Child Rights Manifesto

Save the Children led the Child Rights Action Group (CRAG) to launch the Child Rights Manifesto at a high-level event in the European Parliament on 21 March 2024.

Co-hosted with SOS Children’s Villages, the event brought together MEPs, European Commission representatives, and key stakeholders and placed children at the heart of the conversation.

Europe Children Want

The event also unveiled the findings of the online survey 'Our Rights. Our Future. The Europe We Want' —a collaborative initiative between Save the Children, UNICEF, SOS Children’s Villages, Eurochild, and the Child Fund Alliance. Guided by a Child Advisory Board, the survey collected over 9,000 responses from children across Europe, revealing the issues that matter most to them and providing their recommendations for EU decision makers to consider and act upon.

Immediately after the event, children met European Commissioner Schmit to discuss the survey results.

#VoteForChildren Campaign

Following the manifesto launch, Save the Children Europe collaborated closely with European members to disseminate the manifesto widely and collect signatures from EU election candidates.

By 10 June:

• 250+ candidates signed
• 65 elected MEPs committed to children’s rights

Post-election, CRAG worked with the new Parliament to re-establish the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights, now the largest intergroup of its kind—a major policy win.

Advocacy at the EU Commission

Together with partners and the Child Advisory Board, Save the Children sent two key letters urging President von der Leyen and senior Commission officials to put children’s rights at the centre of EU policy.

The Future is Now: EU Policy-Makers’ Guide (2024-2029)

Launched on 3 June and grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and EU law, the guide is designed to help decision-makers protect and promote children’s rights across Europe in the new political cycle.

Back to School campaign

In late 2024, Save the Children launched its Back to School campaign to welcome the new College of Commissioners for the 2024–2029 mandate. The campaign aimed to equip EU leaders with the tools and knowledge to put children’s rights at the heart of their work. As a symbolic gesture, Commissioners were invited to receive a children’s backpack, containing The EU Policy-Makers’ Guide to Driving Change for Children alongside three simple but powerful items: a pen, a first aid kit, and a mid-arm measurement tape—representing every child’s right to learn, survive, and be protected. The handover meetings provided visibility opportunities for Commissioners to show their commitment to championing children’s rights from the very start of their tenure.