Children and Youth

Refworld documents related to children, including legal, policy and background information. This "Special Feature" on children is regularly maintained and contains legal, policy and operational material.

Legal Documents Related to Children

• Convention on the Rights of the Child (20 November 1989, entry into force on 2 September 1990) and its Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (25 May 2000, entry into force on 12 February 2002) and Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (25 May 2000, entry into force on 18 January 2002)
• Convention on the Protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, Council of Europe, CETS 201, 12 July 2007, entry into force on 1 July 2010
• Resolution 2005/20 on Guidelines on Justice in Matters involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime, Adopted by the UN Economic and Social Council at its 36th plenary meeting, 22 July 2005
• Resolution 1612 (2005) on Children and Armed Conflict, Adopted by the UN Security Council at its 5235th meeting, S/RES/1612 (2005), 26 July 2005
• Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, 15 November 2000, entry into force on 25 December 2003
• Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, ILO, C182, 17 June 1999
• United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of Their Liberty, Adopted by the UN General Assembly, A/RES/45/113, 14 December 1990
• African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, CAB/LEG/24.9/49 (1990), 11 July 1990

UNHCR Policy Documents Related to Children

• 2021 UNHCR Best Interests Procedure Guidelines: Assessing and Determining the Best Interests of the Child, May 2021
• UNHCR Policy on Age, Gender and Diversity, 8 March 2018
• Resettlement of Children and Adolescents at Risk, June 2016
• UNHCR's Framework for the Protection of Children, June 2012
• UNHCR Education Strategy, 2012-2016, 2012
• Action against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: an updated strategy, 2012
• Age, Gender and Diversity Policy, 2011
• Guidelines on International Protection No. 8: Child Asylum Claims under Articles 1(A)2 and 1(F) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, HCR/GIP/09/08, December 2009
• Guidelines on Policies and Procedures in Dealing with Unaccompanied Children Seeking Asylum, February 1997
• UNHCR Policy on Adoption, 22 August 1995
• Refugee Children: Guidelines on Protection and Care, 1994
• UNHCR Policy on Refugee Children, 6 August 1993

UNHCR ExCom and Standing Committee

At many occasions, UNHCR's Executive Committee has dealt with issues relating to children.

• Conclusion of the Executive Committee No. 113(LXVII) 2016 on youth, 6 October 2016 (also available in French)
• Youth, EC/67/SC/CRP.17, 31 May 2016
• Conclusion on civil registration, 17 October 2013, No.111(LXIV)-2013
• Executive Committee Conclusions relating to children
• International protection of children of concern, EC/61/SC/CRP.13, 31 May 2010
• Birth Registration: A Topic Proposed for an Executive Committee Conclusion on International Protection, EC/61/SC/CRP.5, UNHCR, 9 February 2010
• Executive Committee No. 107 (LVIII) - 2007 on Children at Risk, 5 October 2007
• Children At Risk, Standing Committee, 38th meeting, EC/58/SC/CRP.7, 22 February 2007
• Executive Committee Conclusion No. 105 (LVI) - 2006 on Women and Girls at Risk, 6 October 2006
• Executive Committee Conclusion No. 84 (XLVIII) - 1997 on Refugee Children and Adolescents, 17 October 1997
• Executive Committee Conclusion No. 59 (XL) - 1989 on Refugee Children, 13 October 1989
• Executive Committee Conclusion No. 47 (XXXVIII) - 1987 on Refugee Children, 12 October 1987
• Executive Committee Conclusions relating to age, gender and diversity mainstreaming

Other Policy Documents Related to Children

• Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, Global Protection Cluster (GPC), 2012
• IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, Inter-Agency Standing Committee, 2009
• General comment No. 14 (2013) on the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken a s a primary consideration (art. 3, para. 1), United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, CRC/C/GC/14/6, 29 May 2013
• General Comment No. 6: Treatment of Unaccompanied and Separated Children Outside their Country of Origin, United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, CRC/GC/2005/6, 3 June 2005
• Inter-Agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children, ICRC; IRC; Save the Children; UNICEF; UNHCR; World Vision, January 2004
• Statement of Good Practice, Separated Children in Europe Programme (SCEP), Third edition, 2004

Documents Related to Children

• All reports relating to adoption by all sources
• All reports relating to children-at-risk by all sources
• All reports relating to right to education by all sources
• All reports of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
• All reports of the UN Commission on Human Rights relating to children