CONCEPT NOTE. Monday 10 & Tuesday 11 October, City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Transcription

1 CONCEPT NOTE Monday 10 & Tuesday 11 October, City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

2 1. Introduction and background The International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) implies a fundamental change for children and adolescents. The countries of the region that have ratified this international human rights instrument have committed themselves to a central political redefinition that recognizes and promotes children and adolescents (C&A) as subjects of rights and obliges States to effectively act as guarantors of those rights. Throughout its articles, the text of the Convention defines as obligations of the State the need to guarantee each child their civil rights and freedoms, such as the right to well-being, to live in a family environment and to receive appropriate treatment, to health, education, as well as protection and redress measures for groups whose rights are violated. In addition, Article 4 states that States "shall take all administrative, legislative and other measures (...) to the maximum extent of the resources at their disposal and, where necessary, within the framework of international cooperation." Thus, the States of the region assumed, at the international level and before their own citizens, the obligation to guarantee every child and every adolescent the full exercise of their rights. To fulfill this will, it is necessary to implement a profound change in the design of social policies, which will be impracticable if a strong allocation of resources towards children is not materialized. During the first years of the XXI century, social investment in children has shown, in general terms, an upward trend in the countries of the region, absorbing greater resources in relation to GDP. However, the intermittency and delay in the availability of these measurements do not allow the comparative analysis of the evolution of this series in recent years. Investing in children and adolescents is, above all, a legal obligation of States, based on the ethical imperative of guaranteeing each child and adolescent the fulfillment of their rights. When a State ratifies the CRC, it undertakes, under international law, the obligation to enforce it irrespective of its economic circumstances: it must take measures to ensure the progressive realization of all the rights recognized in the Convention to all children within its jurisdiction, paying special attention to the most disadvantaged groups. However, the justification for directing resources to children and adolescents is not exhausted in the ethical argument; social investment in children and adolescents is also very beneficial to societies, both politically and economically. On the one hand, this investment, if well targeted, contributes to reducing inequities and existing gaps in the fulfillment of rights within societies, strengthening democratic systems by promoting social cohesion and governance.

3 On the other hand, there are proven benefits derived from social investment in children, on economic growth and productivity. Allocating resources to children is increasingly seen as one of the most valuable investments that can be made in the long term. Recent international discussions regarding development reaffirm the commitment of States to greater and better investment in children and adolescents, and increasingly in the specific group of girls and women. In September 2015, United Nations Member States approved the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the 169 associated objectives seek to continue and enrich the efforts begun by countries in assuming the Millennium Development Goals and to guide the action of governments in the next 15 years. Of the 17 goals, 11 are directly related to boys and girls. The success of countries in achieving the goals agreed in this sustainable development agenda depends, to a large extent, on the investments they will make in each of the areas. Adequate and effective investment in children should be a priority and a strategic commitment to the achievement of the SDGs, as well as being important in creating the environment for sustained and equitable growth. In this regard, as early as July 2015, during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, a renewed global commitment to funding and resource mobilization was made to meet the SDGs. Its agenda reaffirms that "investing in children and young people is fundamental to achieving inclusive, equitable and sustainable development for present and future generations, and we recognize the need to support countries facing special difficulties to make the necessary investments in this area. We reaffirm the vital importance of promoting and protecting the rights of all children and ensuring that no child is left behind." In addition, in 2016, the Committee on the Rights of the Child published General Comment No. 19 (GC 19) on the elaboration of public budgets for the realization of children's rights, which refers specifically to Article 4 of the CRC. The objective of GC 19 is to improve understanding of the obligations derived from the Convention in relation to public expenditure to ensure the fulfillment of the rights of children and adolescents. The proposal is to promote a real change in the form in which public spending is planned, approved, executed and monitored so as to comply with the CRC and the Optional Protocols and to provide guidelines for considering the rights of children and adolescents in different instances of the budgetary cycle and administrative systems both nationally and subnationally. Each year since 2013, UNICEF and various partners have promoted the development of four regional meetings on investment in children in Latin America and the Caribbean, which have brought together officials from governments, civil society, international organizations and other sectors, from more than 20 countries in the region. The purpose of these meetings has been to exchange experiences and knowledge and to strengthen commitments regarding this issue.

4 These seminars on investment in children have been carried out in Colombia (2013), Peru (2014), Ecuador (2015) and Mexico (2016). In this last event, it was agreed to draw up a Roadmap that defines the priorities and aspirations to move towards more effective results related to investment in children through the monitoring of strategic actions with their respective indicators. Based on this background, the fifth International Seminar on Social Investment, "In Search of Advocacy to Protect and Improve the Allocation of Resources for Children" is proposed to be held in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, under the coordination of the Ministries of Finance and Social Development together with UNICEF, which will deepen the work and strengthen the path to protecting and improving the allocation of resources for the effective fulfillment of the Rights of Children and Adolescents. 2. Objectives The seminar aims to exchange experiences and reflect on the possibilities of advocacy to protect and improve the allocation of resources for children, in order to promote the effective implementation of the Rights of the Child. The specific objectives of the seminar are: Identify and exchange successful experiences in the countries of the region that respond to the mandates established in GC 19, both at central government level and at subnational levels. Know the degree of progress and the challenges of the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean for the fulfillment of the specific SDGs regarding children within the framework of the Sustainable Development Agenda. Link strategic actors of national, sub-national, civil society organizations, private sector and recognized research centers in the region in order to favor a greater advocacy for financing the development of children and adolescents. Advocate for the institutionalization of the measurement of investment in children and adolescents within the national agendas of Latin America and the Caribbean. Reflect on the progress and challenges in the social protection systems of the countries of the region as a successful tool to reduce poverty, promote decent work, improve the distribution of care, expand absent-leave systems, etc. Promote the institutionalization of the "Roadmap for Strategic Actions to Promote Investment in Children in Latin America and the Caribbean", developed at the last International Seminar held in October 2016 in Mexico City, as a mechanism for monitoring and follow-up of the progress made in the region regarding compliance with GC 19. Learn about successful experiences related to the protection and improvement of the allocation of resources for children in order to promote the effective fulfillment of the

5 Rights of the Child in countries of other regions, including the experience promoted by UNICEF in the countries of Argentina, Armenia, Cambodia, Morocco, Senegal and Tanzania (Set Aside). 3. Expected Products The most relevant results and successful experiences shared in the seminar will be systematized in a rapporteur that will serve as a technical input to favor advocacy in the allocation of public resources for the fulfillment of the rights of children and for the financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically pertinent to children, in the countries of the region. Contribute to the generation of a network of focal points on investment in children to allow exchange and technical cooperation among the countries of the region in this area. 4. Main Themes of the Seminar The main topics of the seminar are summarized in the following points that will be developed in specific sessions during the event: I. Progress related to the fulfillment of GC 19 by States, both at the central government level and at the subnational levels, depending on the distribution of the functional powers of each country. I.1. Institutionalization of measurement, monitoring and evaluation of social investment to influence the allocation of public resources with impact on children. Includes the deepening of the experiences of measurement and analysis (by age subgroups, measurements with sectoral focuses, etc.); the institutionalization/formalization of measurements in the budgetary process/cycle; the use of evidence in the design, planning and evaluation of public policies with impact on children. I.2 Identification of the magnitude of resources needed to close existing gaps in the compliance of children s rights, focusing on inclusion, equity and quality of services. Includes analyses of sufficiency of resources and their impact on inclusion, equity and quality of services (costing exercises for closing gaps, analysis of the redistributive impact of investments, cost-effectiveness analysis, etc.). In addition, here will be considered the SDG costing exercises, in particular of the goals related to children. On the other hand, successful experiences of mobilizing private resources in different countries of the region will be taken into account. I.3. Identification of experiences and mechanisms to ensure the sustainability and nonreversion of resources invested in children (sustainability principle).

6 Includes the debate on the countercyclical responses to the economic slowdown in the region (considering for example the experiences of Mexico and Costa Rica during 2016); strategies to guarantee the financing of the SDG agenda and the intersectoral arrangements for its implementation, in particular of the goals related to children. I.4. Identification of experiences and good practices in training, raising awareness and participation in public finance for children (PF4C). Includes communication efforts/initiatives to advocate for an improved allocation of resources directed to children in public budgets; Initiatives to support strategic planning in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies with impact on children; experiences of participatory budgeting with the involvement of children and youth, promotion of citizen and tax culture, and any other initiative that facilitates a closer dialogue between the children rights perspective and the goals linked to public finances. II. Presentation of the "Road Map of Strategic Actions to Promote Investment in Children in Latin America and the Caribbean". It includes a presentation of the initiative, and a workshop to plan the next steps in the implementation of the road map in the countries. The results of the workshop will be discussed in plenary session and recommendations will be made to move forward during the coming year. III. Expansion of social protection through increased social investment and other public policy initiatives aimed at strengthening poverty reduction, decent work, distributing care in the family, expanding the use of leaves of absence, etc. It includes strategies for the eradication of poverty; money transfer schemes; national systems of care; interagency articulation schemes for the integral development of children, etc. IV. International experiences in social investment for the fulfillment of the rights of the child. It includes successful experiences related to the protection and improvement of resources for children in order to promote the effective fulfillment of the Rights of the Child in countries of other regions, including the experience promoted by UNICEF in Argentina, Armenia, Cambodia, Morocco, Senegal and Tanzania (Set Aside initiative). 5. Profile of participants

7 The seminar is aimed at authorities, public officials and decision-makers with technical knowledge of the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean involved in the process of public resource allocation, the budgetary cycle and/or social policy making with impact on children. The participation of civil society organizations, cooperation agencies and research centers specialized in human rights, public finance and social policies, among others, is also expected. Around 300 participants are expected to attend the seminar, representing the vast majority of countries in the region, as well as some special guests from other countries. Participants are expected to comprise the following profiles: Representatives of governments of Latin America and the Caribbean (mainly Ministries of Social Development, Economy and Finance). Legislators and their advisers, linked to the process of budget allocation and/or issues related to children. Organizations that promote and defend children's rights. Study centers, universities and academia in general. International cooperation agencies, representatives of agencies of the United Nations system, international financial institutions and regional development banks. Civil society organizations working in advocacy for compliance-oriented financing of CRs. Members of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and other international experts. 6. Dynamics and activities of the Seminar The participations of the countries will be carried out through plenary sessions and debates, seeking also to incorporate novel formats that allow a dynamic and participatory exchange of ideas. A rapporteur will accompany the entire development of the workshop and will elaborate a report of the seminar with the aim of advancing in the agreements and learning produced in the event. As an example, see the document on the 2016 seminar "Towards a better investment in children, within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals: Reflections of the International Seminar of Mexico" available at inversion_ods.pdf Simultaneous Spanish-English translation will be available throughout the event.

8 7. Tentative agenda of the seminar Date: Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11, October City: Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Venue: NH City & Tower Hotel. Bolivar 160, C1066. Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.