Child rights take into account the comprehensive needs of children and the conditions required to ensure that they grow up in a healthy manner and have the opportunities they will need to go own and live a fulfilling adult life. Therefore, fulfilling children’s rights means ensuring they have the necessary opportunities to develop and thrive to the extent of their potential.

Child-friendly governance is an approach to governance whereby child rights principles and evidence on the situation of children inform the development of national, regional or local governmental policies, strategies or programmes and are used in a systematic manner to improve the overall situation of children. This section includes information on the importance of using child rights as a framework to improve governance and how to apply it in practice.