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Children as Partners Alliance

"It is not enough just to save the children; we have to prepare them to save us."
Karl-Erik Knudsson

Children as Partners is an evolving international initiative focused on advancing meaningful child participation at all levels of decision-making.

There are many national, regional and international initiatives supporting children's participation by a range of agencies, but there is no forum through which these experiences are being drawn together, analysed, disseminated and fostered. There is therefore a need for a strong international resource group to spearhead the convergence of children's and adults' accumulated experience and expertise to enhance children's participation. Children As Partners Alliance (CAPA) is proposed to be established to serve this function. It will be an international research and resource alliance that aims to:

• promote a network of lead agencies with a common understanding and commitment to promoting children's participation;
• take this work forward, with children, in a manner consistent with the principles of participation;
• develop common frameworks for high standards of practice for programming, research, policy dialogue and advocacy;
• promote a collective agenda to engage in high level advocacy to realize children's right to participate in decisions affecting all aspects of their lives;
• improve dialogue between key players - children and adults - from the local to the global to facilitate links between theory and practice, networking, alliance building and information dissemination;
• support the development of child-led organisations and participatory research by children and young people.

The foundational partners are committed to hearing from other child-led and civil society organisations interested in implementing the UNCRC and furthering meaningful child participation. A consultation process has been undertaken to this end.