CRC concluding observations 2016, paragraph 13

UN recommendation

Plain English recommendation

Government should: Invest all available resources to make children’s rights a reality for every child across the UK, focusing especially on ending child poverty and inequality. (a) Consider children’s rights when setting budgets. Monitor the availability of resources and spending to promote children’s rights. (b) Involve the public, including children, in budget decisions. (c) Take action to support disadvantaged children and define dedicated budget lines for this purpose (even during economic crises). (d) Regularly assess the impact on children’s rights of budget decisions, austerity measures and other matters affecting children. (e) Monitor how well resources are being used to make children’s rights a reality.


Original UN recommendation

In accordance with article 4 of the Convention and targets 10.2 and 10.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Committee urges the State party to allocate the maximum extent of available resources for the implementation of children’s rights, with a special focus on eradicating child poverty and reducing inequalities within and across all jurisdictions. In that endeavour, the Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Utilize a child-rights approach in the elaboration of the State budget, by implementing a tracking system for the allocation and use of resources for children throughout the budget. (b) Ensure transparent and participatory budgeting through public dialogue, including with children. (c) Define budgetary lines for children in disadvantaged or vulnerable situations that may require affirmative social measures and make sure that those budgetary lines are protected even in situations of economic recessions. (d) Regularly conduct child rights impact assessments of budget and economic decision-making processes and outcomes, including austerity measures, in areas that are directly or indirectly related to children’s rights. (e) Establish mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the adequacy, efficacy and equitability of the distribution of resources allocated to the implementation of the Convention.

Date of UN examination

24/05/2016

UN article number

4 (protection of rights)

Last updated on 17/09/2019