On Friday, 3 February 2017, the Child Rights Connect Working Group on Investment in Children will meet with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva to discuss the results of the worldwide launch of the UN CRC General Comment No. 19 (GC19) Public Budgeting for the Realization of Children’s Rights.

In the last three years, the Working Group of which CRC Asia is a member, has helped the Committee develop the GC19 by providing input on the draft of the text after organizing meetings with experts and consultations with children.

For example, on 15-16 of October 2015, CRC Asia organized a regional consultation on public investment in children (PIC) in the Philippines where child rights advocates across Asia and children commented on the GC19 draft. Among other things, the participants emphasized the need to reflect the whole public finance management cycle explicitly on the document by using a language understandable to both economists and child rights advocates. (Read discussion highlights)

GC19 was launched in Geneva on 22 September 2016. CRC Asia represented by Advocacy and Communications Officer Ms. Hazel Joy Bitana participated in the event.

Subsequently, members of the Working group organized 29 regional and national launches worldwide. In the Asian region, CRC Asia launched GC19 during its 2nd Asia-Pacific Partnership Meeting of Child Rights Coalitions and Networks on 29 September to 1 October in Bangkok, Thailand. This was attended by 38 representatives of 26 organizations in 17 countries across Asia and the Pacific.

This Friday, the meeting with the Committee aims to share the results of the launches as well as examples on how the Working Group members are advancing investment in children. The Working Group will also take this opportunity to know how the Committee plans to use the GC 19 and discuss how the Working Group and its members can support the Committee in taking GC19 forward in 2017.

After discussions with member organizations and partners in the region, CRC Asia has begun work in public investments in children through mapping of PIC efforts in the Philippines.

There is a glaring demand for civil society organizations and international NGOs to strengthen capacities in the field of PIC. CRC Asia is currently working with Save the Children-Philippines, UNICEF – Philippines, and WomanHealth ABI-Health Cluster in organizing a series of learning sessions also aimed to be the starting point in building a stronger movement for public budgeting for children. The first learning session is tentatively set for the week of February 20-24. Part of the program would be to identify the needs and next steps for advocacy work. 

CRC Asia is also working with the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) for the latter to take in PIC as a major issue in its program of actions.

Follow the hashtag #InvestInChildren on Twitter starting 14:00 CET for live updates on the meeting.