Children's prosperity handbook - implementation of the law
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In addition to this electronic version a PDF file in Icelandic is available.
Cooperation between the National Agency for Children and Families and UNICEF in Iceland on the children's prosperity handbook
One of the main objectives of the law is to ensure the rights of children in accordance with the constitution and international obligations that Iceland has undertaken, especially the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child became law in Iceland in February 2013. The goal of the legislation was to ensure that it be implemented and have a direct impact on Icelandic society.
The "child-friendly municipalities" project supports the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in all administrations and activities. The project is based on UNICEF’s international project, Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI), which has been implemented in thousands of municipalities around the world since 1996. At the end of 2019, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Ministry of Education and Children and UNICEF in Iceland, on the implementation of the project under the heading Child-friendly Iceland. The intent has been that during the decade from the signing, the Icelandic government, including all municipalities in Iceland, will have started to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child and adopted a child-rights approach in their projects, policies and decisions.
The concept of "children's prosperity" is a key concept in the law on the welfare of children, defined as "a situation that creates the conditions for a child to achieve physical, psychological, intellectual, moral and social development and health on his own terms for the future."
The interpretation of "children's prosperity" shall include consideration of:
Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on life and development, which emphasizes that every child has a natural right to life and that all children should be guaranteed conditions where they can feel comfortable and have the opportunity to grow and thrive.
In addition to Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the following sections of the convention also support the basis of the Children's Prosperity law :
Article 2: All children are equal
All children should enjoy all the rights of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, regardless of who they are, where they live, what language they speak, what they believe in, how they think and look, what gender they are, whether they are disabled, rich or poor, and regardless of what their family does or believes in. Never treat a child with injustice.
Article 3: The child's best interests
When adults make decisions they should think about how they affect children and should do what is best for them. The government should ensure that parents protect their children and look after them, or that others do so in their place when needed. The government should ensure that people who are responsible for children always have their interests in mind, and that places that are intended for children also fulfill those obligations.
Article 12: Respect for children’s views
Children have the right to freely express themselves on all matters affecting their lives. Adults should listen and take note.
As has been mentioned, the children's prosperity handbook is based on the guide to child-friendly municipalities. Since there is considerable synergy between the implementation of the Children's Prosperity Act and child-friendly municipalities, it has been effective to work on these two projects together. It should be noted that the guides are independent but work well together, and thus facilitate work for municipalities choosing to implement of both of them. The children's prosperity handbook therefore contains references to the guide to child-friendly municipalities.