EU actions supporting, protecting and empowering children globally, including during crisis and conflict
The EU plays a leading role in supporting children globally, by strengthening access to quality, safe and inclusive education, basic services, health, humanitarian aid and in protecting them in violent conflict.
- EU Gender Action Plan for external action (2021-2025)
- EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024
- Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/1999 concerning restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses
- Council Regulation (EU) 2020/1998 concerning restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses
- Guidelines on the promotion and protection on the rights of the child, 2017
- EU Guidelines on children in armed conflict, 2008
Under the new EU Strategy on the rights of the child, the Commission committed to:
- dedicate 10% of overall funding under the NDICI in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Americas and the Caribbean to education;
- continue allocating 10% of humanitarian aid funding to education in emergencies and protracted crises and promote the endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration;
- work towards making supply chains of EU companies free of child labour, notably through a legislative initiative on sustainable corporate governance;
- promote and provide technical assistance to strengthen labour inspection systems for monitoring and enforcement of child labour laws;
- provide technical assistance as Team Europe to partner countries’ administrations through its programmes and facilities, such as SOCIEUX+, the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument (TAIEX) and TWINNING programmes;
- prepare a Youth Action Plan by 2022 to promote youth empowerment and participation;
- designate Youth focal points and strengthen child protection capacities within the EU Delegations;