UNESCO has just launched a consultation on the development of Guiding principles on the right to early childhood care and education. The deadline to contribute is 31 of January 2025.
The Right to Education Initiative, together with a working group of experts including representatives from UNESCO, the UN Special Rapporteur’s Office, civil society, and academia, facilitates the process of drafting these Guiding Principles.
The Guiding principles regarding the right to early childhood care and education (ECCE) aim to clarify the normative content of the right to education concerning ECCE rights. Their objective is to compile into one document the many references in international human rights law to the right to ECCE, the content of the right and the nature of State obligations. These currently appear in piecemeal form in human rights treaties and conventions and in UN monitoring committees’ interpretation through General Comments and Concluding Observations. The Guiding Principles aim therefore to provide better clarity and usefulness, thereby strengthening the international and national legal frameworks and providing guidance to advance the full implementation and realisation of the right to ECCE in international human rights law.
It is an outcome of the various processes, series of discussions, research, and recommendations that emerged over the years concerning the normative framework and related implementation of ECCE rights.
The objectives of the consultations are:
- Ensure the participation of multiple stakeholders, including States, Academia, UN Agencies, civil society organisations, ECCE personnel, children and other development practitioners in the drafting process.
- Build visibility among the various stakeholders including the public on drafting the Guiding Principles.
- Ensure bottom-up inputs, especially from the ECCE practitioners working directly with young children and at the national level.
Read the draft guidelines and find out how to participate in the consultation on UNESCO's website.