September 1, 2025
Children are our future, and that future begins today. The kind of childhood, education,
healthcare, and safety systems we build for them will shape the world we all live in
tomorrow—aside from life’s unpredictable turns and circumstances beyond our control.
How we ensure equal opportunities and protect children rights depends on how
effectively we implement the four fundamental principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These principles mark a shift in how we view children—not as passive dependents, but as individuals with rights, voices, and dignity.
1. Children as Individuals
At the core of the Convention is the recognition that children are persons in their own right. By including the right to play, the UNCRC affirms the intrinsic value of childhood and acknowledges it as a critical phase of human development. As the Committee on the Rights of the Child affirms, every child is born with equal rights, and no child should ever be subjected to discrimination.
2. The Best Interests of the Child
Children are more vulnerable and need special protection to ensure their rights are
respected. But how can we truly protect their rights equally?
The answer lies in Article 3.1 of the Convention, which defines the principle of the best
interests of the child:
“In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private
social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities, or legislative
bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.”
3. The Right to Life, Survival, and Development
Economic and social rights stem from the fundamental right to life. But this principle goes
beyond mere survival. Article 6 of the UNCRC states that:
“States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and
development of the child.”
This right encompasses a child’s physical, mental, emotional, cognitive, social, and cultural development.
4. Participation and Voice
A key principle of the Convention is respecting the right of children to be heard. To determine what serves a child’s best interests, it is only logical to ask the child. Article 12.1 emphasizes that:
“States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own
views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child,
with due weight given to the child’s age and maturity.”
In Conclusion
Every country—depending on its culture, traditions, social and financial capacity, collective values, and vision for the future—offers its children what it can. And each generation faces the challenge of preserving, improving, and building upon what it has received.
Children are not only the responsibility of today—they are also the carriers of tomorrow.
Investing in their rights means investing in a brighter, more just future for us all. That, in my view, is how life progresses.
References
United Nations (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification, and accession by General Assembly
resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989.
Retrieved from:
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child
Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC). General Comments – Interpretation of the
Convention’s principles.
Retrieved from: https://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/crc/general-comments
Lansdown, G. (2005). The Evolving Capacities of the Child. UNICEF Innocenti Research
Centre.
Retrieved from: https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/384
Author: Nvard Botsinyan