Public Consulatation

The research team of the project “Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as Rights of the Child. Empowering children in building a better future” is pleased to announce a public submissions forum, inviting contributions, reviews, suggested changes or additions for Compilation of Standards and Principles on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of the Child.

Economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights are particularly important for the human rights and wellbeing of children globally. ESC rights aim at shielding children from issues such as malnutrition, lack of proper housing, environmental degradation, inadequate education or low-quality healthcare. Socioeconomic conditions have a direct and considerable impact on a child’s spiritual, physical, and social development. The aim of this project is, firstly, to frame ESC rights as a vehicle for the full development of a child, and secondly, to empower the child as a rights-holder in building a better future for themselves and others. 

The presented document distils the key interpretative trends and legal obligations emerging from the analysis of the work of the UN Treaty Bodies and the relevant special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council in a concise and comprehensible manner.

This core purpose of this Compilation is to serve as a definitive guide on ESC rights of the child for all stakeholders, thus allowing for a better implementation of children’s ESC rights at the national level. Moreover, another aim of this Compilation is to aid in the development and strengthening of clear monitoring criteria for the UN Treaty Bodies, leading to better visibility of children as empowered actors. Additional potential purposes include the Compilation proving useful in Human Rights education programmes and the training of professionals, including teachers, judges and lawyers, social workers, officials in the public administration, and journalists.

The final document will be also informed by direct consultations with children, and a child-friendly version of the document will be provided at the end of the project. This is to emphasise the project’s ultimate purpose of a child-forward universal legal resource Both the consultations and the final Compilation will help the children understand:

1. The extent of their economic, social and cultural rights, 
2. How they may utilise their ESC rights to empower themselves in the enjoyment of those rights,
3. The role of the State in different situations, allowing them to react in their own interest, 
4. The rules regarding justiciability at the national level, thus enhancing protection of ESC rights byassisting children in pursuing remedies for violations of their rights by the State or before different UN Treaty Bodies through the communications procedures. 

Submission Guidelines

• Deadline: Please submit your feedback by 30th September 2025.
• Email Address: You can send your input via email to agata.hauser@amu.edu.pl, l.szoszkiewicz@amu.edu.pl AND percy.ev.carter@gmail.com.
• Email Subject Line: “Feedback on Draft Document – [Your Organization’s Name]”
• Accepted Formats: Word or PDF

Alternatively, you can provide your feedback using our Microsoft Form available here: https://forms.office.com/e/sY6Fa18jE1.