Policy Resources Citizenship and Participation
Children and young people’s right to participate in decisions that affect their lives is a fundamental human right. Their right to participate is protected by numerous human rights instruments including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and more recently the Sustainable Development Goals.
10-24 year olds now represent the largest generation in history - making up a quarter of the world’s population. 90 per cent of these young men and women live in low and middle-income countries. Ensuring their voices are heard is at the heart of our work and we believe that young people should have the right to participate in decision-making and to be empowered to hold decision makers to account.
In order to achieve this, we work at the global, national and community level to ensure children and young people are engaged in decision making and supported to gain vital citizenship, leadership and wider life skills. Read more about our work in the reports below.
Because I am a Girl 2015: The Unfinished Business of Girls' Rights
Read the 2015 report, looking at how far girls' rights have come, but also how far they have left to go.
Because I am a Girl 2014: Pathways to Power
Read our 2014 report, highlighting the issues facing girls in terms of power inequality.
Girl Summit: Youth Action Statement
Young people came together as #YouthforChange for the Girl Summit 2014 to ignite action around girls' rights and ending FGM and child marriage.
Youth for Change
Read the youth report from the 2014 Girls Summit
Bond Child Rights Group briefing
Children’s rights and the post-2015 development agenda
Adolescent girls and the Post-2015 Agenda
Adolescent girls' voices must be heard, and their needs and proirties fully integrated into the Post-2015 agenda
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