November 20 marks the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989. Since then, the World Children’s Day offers each of us an important occasion to advocate, promote and celebrate children's rights towards the realization of a better world for children. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has very negatively impacted the enjoyment of children’s rights worldwide. The health crisis has aggravated pre-existing inequalities in education, especially for those children at risk of digital exclusion or with special needs. Despite the best...

October 11 marks the International Day of the Girl Child, which was established in 2011 by the United Nations General Assembly through the adoption of Resolution 66/170. This particular focus on the girl is a recognition that every child, in particular  every girl, has the dignity to be respected and the rights to be protected. It was the Fourth World Conference on Women held in 1995 in Beijing, China, that highlighted  the right  of every girl. The conference culminated in the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: the most...

On September 9, 2020, we will commemorate, for the first time, the International Day to Protect Education from Attack. The General Assembly resolution establishing the International Day affirms that governments have the primary responsibility to provide protection and ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels to all learners, especially those in vulnerable situations. Between 2015 and 2019, 93 countries experienced at least one reported attack on education and more than 22,000 students, teachers, and academics were injured, killed, or harmed in attacks on education during armed conflict or insecurity. Among...

In the occasion of the 30th Convention on the Rights of the Child anniversary, ratified in 1989 by the highest number of Countries (196) and in the fastest way than the others, a three-day commemorative celebration was held in Palais des Nations on the 18th, 19th and 20th of November in Geneva. The event, that took place in the symbolic city of the Convention writing and negotiation, was the peak of a series of events organized throughout 2019. Moreover, the “30 Years of Children’s Rights” book has been published in...

The publication "Education as a Driver to Integral Growth and Peace" was presented by the Holy See together with the Caritas in Veritate Foundation during a side event held on November 19, 2019, in the Palais des Nations, Geneva on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Conventions on the Rights of the Child. Intended as an opportunity to reflect on quality education at the global level, the publication aims to share good practices in educational settings to face the challenges of the contemporary world, integrating an ethical perspective with...

The 19th  November 2019, among the numerous events that marked the 30th  anniversary ceremony of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See organized the side event “The Right to Education - Towards a Renewed Commitment to Education” which was held in Room XXIV of the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The event was co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of the Philippines, Zambia, Poland, Lebanon and the Sovereign Order of Malta as well as by the associations: Caritas in Veritate Foundation, OIDEL, OIEC,...

The 2019 Social Forum took place on the 1stand on the 2ndOctober 2019 in room XX, at Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Social Forum is an annual meeting convened by the Human Rights Council to provide a unique space for an open and interactive dialogue between all stakeholders on a specific theme chosen each year. In accordance with the resolution 38/17 of the Human Right Council this year’s Social Forum focused on“the promotion and protection of the rights of children and youth through education”. Though all children and young people have...

From September 9th to 27th, 2019, the Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice (IIMA) Human Rights Office and VIDES International, participated in the 42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council delivering three oral statements on the following: Items 3 & 5 Clustered interactive dialogue on SR Report on indigenous peoples; Item 6 on the UPR outcomes of Costa rica and Nicaragua. IIMA and VIDES welcomed the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. However, the attainment of the full and equitable enjoyment of the human rights of all indigenous peoples...

On the occasion of the 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council, IIMA and Vides International, together with the permanent Mission of the Philippines, organized the side  event: “Promoting a Safe and Empowering Environment for all Children and youth - best practices for child and youth protection and participation through human rights education” held at the Palace of the Nations on September 25, 2019. The event was co-sponsored by sixteen Permanent Missions: Egypt, El Salvador, Italy, Portugal, Ethiopia, Montenegro, Poland, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Thailand, Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Spain, Holy See, Uruguay; and also...

On January 24th2019, the World Day of Education was celebrated for the first time, organized by UNESCO to raise awareness on the world's educational emergencies. An “Education for Peace and Development” panel discussion was held at the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) involving many States and representatives of civil society.   According to the latest data presented by UNICEF, 262 million children and adolescents worldwide are deprived of access to education, less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school while about 4 million children and young refugees...