Montenegro is on a crucial path toward reforms, and children should be at the core of all relevant policymaking and investment decisions if we want to base progress on human capital and make it sustainable.  

This was one of the key messages from today’s conference “Child Rights at the Heart of the EU accession process and the 2030 Agenda”, organized by UNICEF in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro and the EU, and with support from the Peace Building Fund, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

The Conference issued a “Pledge to Action”, highlighting some concrete actions to advance the protection and promotion of child rights in the country. Among these are calls to: 
·    Mainstream child rights in all the government’s strategies, policies, reforms and actions pertaining to the European Union accession agenda and realization of the 2030 Agenda;
·    Recognize children and young people as holders of rights and critical agents of change, and establish mechanisms for regular engagement;
·    Design, implement and co-fund in 2025 the Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) to obtain new reliable data about children and women, and make data on children publicly available on the website of the Council on Child Rights; 
·    Invest in child rights using the maximum extent of the available resources, and implement Child Rights Budgeting to ensure child rights are properly recognized in the state budget;
·    Develop and implement programmes to gain access to and apply for the EU Child Guarantee to address challenges such as poverty and inequality. 

“It is essential to work together with the government to prioritize children and invest public funds towards quality services for them. First, we need new data through a new Situation Analysis of the rights of children and women. This will allow better targeting of the most vulnerable, obtaining reliable data on disability, violence, etc. Allocating sufficient resources from the state budget for this objective in 2025 is crucial. Furthermore, UNICEF stands ready to co-design solid programmes and provide technical assistance for new EU instruments, such as the Child Guarantee and the Growth Plan. This will allow Montenegro to accelerate reforms for children in key sectors”, said UNICEF Montenegro Representative Michele Servadei at the opening of the event.

Montenegro’s children and young people opened the conference using its first panel discussion to share their views on key child rights issues and put questions to the government and UNICEF.

“It is important for us to finally become bearers of rights, respect for which is explicitly mandated by the UN Convention on Child Rights. We are not mere decoration, and we want to play an active role in shaping the decisions that affect us, so we are asking you to work together with us to create a healthy and stimulating environment for every child,” Sofija Ivanović said.

Her friend Bajram Krasnić added:

“Honestly, I do not know much about EU standards, but we would like, for example, for you to digitalize education for us. It seems to us that our peers across Europe are learning in a completely different manner. This would ensure that all children in Montenegro, including those with disabilities and children from minority communities, such as Roma and Egyptian children, receive quality education. It would also help eradicate child poverty and put an end to the practice of child begging.”

Dragoslav Šćekić, Chairman of the Council on Child Rights and Minister of Sports and Youth, emphasized his commitment to continuing to contribute to this crucial topic in the coming period through the work of the Council on Child Rights, the government’s overarching advisory body in this area.

“The Council on Child Rights, which brings together all sectors, recognized experts and children, will always provide full support for every idea and progress in this field. I thank everyone, especially the children, for participating in today’s panel, and I hope that through active cooperation we will continuously contribute to implementing European and international standards and the recommendations provided to Montenegro in this area,” Šćekić said.

Damir Gutić, Minister for Social Welfare, Family Care and Demographics, underscored that the Government of Montenegro is firmly committed to continuing to intensively and continuously advocate for the promotion of child rights.

“I believe it is crucial to strengthen and foster cooperation between all countries, as well as with international organizations and the private sector, to jointly define programmes that will help address the critical challenges, while simultaneously ensuring the realization of rights for every child. Montenegro’s EU accession process and implementation of the 2030 Agenda are complementary processes that can accelerate progress in achieving child rights. Through its funds and support, the EU is helping candidate countries achieve goals related to children and is ensuring ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the results achieved. Countries aspiring to join the EU, by working on these objectives, are not only improving conditions for children but also laying the foundations for the sustainable development of society as a whole,” said Gutić.

Progress in child-related reforms will expedite Montenegro’s EU accession process, particularly in Chapters 19, 23, 26 and 28. 

Johann Sattler, the EU Ambassador to Montenegro, stated that the EU has put child rights at the centre of its values and ambitions and has taken concrete steps to translate this principle into reality.

“To achieve this, we are working on two main fronts. The first is protecting children from violence, abuse and exploitation, including online, as part of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. The second is ensuring free access to healthcare, education, quality meals and adequate housing for all children at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Europe. This mechanism is called the EU Child Guarantee,” Ambassador Sattler stated. 

He emphasized that investing in children is one of the smartest things a country can do to eliminate extreme poverty and unlock the potential for societal prosperity and economic growth. “This is why the EU supports child rights – both within the EU and in Montenegro,” the EU Ambassador concluded. 

The conference ended with a call to action to the government to keep child rights at the heart of the EU accession process by implementing the MICS survey in 2025, developing the new Strategy on Child Rights, investing sufficient funds for quality services for children and families, and applying for the EU Child Guarantee to obtain additional resources for reforms for children.