CHILD RIGHTS CONNECT
CHAMPIONING CHILDREN’S RIGHTS FOR A JUST FUTURE
Heirs To Our Ocean is committed to protecting children’s rights—especially as climate and humanitarian crises increasingly threaten their health, safety, and future. Around the world, many young people face systemic barriers to well-being, leadership, and meaningful participation—including limited access to education, exclusion from decision-making, and social and economic inequality. As a member of the Child Rights Connect network, we collaborate with more than 100 global organizations to ensure that youth have a voice in shaping the policies that impact their lives and the world they will inherit.
WHAT IS CHILD RIGHTS CONNECT?
Founded in 1983, Child Rights Connect played a crucial role in drafting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Today, it serves as a bridge between UN human rights systems and the lived experiences of children worldwide. The network includes national, regional, and international organizations, including youth-led groups like Heirs To Our Ocean, working together to protect and promote children’s rights.
Why this matters?
Child Rights Connect:
Links UN human rights systems with real-world youth experiences
Collaborates with UN agencies, states, and civil society to advocate for policies
Holds special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), enabling network members like H2OO to engage in UN deliberations.
CHILDREN’S ADVISORY TEAM
As a nominating and supporting organization of the Children’s Advisory Team (CAT), Heirs To Our Ocean (H2OO) is committed to empowering young human rights defenders. The CAT is a global team of youth leaders under the age of 18 who play a pivotal role in shaping Child Rights Connect’s initiatives, ensuring that children’s perspectives are central to international policy discussions.
Through this partnership, H2OO supports child advisors engaging with United Nations discussions, contributing to policy development, and co-creating child-friendly resources on critical issues such as climate justice, education, health, and protection from violence.
H2OO Global Youth Leader and Child Advisor Catarina from Brazil attended a UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva in 2024.
WHAT THE CHILDREN’S ADVISORY TEAM HAS WORKED ON
Advancing the Right to Education
Child advisors contributed to the adoption of a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council on the right to education, including drafting a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasizing the importance of inclusive and quality education for all children.
Promoting Environmental Rights
The CAT participated in consultations with the UN Special Rapporteur on climate change and provided feedback on the child-friendly version of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child’s General Comment No. 26, which focuses on children’s rights and the environment.
Enhancing Social Protection
Child advisors were consulted in the development of the child-friendly version of the OHCHR’s 2023 report on children’s rights and inclusive social protection, ensuring that the report is accessible and understandable to younger audiences.
Supporting Children in Armed Conflict
The CAT contributed to a report submitted to the OHCHR on the rights of the child and violations of human rights of children in armed conflict, highlighting the experiences and needs of children affected by armed conflict.
Protection from Violence
In late 2024, child advisors participated in consultations with the Council of Europe to develop a Recommendation on age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education. They also created a resource to help other children understand the development and timeline of this Recommendation.
Promoting the Right to Health
The CAT collaborated with the Council of Europe to create an accessible version of the “Guide to children’s participation in decisions about their health,” empowering children to be active participants in their healthcare decisions.
Together, Heirs To Our Ocean and Child Rights Connect are working to build a world where children’s rights are recognized, protected, and upheld at every level—from local communities to international institutions.
CATARINA’S ENGAGEMENT IN THE EDUCATION WORKING GROUP
As a member of the Children’s Advisory Team’s (CAT) Education Working Group, Catarina played an active role in a side event during a Human Rights Council session, advocating for a resolution supporting free pre-primary and free secondary education for all children. Her contributions focused on amplifying children’s voices and emphasizing the importance of equitable access to education at all levels. Julia, the newly appointed CAT representative, is also involved in the Working Group and is continuing these advocacy efforts, now with Catarina serving as her advisor.
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