The signatories of this open letter (including SOS Children's Villages, Better Care Network, and other partners) seek your support in calling for the 2019 United Nations General Assembly resolution on the Rights of the Child to focus on children without parental care. A coalition of child-focused organisations and networks, have created a 2-page statement calling for UN Member States to select the theme of children without parental care as a focus for the 2019 Rights of the Child resolution, listing compelling reasons to do so. Please find it attached.
The UN GA Resolution on the Rights of the Child is a vital instrument that tackles pertinent issues relating to children, with detailed recommendations on how to protect them and their rights, but there has never been a Rights of the Child resolution that has specifically addressed the rights of children without parental care. Without access to quality and appropriate alternative care, children deprived of parental care often face a downward spiral of economic, social and structural exclusion, and marginalization with long-term consequences for them and their communities.
2019 is a particularly important year as it marks the 10th Anniversary of the Guidelines on the Alternative Care for Children (A/RES/64/142) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2009, providing a unique and timely opportunity for the UN General Assembly to address the issue of children without parental care. There have been significant achievements since then, and this would be an opportunity to take stock of the progress that has been made, and look at the impact that the Guidelines have had on the lives of children. Children without parental care are affected by a wide range of development issues included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and they are one of the most “left behind” groups of children. Therefore, if we want to achieve the SDGs and its principle to “reach the furthest behind first”, there needs to be a focus on children without parental care.
For all these reasons, and those stated in the attached letter, we would like to ask for your support by signing on to this letter for UN Member States, at your earliest convenience. To join this cause, please:
- Fill in your information here and upload your organization’s logo to this link – Open Letter Campaign; OR
- Send an email here with your full name, name of organization, and organization logo attached.
This statement will be presented to UN Member States soon to call for their action, and for them to select the theme of children without parental care in 2019.
We will send updates to all the signatories of this letter on the progress of our cause, and reaction from Member States and other key stakeholders. Please feel free to distribute this email within your networks, and the joint statement with interested parties.
