Turning Children’s Rights into Children’s Realities: Why open, inclusive and accountable budgets are important for children

Children constitute over 30% of the world’s population. Effective public policy and service delivery are essential to realize their rights. Budget systems that are transparent, open to public engagement and scrutiny, and that have robust oversight institutions help to ensure that governments manage public funds destined for children effectively and equitably.

This document discusses why open, inclusive and accountable budgets are important for the sustainable realization of children’s rights. It starts by discussing the relationship between governance, children’s rights and open budgets as well as the relevance of budget transparency and participation for the realization of children’s rights. It then draws attention to new research on budget transparency and participation that was conducted in relation to key child nutrition interventions in five African countries.The document concludes by outlining recommendations to governments on how budget transparency, participation and accountability can be improved and how civil society and other actors, including children themselves, can contribute to this.