Mr President,
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Friends.

I regret that I cannot be with you in person.

For this discussion on the mainstreaming of children’s rights throughout the UN system.

A discussion that is taking place in the context of a dreadful decline in respect for children’s rights.

In conflicts – Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan and so many other dire situations.

Pitiless nightmares from which children cannot wake.

Ending for so many in death.

Elsewhere, childhoods stolen, as action on poverty and the 2030 Agenda falters.

Rising hunger. A crisis in education. Increasingly precarious futures.

As a global community we are not living up to our responsibilities towards children.

To uphold their rights and to support them as they advocate for themselves.

To all the children in the room, you have my promise that my Office – and the wider UN system – is committed to standing up for your rights and standing with you.

We appreciate you being here, for engaging with us.

We have listened to your generation’s expectations for your UN.

Including through a survey last year during the Human Rights 75 initiative in which almost 4000 children took part.

A consistent, clear message, “nothing about us, without us”.

Asking for a UN system where meaningful and safe opportunities to participate in decision-making are routine.

Which champions children as holders of a distinct set of rights.

Which empowers children in pursuing their rights.

And which demonstrates a truly inclusive and intersectional approach.

Two years ago, the Human Rights Council requested my Office to prepare a report for this session with specific recommendations on how to strengthen a child-rights based approach in the work of the UN.

In response, the Guidance Note of the Secretary-General on Child Rights Mainstreaming was issued last July.

Benefitting from extensive consultations with children, the Note sets out a Framework for Action with clear expectations for the entire UN system.

Assigning specific responsibilities to my Office and to human rights mechanisms.

Its guiding principles emphasize the need to ensure engagement of children - including those most at risk of being left behind - in all decision-making processes affecting their human rights.

In my Office’s report to the Council [A/HRC/55/36], we outline how we, along with the investigative and accountability mechanisms that we support - are meeting the benchmarks set out by the Secretary-General.

Highlighting promising practices and the routes to scaling these up.

To strengthen mainstreaming within OHCHR and human rights mechanisms – and to set in motion a broader effect across the wider UN system.

We are asking States to come along with us on this important journey.

Through adopting their own child-rights based approaches to promote the full spectrum of children’s rights.

And through taking steps to facilitate consistent, accessible routes for the safe participation of children in local, national, regional and international forums.

I am also calling on States to invest in my Office’s capacity on children’s rights so we can fully discharge our leadership role in mainstreaming these across the UN system.

Our report also has a number of considerations for the Council.  

Including the possibility of calling on its mechanisms to analyse with greater consistency the root causes of violations of children’s rights and translate this into actionable recommendations for relevant stakeholders.

Colleagues, 

Our mainstreaming efforts in the UN system are essential to supporting children in accessing their rights.

As we progress this agenda, we do so informed and invigorated by the incredibly powerful Children’s Vision for Human Rights issued at the end of last year.

Calling for a safer, fairer, better and happier life for everyone.

Envisaging a world where their needs are fully considered and their voices heard.

Let us firmly embrace that call.

Including at the Summit of the Future later this year - a crucial moment for revitalizing global governance for present as well as future generations.

We must not fail our children.

Thank you.