Protecting the rights of the child is at the core of the Council of Europe’s mission to safeguard human rights, uphold democracy and preserve the rule of law. Since the launch of the programme “Building a Europe for and with children” in 2006, the Council of Europe has striven to advance the rights of the child in its member States through subsequent multiannual Strategies, implemented through standard-setting, monitoring compliance and supporting implementation through co-operation projects.

Prepared by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and other international and European human rights instruments. Their rights include civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. This Strategy seeks to encompass all these categories of human rights and outlines the goals and priorities of the Council of Europe and its member States on protecting the rights of the child and making these rights a reality for all children, through six priority areas for action for the period 2022 to 2027.