- Conteudo Principal

Within the framework of International Organizations

Here you can find information on: representation in international evaluations; participation in specialised committees or working groups; applications to international funding; workshops with the participation of children on age assessment procedures; brochure in child-friendly language on age assessment procedures; other international cooperation actions on sharing good practices.

Overview

Portugal is a State-Party to numerous international instruments of human rights, including Conventions and Protocols within the scope of the United Nations and of the Council of Europe, comprising those concerning the rights of the child in particular.

While fulfilling its mission of promoting the rights and protecting children and young people, the National Commission closely monitors and contributes to the implementation of the international instruments Portugal is bound to and must comply with at the national level, within its scope of competences.

Additionally to contributing to the regular reporting to the Committees and monitoring bodies of all Conventions and Protocols that include dispositions that directly or indirectly produce impact on children’s rights, as well as to surveys and studies on these matters and related ones, the National Commission also participates in evaluation visits and evaluation dialogues with the aforementioned Committees and bodies, in close cooperation with all relevant national entities, under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The concluding observations and recommendations resulting from the international evaluations at stake are attentively analyzed by the National Commission and shared with the relevant stakeholders for due implementation, aiming at the continuous improvement of the quality of the promotion of the rights and protection of children in Portugal.

Representation in international evaluations

The National Commission has participated in the most relevant international evaluations of Portugal concerning the country’s commitments on the rights of the child, including in dialogues with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, the most recent of which took place in Geneva, on September 19-20, and the Portuguese Delegation was lead and coordinated at the technical level by Ms. Rosário Farmhouse, President of the National Commission.

The National Commission also participated in many other international evaluations, including, briefly:

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

- Visit of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO), Lisbon, March 22, 2018

- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Review of Policies to Improve the Effectiveness of Resource Use in Schools (School Resources Review), Lisbon, January 12, 2018

Participation in Specialised Committees or Working Groups

Since 2018, the National Commission has been representing Portugal in international committees and intergovernmental bodies focused on the rights of children at top-level, some of which operating within the scope of Council of Europe:

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

- Group of Experts on responses to violence against children (CAHENF-VAC)

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

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

Currently, Ms. Rosário Farmhouse represents Portugal at the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF) and is one of the eight members of the Working Group on Responses to Violence Against Children (CDENF-GT-VAE), which operates under the supervision of the former.

Applications to international funding

The National Commission regularly analyses opportunities to apply for international funding, in order to increase the possibilities to develop new projects and initiatives in areas that require new approaches or new resources to support the promotion of rights and the protection of children and young people.

The methodology underlying these applications usually involve cooperation with strategic stakeholders which intervene in the specific areas to be addressed by the project whose proposal shall be submitted for international funding.

The most recent projects whose applications were presented, approved, fully implemented and reported to the financing entity are:

Workshops with the participation of children on age assessment procedures

In January 2019, child consultations took place within the scope of workshops on the topic of age assessment carried out by the National Commission, funded by the Council of Europe.

mesa redonda com mapas e documentos do Conselho da Europa

 

The results were reported to the Council of Europe and integrated in the report “We are children, hear us out!”.

capa da brochura we are children hear us out

Brochure in child-friendly language on age assessment procedures

In November 2019, the National Commission published a brochure in child-friendly language on age assessment procedures, funded by the Council of Europe.

This project aimed at meeting the need to develop information tools for children awaiting age assessment in Portugal, which had been identified by the National Commission and by the children who participated in the aforementioned workshops on the topic of age assessment, carried out in January 2019.

A Portuguese version and an English-French bilingual version of the brochure were produced to cover the needs of children, from different countries of origin, who are in Portugal, but also to enhance its use as an inspiration for other professionals in different national contexts.

The contents and tone were adapted for children and teenagers, based on Council of Europe’s recommendations and best accessible standards of practice, and address the needs expressed by all participant children in the aforementioned workshops on age assessment procedures.

capa da versão bilingue da brochura avaliação de idade - francês

capa da versão bilingue da brochura avaliação de idade - inglês

capa da versão portuguesa da brochura avaliação de idade

Other International cooperation actions on sharing good practices

The National Commission actively engages in cooperation actions involving international non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and other international partners, in reply to invitations and requests of these partners on the promotion and the protection of children’s rights. While, on one hand, the National Commission contributes to publications aimed at disseminating good practices, it also benefits from evidence-based good practices, on the other.