The focus of Children’s Rights and 2030 Agenda

The Sustainable Development Goals offer a unique chance to guarantee Children’s Rights all over the planet. Its 169 objectives impact directly or indirectly on the wellbeing of children and their implementation represents a clear commitment to a social and political model which makes children a priority. Guaranteeing Children’s Rights is not just a commitment for the countries that have ratified the «Convention on Children’s Rights», it is also a fundamental condition for achieving the SDG. Therefore, the international community must respond urgently to a series of priorities to transform the commitments in Agenda 2030 into concrete actions to guarantee Children’s Rights. Among these priorities are: to end child poverty (SDG 1), reducing poverty by more than half in all its dimensions according to national definitions (Objective 1.2); to invest in children, a transversal priority in the Agenda, as a key factor for economic and social development; to guarantee access for all children to basic, free, quality and inclusive education (SDG 4); and to achieve gender equality (SDG 5), empowering girls, guaranteeing their access to education, boosting their abilities and creating a safe environment for them. All these priorities require International Cooperation (SDG 17) to strengthen the means needed to implement Agenda 2030 and to revitalise the World Alliance for Sustainable Development, by increasing the Official Development Aid provided by rich countries.