News

The 12th plenary session of the European Parliament was held in Strasbourg from 19 to 21 November. Steering Committee on the Rights of the Child (CDENF) of the Council of Europe, in which Portugal is represented by Célia Chamiça, member of the International Relations Team of the National Commission for the Promotion of the Rights and Protection of Children and Youth (CNPDPCJ).

Among the various subjects in focus, patents in the annotated meeting agenda, the following stand out:

• In part of the meeting held jointly with that of the Steering Committee on Judicial Cooperation (SCCJ), the official presentation of two Recommendations on the protection of the rights and best interests of the child – one in situations of parental separation and another in situations of reception procedures -, approved by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in May 2025, culminating four years of joint work by the CDENF and the CDCJ;
• the follow-up to the work on the Concept Note adopted in 2024 for future CDENF action on the feasibility, timeliness and relevance of developing an AI impact assessment tool on children’s rights;
• Presentation of the report of the work carried out by the CDENF reference person for digital technologies and artificial intelligence, ensured by the representative of Portugal;
• guidance on a draft recommendation on multidisciplinary and inter-agency services;
• consideration and discussion of a proposal for a Recommendation on protecting children from violence through comprehensive age-appropriate sexuality education;
• the adoption of a Concept Note on the work of the CDENF on Child Participation; e
• Discussion of the proposal for a Progress Report on the Implementation of the Council of Europe Strategy on the Rights of the Child for the period 2024-2025, with a view to its submission to the Committee of Ministers.

At this meeting, elections were held for the Bureau [Managing Body] of CDENF, with Célia Chamiça, representing Portugal in the Committee, having been elected to join the Committee.