Overall objective of the 2021 DGD
 

The overall purpose of the day of general discussion is to examine broadly the current situation regarding alternative care in its complexity, identify and discuss particular areas of concern with regard to the unnecessary separation of children from their families and appropriate ways to respond to family and child separation in cases where it is unavoidable.

The day of general discussion also provides an opportunity to review implementation of relevant international standards and progress made since the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the Rights of the Child regarding children living without parental care, the Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty and the normative discussions between the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

• Concept note (English | Français | Español)
• Background document: (English | Français | Español)
• Agenda: (English | Français | Español)
• View all submissions
• Report of children's consultations (English | Français | Español)
• Child and youth friendly summary of children's consultations (English | Français | Español)
• Easy-to-read report about what children and young people think of their care if they do not live with their parents (English)
• Outcomes Report and Recommendations (English)
• Report of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly

Short Videos: 

• Recommendations to Policymakers on Children's Rights and Alternative Care 
  (English | Français | Voice Over | Español) 

• Why Children’s Rights and Alternative Care are Important (English | Français | Spanish | Voice Over)

• Children's Rights and Alternative Care (English)

Recordings:

Day 1: 

• Opening Plenary:  
  English: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k16/k16bg75fsu 

• Working Group 1
  English - https://youtu.be/2nZCyX8fJPc 
  French - https://youtu.be/yXIharblrNM 
  Spanish - https://youtu.be/qHi819J-cno 

• Working Group 2
  English – https://youtu.be/aJHGsZn03Tc 
  French – https://youtu.be/d87owlDqRng  
  Spanish - https://youtu.be/Nh-dHx41iVc  
   
• Working Group 3 
  English – https://youtu.be/1qSRfqOVFns  
  French – https://youtu.be/LP90lpQGN74  
   
• Closing Plenary
  English - https://youtu.be/s0hfRdeG3DM

Day 2:

• Opening Plenary
  English - https://youtu.be/AnhwPflrghU
  French - https://youtu.be/SFzMv81LLes
  Spanish - https://youtu.be/1gNLqxxY4oA  
   
• Working Group 4 
  English – https://youtu.be/8uleOFbBmpI  
  French – https://youtu.be/O2FMj-3YjWA  
  Spanish – https://youtu.be/9YLWr12yqns  
   
• Working Group 5 
  English – https://youtu.be/lMnI4Ao34E4  
  French – https://youtu.be/3z4ecg9jKvw  
  Spanish – https://youtu.be/wAubEKxRYUg 
   
• Closing Plenary 
  English - https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1b/k1b1v487ut 

Graphics

• Opening Plenary
• Future Looking Plenary
• Working Group 1
• Working Group 2
• Working Group 3
• Working Group 4
• Working Group 5

Specific objectives of the 2021 DGD

1. Create meaningful engagement for children and young people who have experience of the child protection system and/or of living in alternative care of any type so they can voice their opinions on what constitutes quality care and advocate for legislative and systemic changes;
    
2. Acknowledge the harms of care and the abuse of children in care, and explore the measures that can be taken to ensure prevention, intervention and access to justice, accountability and suitable reparation;
    
3. Draw lessons from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s care and alternative care, including on efforts to strengthen and reform alternative care systems, and make recommendations for the response and preparedness for future public health as well as social and environmental global crises;
    
4. In order to prevent family separation, expand opportunities for learning from best practice in reducing the number of children admitted to formal alternative care, through enhanced prevention and gatekeeping initiatives;
    
5. Expand opportunities to learn from evidence about alternative care options and evidence about what constitutes quality alternative care, with a view to establishing a meaningful process for developing guidance on this;
    
6. Explore efforts towards the development or strengthening of fully-integrated child protection systems;
    
7. Explore innovative approaches to alternative care for children in particularly vulnerable situations, such as humanitarian contexts and migration, and learning from existing good practices.