Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 July 2022
97. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will report from his engagement in the Council of Europe Joint Project CP4Europe - Strengthening National Child Participation Frameworks and Action in Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35465/22]
View answerI opened the first day of the Council of Europe Child and Youth Participation for Europe conference in May, in Cork. The conference was the first conference event of the Irish Presidency of the Council of Europe. It was also the mid-term event of the CP4Europe project.
This project promotes children’s right to participation at national and pan-European levels, aiming to strengthen National Child Participation Frameworks and Action in Europe.
The conference was organised by my department, alongside Hub na nÓg and the Council of Europe, with the input of young people themselves.
One of the key themes of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers: is ‘Hear Our Voices - Promoting participatory democracy and youth engagement in the 21st century.’ In my opening address at University College Cork, I discussed Ireland’s child participation journey , noting that in the past children’s voices were silenced far too often, sometimes shamefully so. However, we are now a world leader when it comes to child participation; our 2015 National Strategy for Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-Making was the first of its kind in Europe.
I also took part in a panel discussion on the first day about the importance of remaining committed to child participation structures, even during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and now the war in Ukraine.
The three days of the conference presentations and discussion showcased Ireland's established child participation structures, including Comhairle na nÓg, Dáil na nÓg, our national centre of excellence Hub na nÓg, and the most recently established structure, the National Youth Assembly.
Youth delegations from the participating CP4 countries (Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland, Portugal and Slovenia) presented on topics including safe digital platforms for children and the experience of deaf children of participation initiatives.
