Why this report?
The New Zealand government is currently reporting on progress to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (the Committee) as part of the 5th periodic reporting. The report was produced to enable the participation of young people in this process.
The government of New Zealand signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1993 and is required to report to the United Nations on the progress made for children every 5 years. The report was produced to enable the participation of young people in this process and was made possible with funding from Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa (ACYA). More information on the 5th periodic review is available on the MSD website.
How was it produced?
Youth ambassadors from Save the Children NZ and UNICEF NZ produced and wrote the report. Young people were involved in all parts of the process, including designing questions, consulting young people, analysing data, writing the report and developing recommendations for government and society. A total of 1198 young people across the country were consulted as part of the report.
Where to from here
As work progresses on the implementation of the CRC, we believe that New Zealand’s youngest citizens must be involved in the process. We request the government provides real opportunities for young people and children/tamariki in Aotearoa NZ to be heard, and have their voices taken into account, when policies or decisions concerning them are created.
