Civil society organizations working on children’s rights have collectively emphasized the urgent need to place children at the center of all UN reforms. They stress that the UN system must respond to rights-holders across its three pillars, ensuring that children, who represent about a third of the world’s population, are meaningfully included in assessments, decision-making, and future planning. Current UN80 processes, particularly under Workstreams 2 and 3, have largely overlooked children’s rights, prompting a call for reforms guided by the Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming. This framework advocates for the integration of child rights across peace, security, human rights, and development efforts, including effective child participation, adequate budgeting, and coordinated implementation.
The joint statement highlights the importance of protecting child-specific mandates within the UN. Member States and the Secretariat are urged to ensure that reforms do not weaken mechanisms such as the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Special Representatives on Violence Against Children and Children and Armed Conflict, or the Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children. Maintaining operational capacities of entities like UNICEF and OHCHR is critical, especially given recent disruptions caused by funding crises that have limited accountability and participation. The statement underscores that reforms should preserve and strengthen these mandates to guarantee sustained protection and international cooperation.
Civil society participation is emphasized as a cornerstone of UN reform. The UN80 Initiative must ensure that underrepresented groups, especially children, are safely and meaningfully involved in decision-making. Reforms should protect and expand space for civil society engagement, including hybrid participation, better access to UN premises, and inclusion in informal negotiations. Institutionalizing structured engagement platforms across UN entities will allow children, youth, and civil society organizations to influence policy, monitor implementation, and oversee resource allocation. Adequate funding channels, transparent partnerships, and structured spaces for participation are also essential for sustaining meaningful engagement.
Localization of UN operations is another priority highlighted by the statement. UN restructuring must follow best-practice standards that ensure responsiveness, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. Partnerships with local civil society, including women-, youth-, child-, disability-, and community-led organizations, should be meaningful and accompanied by equitable resource allocation, shared decision-making, and accountability. Local actors must have access to predictable, flexible, multi-year funding, and new administrative systems should reduce burdens while ensuring gender- and age-disaggregated accountability.
Finally, the statement stresses the importance of long-term financial and environmental sustainability. UN reforms should build on existing mandates, maximize collaboration, and leverage expertise without creating additional costs. With the UN facing a severe financial crisis, quick fixes that ignore root causes could undermine children’s rights and well-being. The human rights pillar remains chronically underfunded, and reductions would disproportionately harm children. Member States must fulfill their financial obligations to ensure sustainable funding for programs that protect children’s rights and safeguard their future.
