The 糖心视频 has been announced as a member of a global coalition established to champion equal access to justice worldwide, and notably to meet the distinctive rights and needs of children.
Strathclyde has joined the Justice Action Coalition, established under the auspices of the United Nations. It is a high-ambition partnership of 35 national governments, UN agencies 鈥� including UNDP and UN Women 鈥� and international organisations, including the World Bank and OECD.
This group of committed leaders is working together to advance justice in countries around the world, to achieve Agenda 2030 on the UN鈥檚 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG16.3 鈥溾�o ensure equal access to justice for all鈥�.
Strathclyde鈥檚 Institute for Inspiring Children鈥檚 Futures (IICF), based in the University鈥檚 Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, has been commissioned to drive the international efforts for children within the Coalition, leading the efforts of the multi-sectoral Justice Action Coalition鈥檚 SDG 16 Working Group on Justice for Children.
IICF Executive Director, Professor Jennifer Davidson, said: 鈥淲e are proud to be a founding member of the Justice Action Coalition, a role which will grow the global ambition of governments to achieve SDG 16 for children.
鈥淚n setting out the ambitious vision for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Agenda 2030 pledges not only to 鈥榣eave no one behind鈥�, but also to 鈥榬each the furthest behind first鈥�. Children are among those most at risk of being left behind, especially those facing adversities.
鈥淎t the halfway point to 2030, slowed progress in achieving the SDGs is exacerbating existing inequalities and adversely impacting on our ability to achieve justice for children and consequently justice for all 鈥� here at home, and around the globe. With our fellow Coalition members, and with our network of partners in this work for children, we are determined to accelerate this progress to deliver child-centred outcomes.鈥�
Two recent events initiated IICF鈥檚 work. As part of the Justice Action Coalition, the Institute organised and moderated a high-level event on justice for children in May 2023 at the UN Crime Commission 鈥� the UN鈥檚 primary policymaking body for crime prevention 鈥� focused on the challenges and opportunities provided by digitisation. Led by Brazil鈥檚 Justice Minister and sponsored by the governments of Canada, Indonesia, the Netherlands and Thailand, and speakers from organisations including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children (SRSGVAC) and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, raised concerns about the risk of governments uncritically embracing the use of digital courts for children, and called for procedural safeguards.
In July at the UN High Level Political Forum 鈥� where governments hold each other to account for progress on achieving the SDGs 鈥� the Ambassadors of Canada and Mexico called for smarter financing strategies to achieve justice for children, alongside UNICEF, the SRSGVAC, the OECD and an international child delegation, moderated by Strathclyde鈥檚 IICF.
At these events, launched three endorsed by the UN on digital innovations, smarter financing, and intergenerational partnerships to drive SDG 16 for children. In addition, Strathclyde鈥檚 Children and Young People鈥檚 Centre for Justice (CYCJ) was profiled as a promising global practice for its excellent child participation projects.
The University鈥檚 work in this context has also been hugely supported by Professor Ann Skelton, who recently received an honorary degree from Strathclyde Honorary Graduate and was appointed IICF Board Chair. In June 2023, she was elected Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the UN鈥檚 highest role for child experts.
Strathclyde鈥檚 Centre for Sustainable Development Director, Professor Tracy Morse, said: 鈥淚nvesting in children鈥檚 wellbeing underpins the world鈥檚 achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and is a pre-requisite for securing most national objectives in all countries.
鈥淪trathclyde has a solid track record of expertise on children and young people 鈥� across research, teaching and knowledge exchange 鈥� already being applied locally, nationally and around the globe. Funded and award-winning partnerships across the University are well-established, with huge potential for even greater impact to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. It is brilliant to see this momentum growing and achieving further success.鈥�