Children and adolescents have fundamental rights which guarantee their equal access, amongst others to education, health care and an opportunity to participate in society. This is essential if young people are to develop their potential and contribute to progress in their societies. Simultaneously however, children and youth are disproportionately affected by violence, exploitation, unemployment and social exclusion, which shows that their rights are not realised adequately in many partner countries. Often,structures for youth promotion and capacities to implement youth policies are weak. Thus, there is a large demand for advice on the development of these structures and on support in the practical implementation of children and youth rights.

The aim of German Development Cooperation is the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international declarations relevant for young people. In order to be able to participate in public life, young people need to be aware of their rights and responsibilities and furthermore be in a position to assert them. Duty bearers such as parents, youth social workers, teachers and the police must be enabled to help young people access their rights. GIZ supports partner governments and government institutions in the development and implementation of strategies to fulfil these obligations. The framework for this is the Development Policy Action Plan on Human Rights 2008 – 2010 by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This action plan provides the basis for the mainstreaming of a human rightsbased approach to technical cooperation. It emphasises the empowering nature of development cooperation and its role in building people’s capacities to shape their own development pro-actively.