In the context of International Organizations

In pursuit of its mission to promote the rights and protect children and young people, the CNPDPCJ, within its scope of competence, monitors and contributes to the implementation, on national territory, of the international instruments to which Portugal is bound.

As such, the CNPDPCJ: contribute to regular reporting to international committees and bodies responsible for monitoring the implementation by States Parties of Conventions and Protocols that include provisions that may have a direct or indirect impact on the rights of the child; contributes to the response to surveys and studies on these and related subjects; It participates in visits and evaluation dialogues with the mentioned international committees and bodies, in close coordination with all relevant national entities, under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The final observations and recommendations resulting from the international evaluations in question are carefully analysed by the National Commission and shared with the relevant actors, with a view to their implementation and the consequent continuous improvement of the quality of the promotion of the rights and protection of children and young people in Portugal.

Representation in international evaluations

The CNPDPCJ has participated in international evaluations of Portugal, namely those related to the country's commitments in the area of children's rights, including in dialogues with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. Portugal’s last dialogue with this Committee took place in Geneva on 19 and 20 September 2019, and the Portuguese Delegation was led and coordinated at technical level by Rosário Farmhouse, former President of the CNPDPCJ.

The National Commission also participated in several other international evaluations, of which the following stand out as examples:

- Visit of the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) [Lisbon, 2 May 2018]

- Visit of the Expert Group on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) [Lisbon, 22 March 2018]

- Policy Review to Improve Resource Use Effectiveness in Schools, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) [Lisbon, 12 January 2018]

Participation in Specialised Committees or Working Groups

Since 2018, the CNPDPCJ has represented Portugal at the top level in international committees and intergovernmental bodies dedicated to children’s rights, some of which in the context of the Council of Europe:

- Committee Ad hoc for the Rights of the Child (CAHENF)

- Expert Group on Responses to Violence against Children (CAHENF-VAC)

- Steering Committee on the Rights of the Child (CDENF)

- Working Group on Responses to Violence against Children (CDENF-GT-VAE)

Rosario Farmhouse, former President of CNPDPCJ, represents Portugal in the Steering Committee of the Council of Europe for the Rights of the Child (CDENF) e is one of eight members of the Council of Europe Working Group on Responses to Violence against Children (CDENF-GT-VAE), which operates under the supervision of the former.

Applications for international funding

The CNPDPCJ regularly examines opportunities to submit applications for European and international funding, in order to increase the range of possibilities for developing new projects and initiatives in areas that require new approaches or new resources to support the promotion of the rights and protection of children and young people in Portugal.

The methodology underlying the submission of these applications usually involves cooperation with strategic partners, with an intervention role in the specific areas to be addressed in the project to be proposed for funding.

Among the most recent projects already completed, developed with international funding, the following stand out:

- Workshops involving children on age assessment procedures

In January 2020, the CNPDPCJ was the Portuguese entity selected by the Council of Europe to consult children on the topic of age assessment procedures, as part of four editions of workshops financed by the Council of Europe.

The results, reported to the Council of Europe, are part of the report. “We are children, hear us out!”produced by that international organisation.

- Children-friendly language booklet on age assessment procedures

In November 2019, the CNPCPCJ, in partnership and with funding from the Council of Europe, published a booklet in child-friendly language on age assessment procedures.

The project aimed to meet the need to develop information tools aimed at children whose situation implies that they have to undergo age assessment procedures in Portugal, identified by the CNPDPCJ and the children participating in the workshops It conducted on the topic of age assessment procedures in January 2019.

Two versions of this brochure were produced - one in Portuguese e a bilingual version in English and French -, in order to reach a wider target audience, including children from different countries and non-Portuguese speakers who are in Portugal, as well as to enhance their use as inspiration for other professionals in other countries.

The content and focus, adapted to children and adolescents, are based on the recommendations and best available reference practices and address the needs expressed by the children participating in the workshops referred to above, held in January 2019.

CP4EUROPE – Strengthening the National Framework and Action on Child Participation in Europe

On 1 April 2021, the National Commission for the Promotion of the Rights and Protection of Children and Youth (CNPDPCJ) launched a new national project that aims to strengthen the implementation of the right of the child to participation and that includes the implementation of the Child Participation Assessment Tool (CPAT – Child Participation Assessment Tool), developed by the Council of Europe, as well as the preparation of the White Paper on Child Participation in Portugal, based on the data obtained as a result of the application of the CPAT.

This national project is part of the joint European Union-Council of Europe project ‘CP4EUROPE – Strengthening the National Framework and Action on Child Participation in Europe’, which runs until 31 March 2023 in a consortium coordinated by the Council of Europe’s Division of Children’s Rights, of which partners from Slovenia, Finland, Iceland, the Czech Republic and Portugal – represented by the CNPDPCJ – and funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020) and the Council of Europe are part.

The main objective of CP4EUROPE is to strengthen the means, spaces and opportunities for child participation in the Member States of the European Union and the Council of Europe, as well as to support national activities through pan-European action and visibility, being particularly promoted as specific documents in this area. Child Participation Assessment Tool (CPAT – Child Participation Assessment Tool) and Children’s Participation Handbook “Listen Act-Change”. The main results of this joint project include the creation of the “Child Participation Leadership Network” among the participating countries and a new website that will facilitate the sharing of resources and experiences.

Concrete and specific actions at national level will be developed by the CP4EUROPE partners, which are organised in two Action Groups: one that will carry out an assessment of the child’s participation through the implementation of the CPAT and another that will seek to improve their national frameworks following an assessment carried out in 2019/2020.

On 20 October, between 10.30 a.m. and 1 p.m., the national webinar for the formal launch of the “CP4EUROPE – Strengthening the National Framework and Action for Child Participation in Europe” project will take place.

Check here the program at Portuguese and on English.

To participate in the launch webinar, go here to registration form.

For more information, please contact apoio.presidência@cnpdpcj.pt

This project is funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020) and the Council of Europe. This communication represents only the perspective of the CNPDPCJ and is the sole responsibility of the CNPDPCJ. The European Commission assumes no responsibility for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

Other international cooperation actions to share best practices

The CNPDPCJ actively engages in cooperation with non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and other international partners, in response to calls and requests for the promotion and protection of children’s rights, while contributing to publications focused on the dissemination of good practices and benefiting from evidence-based good practices.