Good Governance Delivering Child Rights

Good governance delivering child rights works to ensure laws, policies and resources work for children through open, inclusive and accountable state institutions and other measures. Nearly all states in the world have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. There is no doubt that positive changes have come about in the lives of children thanks to the Convention. What is equally clear is that the child rights architecture set out in the Convention (‘the General Measures of Implementation’) to deliver rights for all children equally, is not in place in many countries and can be significantly improved in all countries. The General Measures of Implementation (GMIs) is a list of measures governments need to put in place to institutionalise child rights and ensure good governance for children. Save the Children works with others including governments to do this. The measures include aligning national legislation with the UNCRC, regulatory frameworks for non-state service providers, child rights impact assessments of laws, adopting policies and budgets for children, and more. Once these measures are in place, they must also have adequate human and financial resourcing to ensure sustainability. Save the Children believes they are the essential foundation upon which Save the Children’s ambition for all children to survive, learn and be protected will be built. In addition, Save the Children pushes for governance that is transparent, inclusive and accountable and has formal opportunities for children and civil society to participate. The organization is engaged with the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to make their national open government plans work for children and as a platform for governments to implement SDG Goal 16 governance related targets. Save the Children seeks to integrate governance and child rights accountability work with the SDG agenda while linking the legally binding obligations from the UNCRC to the political aspirations to achieve the SDG targets by 2030.