This call focuses on the implementation of the actions and recommendations at EU, national and local levels of the EU Strategy on the rights of the child. It aims at responding to children’s current needs and challenges in the EU. It pays attention to the rights of children with specific needs and vulnerabilities, including those who fled the Russian’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The call stresses the importance of taking into account gender differences and intersectionality in providing support to children. 

All proposals must embrace and respect a child rights-based approach and be clearly grounded in the EU Charter of Fundamental rights and the UN Convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC). As per the UNCRC definition, a child is a human being below the age of eighteen years. Projects submitted under this call should limit their focus to this age group.

Projects can be national or transnational. Transnational projects are particularly encouraged.

Applicants should clearly indicate in their proposal which priority they intend to address. Projects must address one of the following priorities: 

Priority 1 – Children’s rights in the digital age

The digital landscape in which children grow up today can both support and hinder the fulfilment of their rights. As children increasingly interact with a variety of online platforms, tools, and services, they gain access to educational and social opportunities. However, this also exposes them to potential risks such as harassment, cyberbullying, misinformation, misleading and addictive commercial practices, data privacy concerns, harmful or illegal content, and even exploitation, even more so with the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI). Moreover, early and prolonged exposure to digital environments and social media can profoundly affect children's mental health. 

In response to these challenges, the EU adopted in 2022 the renewed European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+) to ensure that children are protected, respected and empowered online, as well as the Digital Services Act (DSA) which establishes a robust legal framework to create a safer digital space for all users, with particular attention to children. The DSA emphasises platform transparency and accountability, ensuring that children’s rights to safety, privacy and well-being are protected. Raising awareness of the DSA's provisions is crucial to safeguarding children's rights in the digital age, and this effort must be undertaken in a holistic manner, involving children, parents, families, carers, educators, IT students and professionals, and the broader community. 

The Safer Internet Centres (SICs), present in most Member States, inform, advise and assist children, parents, teachers and carers on digital questions and fights against online child sexual abuse. Without duplicating the work of SICs but rather complementing it, projects submitted under this priority will put children at the centre of their activities, starting from their needs and working directly with them. 

This priority addresses multiple dimensions of empowering children online, preventing and protecting children’s rights as well as their mental health and well-being in the digital world notably in relation to cyberbullying, including: 

Promoting children's digital literacy: Children should be empowered and equipped with the skills needed to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. Starting from their needs, projects should work directly with children in developing tools and competences to allow them to learn, connect and be active and informed contributors in shaping the world around them. This includes increasing children’s skills to recognise potential risks such as cyberbullying, misinformation, misleading commercial practices, manage privacy settings, being aware of inappropriate or harmful content, including violence, hate speech, or online grooming. Working with children to help them critically evaluate misinformation and fake news is crucial to prevent the spread of false information. Formal or informal educational settings can play a key role in supporting digital literacy, embedding children in all their diversity, their families, community, caregivers, educators (schools, extracurricular activities) to bridge the gap between uses at school, at home or between friends. Specific attention should be given to children with special or specific needs, or from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds, or at risk of discrimination, who may face additional challenges in accessing and navigating safely the digital environment. 

Raising awareness of children’s rights online among child users, their communities, children’s rights civil society organisations, ICT professionals and digital service providers: Children want to interact freely online but are concerned over their safety. Online platforms should be designed with children's safety and inclusivity as a priority. To achieve this, knowledge of children's rights, the need for inclusive, non-discriminatory, objective and age-appropriate tools and information should ideally be integrated in the educational pathways of future ICT students and (future) tech developers. ICT professionals and services providers should (1) be sensitised to the ethical responsibilities and accountability of platforms and encouraged to create and use digital technologies that align with the child protection standards of the DSA while (2) bringing them together with children, their communities, families, carers, teachers, civil society organisations to exchange on children’s rights online and safeguards. With these dual objectives in mind, projects should start from children’s needs, views and concerns. Children should play an active role in supporting the development of guidelines, educational or training material, protocols, and other tools to contribute to the design of child-centred online material to change norms and behaviours in the ICT field and to develop dialogue and awareness raising on safeguards, in a two-ways approach. 

Reducing the negative impact of digital use on children's well-being: Engaging children in conversations about their digital habits—such as social media use, screen time, smartphone use in schools, and online social interactions—can help identify how these activities affect their concentration, learning, relationships and overall mental health and well-being. Projects should involve children in developing strategies and tools to promote healthy digital habits, prevent and address issues like cyberbullying, social media pressures and the negative effects of online engagement on their emotional and psychological well-being, whilst reducing stigma over mental health problems. 

Indicative funding available for this priority: EUR 9 000 000.

Priority 2 – Children’s engagement and participation 

Too many children feel left out of decision-making and simply not heard. Children want to contribute to discussions and decisions taken at local and national councils, feel included in such conversations and be informed about how what they say makes a difference. Democratic participation can start early in schools and activities where children could be invited to discuss school rules, exam dates and design various policies, e.g. anti-bullying programmes. Children and young people say that they want to know more about democracy, how it works, what opportunities to experience democracy exist. 

With this priority, the Commission aims to promote an inclusive and systemic participation of children in the democratic life at the local, national and EU levels to ensure that children’s voices are heard and listened to, especially in matters that affect them. This is in line with the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child – notably the establishment of the EU Children Participation Platform (the Platform). Projects submitted under this priority will aim at establishing or strengthening inclusive and systemic mechanisms for child participation at local and national levels. A ‘mechanism’ is understood as an initiative that enables children to express their views, and for these views to be taken into account in decision-making processes at local, national and EU levels. For this call for proposals, we consider a mechanism to be a regular process rather than a one-off initiative, initiated by an institution (e.g. a school), national/regional/local government or non-governmental organisation that follows the principles of inclusive, meaningful and safe participation of children in decision making. Strengthening child participation may include development of regular consultations with children and closer collaboration with national and local authorities to make sure that children’s voices are heard and acted upon. It may also involve evaluation of working methods and impact of child participation on policy making. 

Where relevant, these mechanisms are strongly encouraged to be designed to ultimately integrate the EU Children’s participation Platform. Application for membership in the platform and participation in its activities at local level can be part of the project’s activities, e.g.: 

• discussions with children ahead of the application process about their rights and the right to be heard and filling in the application form,
• independent implementation of the Platform’s work plan,
• preparation of children for participation in consultations (online surveys, interviews or focus groups),
• co-creation of communication activities with children that advocate about the Platform. 

The mechanisms proposed by applicants should make an effort to specifically include children who are often underrepresented in child participation mechanisms, such as children in situations of multiple vulnerabilities, children with a disadvantaged socio economic background, children with disabilities, migrant and refugee children, children from minority groups, children from rural areas and children in institutions, among others. 

Furthermore, projects will endeavour to strengthen education on citizenship, democracy, disinformation, advocacy, equality (including gender equality). This may include meetings with influencers promoting democracy and diversity, co-creating with children handbooks and training sessions on advocacy, public speaking, etc. The projects will facilitate and promote participation in democratic processes, with the goal to engage children in policy discussions and increase the awareness of the general public on children’s rights. Projects should also aim at increasing awareness and knowledge among children of their rights, in particular their democratic rights, as a precondition to make children’s voice heard. 

Indicative funding available for this priority: EUR 5 000 000. 

Priority 3 – Embedding a rights of the child perspective in actions at national and local level 

Integrating children’s rights in all relevant areas of policy and practice, ensuring their interests are prioritised across sectors and institutions is essential to achieve the overall objectives of the EU Strategy on the rights of the child. This priority focuses on implementing mainstreaming tools for the promotion and protection on the rights of the child at national and local level. Projects should ensure that these tools become fully integrated in policy and practices to ensure a systematic approach, including by: 

• developing, monitoring and evaluating strategies on the rights of the child at national level, as well as at local level, in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, including children, civil society organisations, private and public actors,
• gathering reliable and comparable data on children, indicators or benchmarks on children’s rights that can support development of evidence-based policies,
• developing participatory research methodologies involving children,
• implementing child-rights budgeting —e.g. monitoring resources allocated to protection and promotion of rights of the child in national and local budget plans, such as EU funds, in a multidisciplinary approach,
• developing child rights impact assessment methodologies at national and local level,
• coordinating efforts at national and local level to better implement EU and international legal obligations, such as through the establishment of coordination mechanisms, platforms or exchanges among authorities, children, civil society organisations and other relevant actors working on children’s rights,
• developing trainings and awareness-raising campaigns on children’s rights.

Indicative funding available for this priority: EUR 3 000 000.

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