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child interpreted Article 12 of the CRC on the right to be heard in its General Comment No. 12.11. Furthermore, the Committee developed specific guidelines to involve children in the monitoring of the CRC and in the General Days of Discussions organised biannually.12
 

Child Participatory Budgeting – Croatia
Participatory budgeting is a process of democratic deliberation and decision making, in which “ordinary” people decide how to allocate part of a municipal or public budget. Such processes are usually only accessible to adults; however, successful experiences with young people and children show that even financial issues can be discussed at a young age. 
The Children’s City Council in the city of Opatija (aged 11 to 14) has introduced changes for children through a sustained, open and respectful engagement with the Mayor and officials of the City Council. The Children’s Council makes proposals for the city budget at regular meetings and allocates funding annually to a project that they determine will most benefit children. This initiative has been supported by the Society ‘Our Children’ Opatija since 2001, and offers an example of how sustained engagement of children in public budgeting can help to involve them in setting priorities and making a real contribution to decisions which affect them.
More information

11 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No. 12.

12 For further information see the website of the Committee