How far has the UNCRC general measures of implementation been realised in Europe?
Save the Children has received financial support from the European Union’s Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme to carry out a research project to assess how far the ‘general measures of implementation’ of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) have been realised at European, national and community level. The general measures form the first ‘cluster’ of articles of the UNCRC (articles 4, 42, and 44.6) and concern the structures and mechanisms which need to be in place if the whole of UNCRC is to be implemented effectively. The project focus on five European countries: Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The research has been carried out over a period of 18 months, starting 1 February 2010, by the respective Save the Children organisations in the five countries concerned. The project has been coordinated by Save the Children Sweden. It has been based on desk research of relevant policy documents and on interviews with policy makers and representatives of non-governmental organisations. The research has been carried out at national level and in four regions of the country, where interviews with children also has taken place. The findings are presented in a national report. Research focusing on the EU institutions has also been done and presented in a separate report.
A European-wide comparative report has also been published. It identifies best practice examples as well as recommendations for future action aimed at policy makers at community, national and EU level.
The findings of both the national and European reports have been disseminated through seminars at national and community level in each country, as well as on EU level.
For more information and updates in the project:
Camilla Nygren, Project Coordinator, Save the Children Sweden
camilla.nygren@rb.se