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UNICEF UK
MANIFESTO FOR
CHILDREN IN WALES
© UNICEF UK/RRS2009/Caroline Irby
Denying child rights is wrong. Put it right.
UNICEF UK’s vision is a world in which every
child’s rights are realised. The UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child is the world’s greatest
promise – a better life for every child.
All children have rights which guarantee them what
they need to survive, grow, participate and fulfil their
potential. Yet every day these rights are denied. This
is wrong. We call on all political parties to put it right
for children by implementing the recommendations
for the UK made by the UN Committee on the
Rights of the Child, published in October 2008.
Help us put it right for children now!
UNICEF is the only organisation working for
children and families that is specifically mentioned
in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Convention states that governments can look
to UNICEF for expertise and technical support in
issues relating to children and families.
References: 1. Welsh Assembly Government (2011), Child poverty
strategy for Wales.
2. J.Sebba and C. Robinson (2010), Evaluation of UNICEF UK’s Rights
Respecting Schools Award. Universities of Sussex and Brighton
Children in WALES
We call on all political parties to champion the
rights of every child in Wales by:
Making the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child part of Welsh law
On 18 January 2011, the Welsh Assembly
unanimously passed the Rights of Children and Young
Persons (Wales) Measure, at the forefront of children’s
rights legislation across the UK. From 2014, Welsh
Ministers will be required to have regard to the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional
Protocols when exercising any of their functions,
effectively embedding children’s rights at the heart of
all legislation, policy and decision-making in Wales.
We urge all political parties to build upon this
political momentum by ensuring the Measure
is implemented in the shortest possible time
and to its fullest extent. This will ensure that all
the principles and articles of the Convention are
comprehensively and consistently taken into
account in all Welsh legislation, and that the duties
the Convention places on governments and wider
society – to protect children and support their
development – are better understood.
UNICEF UK, 30a Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DU Telephone 020 7490 2388 Fax 020 7250 1733 unicef.org.uk Reg. Charity No. 1072612

Improve child well-being and
end child poverty by 2020
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
requires governments to take measures to the
maximum extent of available resources to ensure
that all children enjoy an adequate standard of living.
There are 200,000 children living in poverty in
Wales, which at 32 per cent has the highest child
poverty rate in the UK. 1 Experiencing poverty and
inequality can have a severe effect on a child’s
development, and a negative impact on a child’s
health, education, family relationships and aspirations
– both in childhood and in adult life. Growing up
in poverty is one of the biggest barriers to the
realisation of rights for children living in Wales.
We urge all political parties to adopt policies that
promote children’s well-being and maximise the
incomes of families, and to make the financial
investment needed to end child poverty in Wales
by 2020.
Listen to children and young people
Every child has the right to be heard and have
their views given due weight, according to their
age and maturity, in all matters affecting them.
We call on all political parties in Wales to fulfil
every child’s right to be heard by ensuring they
listen to children and young people and develop
mechanisms to ensure their voices are heard in
policy and decision-making processes.
Roll out the Rights Respecting Schools
Award to all schools in Wales
Sixty schools in Wales have signed up to UNICEF
UK’s Rights Respecting Schools Award. Evidence
shows that participation in the Award has a
significant and positive influence on the inclusivity
and well-being of the school community. 2 Schools
and students experience improved attainment
and engagement in learning when they progress
through the Award and successfully incorporate
children’s rights into their ethos and curriculum.
We call on all political parties to support the
widespread roll out of the Award and ensure child
rights are placed at the heart of every school.
Improve support for breastfeeding
Every child has the right to be healthy.
Breastfeeding has a key role to play in tackling
health inequalities and UNICEF UK’s Baby Friendly
Initiative works with the NHS to deliver a high
standard of care for pregnant and breastfeeding
women. Fifty-eight per cent of births in Wales take
place in Baby Friendly hospitals.
We call on all political parties to support the
implementation of the Baby Friendly Initiative in
all hospitals and community health facilities in
Wales and to tackle the aggressive promotion of
breast-milk substitutes by fully implementing the
International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk
Substitutes.
HOW TO KEEP IN TOUCH & RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION
If you would like a more detailed briefing or to speak to UNICEF UK about any children’s rights issue,
please contact Sam Dimmock, UK policy and parliamentary manager:
8 020 7375 6193 or 8 samanthad@unicef.org.uk
To receive regular updates on our children’s rights work in Wales and across the UK, please email
parliamentaryteam@unicef.org.uk to request our Public Affairs Update.
8 www.unicef.org.uk