30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

“The Right to Education – Towards the Global Compact on Education”

The Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, the Caritas in VeritateFoundation,the International Organization for the Right to Education and Freedom of Education (OIDEL) and the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE) are organizing a Special Event on the occasion of the 30thAnniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on “The Right to Education – Towards the Global Compact on Education”.

Context 

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted in 1989, constitutes a milestone in the international human rights legal framework and represents the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history.[1]It is rooted in the pivotal vision that considers children as human beings with their own rights and responsibilities that have to be protected, promoted and respected. In acknowledging children as individuals entitled with specific rights and subjects of those rights, the Convention recognizes the fundamental human dignity of all children and the urgency of ensuring their well-being and development.

The CRC clearly affirms that: “States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life. States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child.”[2]This makes clear the idea that a basic quality of life and an integral development should be the right of all children, rather than a privilege enjoyed by a few. 

[1] Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art.4, 20 November 1989

[2] Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art.4, 20 November 1989