A common vision for children

Save the Children envisages a world that respects, protects and fulfills children's rights. The foundation for our work is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which encompasses the fundamental freedoms and the inherent rights of all human beings below the age of 18. Children have the same rights afforded to adults and in addition have rights in the CRC that reflect their particular needs as children. The CRC is in essence an agreement between countries to obey the same ground-rules deemed necessary for a child to survive and develop to his or her full potential. Insistence that all children have exactly the same rights is particularly important in a world of growing inequality and discrimination.

Global commitment and a common agenda for action

The CRC was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, has been ratified by close to all states and is recognized as international law. The CRC does not just state what children's rights are - it goes much further, obliging all govern­ments that ratify it to take all necessary steps to ensure that children's rights are realised in their country as well as to co-operate internationally on their fulfill­ment worldwide.

Collectively, these obligations form an agenda for action - requiring governments to critically analyze the situation of children in their countries, to identify where rights are not being realized and why, and to ensure attention and resources are focused where they are most needed. Equally, they place obligations upon the in­ternational community as a whole to assist those countries that carry the burden of poverty and have the least resources and capacity.

While there is a vital role for governments and their capacity need to be strengthened, there is also a critical need for an effective and progressive civil society. This includes INGOs working with and through local civil society organi­zations. Save the Children aims at holding governments, citizens and the interna­tional community to account for their commitment and obligation to children and supports local civil society to do the same.

	Child Friendly Version of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child This document allows young children to read The United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child. Everyone under the age of 18 has ALL of these rights! Produced 2010  Download		Putting Children at the Centre These guides are intended as practical guidance for Save the Children staff working at Head Office and within country programs who want to support children's meaningful involvement in the governance, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of their work. Produced 2010 Download
	18 Candles: The Convention on the Rights of the Child reaches majority This booklet is a present offered to Miss Convention on the occasion of the attainment of her age of majority. It is also as a tribute to all persons who have worked and are continuing to strive to enforce children's rights. Produced 2007 Download		Practice Standards in Children's Participation These practice standards state what children and others can expect of Save the Children's practice in child participation. They are designed to apply to all Save the Children's child participation work and represent minimum expectations of the ways in which staff will behave and operate. Produced 2005 Download