EU Funds for strengthening children's participation in policy making in Malta

Project part financed by the EU’s CERV Programme

The Ministry for Social Policy and Children's Rights, with the assistance of Servizzi Ewropej f’Malta (SEM), successfully obtained a grant of €155,000 from EU funds to carry out a project intended to strengthen the participation of children in decision making at a national level.

This was announced on January 11 during a press conference by the Minister for Social Policy and Children's Rights, Dr Michael Falzon and the Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds, Dr Chris Bonett, during which a detailed presentation of this project was given.

The project was selected as one of 10 projects among a total of 138, submitted by a number of EU Member States under the 'Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values' (CERV) programme. This programme finances projects that protect and promote the rights and values of the European Union according to the Treaties and its Charter of Fundamental Rights. Consequently, these funds support people's democratic, civil and social participation, while fostering the rich diversity of European values and history.

Under this programme, Malta will implement a project titled, ‘Empowering Children in Policy Making in Malta’, designed to contribute to one of the themes of the European Union Strategy on Children's Rights, this being, 'Participation in Political and Democratic Life'. The project will be carried out through a partnership collaboration between the Malta’s Ministry for Social Policy and Children's Rights (MSPC) and the University College Cork (UCC).

The project aims to enable systematic, long-term and sustainable change that will enable and empower children’s participation in Malta’s democratic project. This project is therefore expected to translate into tools which will equip children in being more actively involved in the decisions which will affect them the most. Notably, the project will be carried out with the participation of children themselves.

Some interesting initiatives which are part of the project include: the creation of an online platform for children's participation in policy-making at a national level; capacity-building of policy makers through the cooperation and sharing of good practices together with the University of Cork; an innovative toolkit on how to evaluate children's policy; and a national awareness campaign through the media and through schools to encourage child participation in decision-making and the use of the online platform created through the project.

SEM is also helping with technical assistance in the implementation phase of the project.