Ministry of Justice project strengthens the participation of children and young people in policy-making
The Ministry of Justice has launched a two-year project, Voice of Children and Young People in Europe, to support the participation of children and young people in policy-making at the national level. The project will develop methods, gather best practices and produce training materials, and will also provide training on the participation of children and young people for public authorities.
The project is a continuation of the assessment of the participation rights of children and young people made in 2019–2020. It is carried out in cooperation with the Office of the Ombudsman for Children and as part of the implementation of the National Child Strategy with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Prime Minister’s Office. The project rests on, among others, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Constitution of Finland, which oblige the authorities to take action to strengthen and support the inclusion of children and young people.
The Government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin is committed to promoting the inclusion of children and young people. The Voice of Children and Young People in Europe project supports the implementation of the National Democracy Programme, the National Child Strategy and the National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme.
The project is part of the CP4Europe project, coordinated by the Council of Europe, which has received funding from the Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme of the European Union. Aside from the Council of Europe and Finland, the other collaboration partners participating in the joint European project are the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Portugal and Iceland.
Inquiries: Liisa Männistö, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 150 231, [email protected]
Voice of Children and Young People in Europe project on the website of the Ministry of Justice
CP4Europe project on the Council of Europe website
National Democracy Programme 2025 on the website of the Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice publication: “Consulted but not Heard” — Children’s Participation Rights in Finland. Assessment Report. (in Finnish)