Children as Active Citizens: A Policy and Programme Guide and An Introductory Booklet

Published by the Inter-Agency Working Group on Children's Participation (IAWGCP), these two publications on children as active citizens include a brochure presenting the main arguments for greater investments in children's civil rights and civic engagement, addressed to government decision makers, donors, and development managers. The second text, a programme and policy guide, provides more detailed guidance for practitioners. According to the IAWGCP: "This guide presents a broad agenda for the civil rights of children, bringing together a wide range of approaches, providing a strong rationale for the promotion of children's civic participation and citizenship as an essential contribution to realizing children's rights as a whole. Guidance is provided on the practical application of the civil rights of children to a name, freedom of expression, access to information, complaints procedures, justice and economic equality. A set of basic actions for government, civil society and media are identified and proposals made for monitoring advances. This publication guide is the result of a year of intensive collaborative work involving IAWGCP organizations and other partners in the East Asia and Pacific region."

The 120-page programme and policy guide booklet is divided into three sections:

• Part One: Defining children’s citizenship and civil rights - describing citizenship and children's rights to citizenship, as well as an agenda for children’s citizenship and civil rights, including the regional context and resources.
• Part Two: Operationalising children’s civil rights - discussing birth and civil registration, children’s expression of opinion and control over decisions in daily life, access to information, feedback and complaint mechanisms, justice for children, and economic citizenship and access to resources.
• Part Three: Developing and practising active citizenship - including citizenship competencies and civic engagement, children as active citizens in the media, children influencing public decisions, and children-led associations.

Among the main topics included in the 28-page brochure are:

• Birth and civil registration
• Children influencing public decisions
• Children-led associations
• Children and the media
• Justice for children
• Civic engagement and competencies of citizens
• Complaint mechanisms
• Access to information
• Expression of opinion and involvement in decisions