The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or UNCRC, is the basis of all of Unicef’s work.

It is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history.

What is in the Convention?

There are four articles in the convention that are seen as special. They’re known as the “General Principles” and they help to interpret all the other articles and play a fundamental role in realising all the rights in the Convention for all children. They are:

– Non-discrimination (article 2)

– Best interest of the child (article 3)

– Right to life survival and development (article 6)

– Right to be heard (article 12)

Learning more

You can download a ten-minute training tool called, “Introducing Children’s Rights” The pack will help you gain an understanding of children’s rights, rights frameworks (e.g. UNCRC) and rights-based legislation (e.g. the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014).