A/RES/80/190 GA

United Nations A/RES/80/190 General Assembly Distr.: General 19 December 2025 25-20888 (E) *2520888* Eightieth session Agenda item 67 Promotion and protection of the rights of children Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 15 December 2025 [on the report of the Third Committee (A/80/545, para. 5)] 80/190. Rights of the child The General Assembly, Reaffirming the importance of its resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989, by which it adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1 which constitutes the standard in the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, Reaffirming also that the rights of the child are human rights, and that these rights need to be protected and upheld both offline and online, Reaffirming further that States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child shall undertake all appropriate measures for the implementation of the rights recognized therein, while bearing in mind the importance of the Optional Protocols to the Convention2 and calling for their universal ratification and effective implementation, as well as that of other human rights instruments, Reaffirming that the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the best interests of the child, non‑discrimination, participation and survival and development of the child, provide the framework for all actions concerning children, including in the digital environment, Reaffirming also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,3 which proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set out therein, without distinction of any kind, Reaffirming further resolution 70/1, adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, while taking note of the interconnectedness of the _______________ 1 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531. 2 Ibid., vols. 2171, 2173 and 2983, No. 27531. 3 Resolution 217 A (III). A/RES/80/190 Rights of the child 25-20888 2/19 Sustainable Development Goals set in the 2030 Agenda and the rights proclaimed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and reaffirming the commitment at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind, including children, Underscoring the importance of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in ensuring the enjoyment of the rights of the child and their well-being, Recalling the convening of the Summit of the Future on 22 and 23 September 2024 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, at which resolution 79/1 entitled “The Pact for the Future” and its annexes were adopted, which recognizes children as right holders and critical agents of positive change, Noting that States Parties should implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child in relation to early childhood development, Recalling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 4 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 5 the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 6 the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 7 the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, 8 the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees9 and the 1967 Protocol thereto,10 the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime11 and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime,12 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women13 and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,14 as well as relevant International Labour Organization conventions on children, including the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)15 and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182),16 Reaffirming all of its previous resolutions on the rights of the child, the most recent of which was resolution 78/178 of 19 December 2023, and recalling also all other relevant resolutions on this matter, including its resolutions 77/201 of 15 December 2022 on protecting children from bullying, 73/327 of 25 July 2019 on the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, 2021, 79/158 of 17 December 2024 on child, early and forced marriage and 78/188 of 19 December 2023 on the girl child, Noting Human Rights Council resolutions 55/29 of 5 April 2024, entitled “Rights of the child: realizing the rights of the child and inclusive social protection”, 17 56/5 of 10 July 2024, entitled “Open-ended intergovernmental working group on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the rights to early _______________ 4 See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex. 5 Ibid. 6 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 660, No. 9464. 7 Ibid., vol. 2515, No. 44910. 8 Ibid., vol. 2716, No. 48088. 9 Ibid., vol. 189, No. 2545. 10 Ibid., vol. 606, No. 8791. 11 Ibid., vol. 2225, No. 39574. 12 Ibid., vol. 2237, No. 39574. 13 Ibid., vol. 1249, No. 20378. 14 Ibid., vol. 1465, No. 24841. 15 Ibid., vol. 1015, No. 14862. 16 Ibid., vol. 2133, No. 37245. 17 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-ninth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/79/53), chap. IV, sect. A. Rights of the child A/RES/80/190 3/19 25-20888 childhood education, free pre‑primary education and free secondary education”, 18 and 54/5 of 10 October 2023 on ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child,19 as well as the political declaration of the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women in 2025,20 Reaffirming the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,21 the United Nations Millennium Declaration22 and the outcome document of the twenty-seventh special session of the General Assembly on children, entitled “A world fit for children”,23 recalling the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,24 the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development 25 and the outcome documents of their review conferences, the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development,26 the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,27 the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples28 and the outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples,29 the Declaration on the Right to Development, 30 the Declaration of the commemorative high-level plenary meeting devoted to the follow-up to the outcome of the special session on children, held in New York from 11 to 13 December 2007,31 the outcome document of the fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, held in Durban, South Africa, from 15 to 20 May 2022, and the outcome documents of previous Global Conferences, and the political declaration of the high-level meeting on universal health coverage of 2023,32 Recalling general comment No. 7 (2020) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on implementing children’s rights in early childhood, which notes that young children are holders of all rights enshrined in the Convention and that early childhood is a critical period for the realization of these rights, Taking note of the statement of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on article 5 of the Convention (2023), which analyses the relationship between the rights of the child and the responsibilities, rights and duties of parents as well as the State obligation to ensure the rights of the child, and recalling that parents’ responsibilities, rights and duties to provide appropriate direction and guidance to their children in the exercise of their rights, as recognized in the Convention, are not absolute but, rather, delimited by children’s status as rights holders, and must be exercised with the best interests of the child as their basic concern, Taking note also of all relevant international instruments on the rights of migrants and refugees, and recalling the importance of promoting and protecting the _______________ 18 Ibid., chap. V, sect. A. 19 Ibid., Seventy-eighth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/78/53/Add.1), chap. III, sect. A. 20 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2025, Supplement No. 7 (E/2025/27), chap. I, sect. C, resolution 69/1, annex. 21 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III. 22 Resolution 55/2. 23 Resolution S-27/2, annex. 24 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4–15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annexes I and II. 25 Report of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5–13 September 1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XIII.18), chap. I, resolution 1, annex. 26 Report of the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen, 6–12 March 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.8), chap. I, resolution 1, annexes I and II. 27 See A/CONF.189/12 and A/CONF.189/12/Corr.1, chap. I. 28 Resolution 61/295, annex. 29 Resolution 69/2. 30 Resolution 41/128, annex. 31 Resolution 62/88. 32 Resolution 78/4, annex. A/RES/80/190 Rights of the child 25-20888 4/19 human rights and fundamental freedoms of all refugee and migrant children, including young children and girls, regardless of their migration status, including those unaccompanied or separated from their caregivers, with the best interests of the child as a primary consideration, and of strengthening international and regional cooperation, within the framework of the United Nations and relevant regional forums, and reaffirming all latest international policy developments and relevant United Nations agreements in this regard, Taking note further of the reports of the Secretary-General on progress made towards achieving the commitments set out in the outcome document of the twenty- seventh special session of the General Assembly on children, entitled “A world fit for children”,33 and on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the issues addressed in resolution 78/187,34 as well as the most recent reports of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children,35 the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict,36 the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children 37 and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children,38 whose recommendations should be carefully studied, Recognizing that early childhood encompasses infancy, preschool years and the transition to school and constitutes a foundational period for children’s physical, cognitive, emotional and social development, that it represents a unique window of opportunity, and that, to reach their full potential, children need nurturing care in early childhood, Reaffirming that States have the primary responsibility to promote, respect, protect and fulfil all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of the child, and acknowledging the important role played by national governmental and local structures for children, including ministries and institutions in charge of child, family and youth issues and independent ombudspersons for children or other national institutions, including national human rights institutions, where they exist, for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, Recognizing that the family has the primary responsibility for the nurturing and protection of children, in the best interests of the child, and that children, for the full and harmonious development of their personality, should grow up in a family environment and in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding, Recalling that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right of every individual to social security, and that motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance, Recognizing the State responsibility to ensure children’s protection and care as is necessary for their well-being, taking into account the rights, responsibilities and duties of their parents, legal guardians or other individuals legally responsible for them, and, to this end, to take all appropriate and legislative and administrative measures, Expressing concern on the insufficient and uneven progress in meeting global targets and indicators on early childhood development, including through persistent _______________ 33 A/79/274-E/2025/3. 34 A/80/296. 35 A/80/258. 36 A/80/266. 37 A/80/113. 38 A/80/166. Rights of the child A/RES/80/190 5/19 25-20888 gaps in policies, legislation, financing and services critical for early childhood development, Expressing concern also that poverty in all its forms and dimensions, food insecurity and malnutrition, lack of access to clean and safe drinking water, sanitation, shelter, education and healthcare, environmental degradation, the adverse effects of climate change, public health emergencies, armed conflict and the destruction of education and health facilities, among other factors, undermine early childhood development, Recognizing that the right to education is closely linked to the maximum development of the child and that the goal of formal and non‑formal education should be to empower the child, including in early childhood, by developing the child’s skills, ability to learn, self-esteem and self-confidence, and that this must be achieved in ways that enable children to learn through play and experience and reflect the rights and inherent human dignity of the child, Recognizing also the critical role of parents, legal guardians, teachers and educators in ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all children, including digital learning, by providing support, including through the necessary training, access to devices, materials and technological infrastructure, Stressing that digital technologies and applications can create new ways to enhance education and foster learning and teaching and can be useful tools to promote the enjoyment of children’s rights and their protection, and in that regard stressing the need for enhanced efforts to expand connectivity, affordability, digital and financial learning and associated skills bridging the digital divides, including the gender digital divide and digital divides within and among countries, while protecting children from harm in the digital environment, and recognizing that digital devices should not be a substitute for in-person interactions between children and others, especially in the early years, when the social environment shapes children’s holistic development, Encouraging all States to strengthen efforts to prevent the military use of schools in contravention of international law and to promote and protect the right to education, to make it accessible, inclusive, quality and non‑discriminatory and to facilitate the continuation of education in situations of armed conflict, and encouraging all States to strengthen efforts to protect children affected by armed conflict, including from recruitment or use by armed forces or armed groups and by supporting family reunification as well as long-term and sustainable reintegration and rehabilitation for these children, Recognizing that violence against children undermines efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda and hinders progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and that the negative and long-term impact of violence on the development of children stifles their potential to become active participants in society, Acknowledging that ensuring a respectful, supportive and safe child-rearing environment free from all forms of violence supports the realization of children’s individual personalities and fosters the development of social, responsible and actively contributing citizens in the local community and larger society, and recognizing that the protection of the child from violence is a key strategy for reducing and preventing all forms of violence in societies and for promoting freedom, justice and peace in the world, and in this regard noting the role that efforts to raise awareness about violence against children can play in combating its occurrence, Recognizing that positive parenting and care practices, which promote child development through affection, responsiveness, encouragement and teaching and support the rights, capabilities, interests and overall cognitive development of A/RES/80/190 Rights of the child 25-20888 6/19 children, can contribute to the reduction and prevention of all forms of violence and abuse against children, and in this regard stressing the importance of investing in parenting education, including for family caregivers, Recognizing also the State responsibility to take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of violence and the importance of taking effective measures to prevent and respond to violations and abuses of the rights of the child, online and offline, including by providing for comprehensive support services, including physical and mental health services, safe and child-sensitive counselling, as well as complaint and reporting mechanisms and other safeguards for the rights of all affected children, including to enable the conduct of effective and appropriate investigations and prosecutions by judicial and other relevant authorities, and recognizing the need to foster a policy of zero tolerance for all forms of violence against children, Acknowledging that exposure to violence during early childhood can have long- term consequences for brain development and emotional well-being, and therefore negatively affect educational attainment, socioemotional development and future professional prospects, Recalling that 2026 marks the twentieth anniversary of the United Nations study on violence against children to the General Assembly, 39 welcoming the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and of Member States and partners in following up on the recommendations of the study, and noting the launching of the Pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence against Children during the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children, in Bogotá on 8 November 2024, as a contribution and an accelerator of the prevention and protection of children against violence in following up on the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children, Deeply concerned that increased use of digital technologies, particularly when unsupervised, has exacerbated children’s exposure to risks, harms and all forms of violence, and expressing concern about the spread of disinformation and misinformation, including among children, particularly on social media platforms, which can be designed and used to mislead and spread racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, misogyny, stereotyping and stigmatization, and recognizing that the responsibility to respect the rights of the child extends to private actors and businesses to ensure the safety, privacy and protection of the child, Concerned about the occurrence of bullying, including cyberbullying, in all parts of the world and the fact that children who are victimized by such practices may be at heightened risk of compromising their health, emotional well-being, academic work and education and for a wide range of physical and/or mental health conditions, as well as potential long-term effects on individuals’ ability to realize their own potential, Recognizing that girls are often at greater risk of being exposed to and encountering various forms of discrimination and violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, and harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage, female genital mutilation and child labour, which, among other things, hinder the realization of their rights and efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, recognizing that gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is an essential prerequisite for sustainable development, and reaffirming the need to achieve gender equality to ensure a just and _______________ 39 A/61/299. Rights of the child A/RES/80/190 7/19 25-20888 equitable world for all girls, including by partnering with men and boys, as an important strategy for advancing full enjoyment of human rights, Deeply concerned that children disproportionately suffer the consequences of discrimination, exclusion and inequality, and that the situation of children in many parts of the world remains negatively affected by the prolonged effects of poverty and inequality, reaffirming that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions is one of the greatest global challenges and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, recognizing the impact of poverty beyond the socioeconomic context and the intrinsic interlinkage between poverty eradication and the promotion of sustainable development, and in this regard underlining the importance of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and recognizing that a strong focus is needed on poverty, deprivation and inequality to prevent and protect children from all forms of violence and to promote the resilience of children, their families and their communities, Recognizing that the empowerment of and investment in children, and in particular girls, which is critical for economic growth, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including the eradication of poverty and extreme poverty, are key in breaking the cycle of all forms of discrimination and violence, including multiple and intersecting forms, and in promoting, respecting and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human rights, and recognizing further that empowering children requires their active and meaningful participation in decision-making processes in accordance with their evolving capacities or age and maturity and as agents of change in their own lives and communities, while acknowledging that all parents have common responsibilities for the upbringing and development of the child, with the best interests of the child as their basic concern, Recognizing also that the full realization of the rights of the child requires the adoption and implementation of comprehensive policies and programmes at the international, national and local levels for all children, including specific programmes for early childhood development, and recognizing further the positive contribution of early childhood care and education programmes as well as school feeding programmes to the outcomes of schooling and to children’s development to their fullest potential, Acknowledging that investing in early childhood development contributes to the enjoyment of the rights and to the development of every child and is highly efficient in promoting peaceful and sustainable societies, eradicating extreme poverty and inequality and boosting economic growth, and stressing that States should consider adopting comprehensive, strategic and time-bound plans for early childhood development within a child rights-based framework, which requires an increase in human and financial resource allocations for early childhood services and programmes, Reaffirming the obligations of States, in accordance with international human rights law, to take all necessary measures to ensure that the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is respected, protected and fulfilled, without discrimination of any kind, Recognizing the fact that not addressing mental health and psychosocial development for children can limit opportunities and may have potential long-term consequences, and that ensuring mental health across the life course requires holistic strategies for both promotion and prevention that involves educational environments, among others outside the health and social care sectors, Acknowledging that the prevention of noncommunicable diseases should start early in life and be taken into account during pregnancy and early childhood, A/RES/80/190 Rights of the child 25-20888 8/19 Reaffirming the need to end preventable diseases and deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, and recognizing that infectious diseases, including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, remain a leading cause of deaths of children under 5, along with pre‑term birth and intrapartum-related complications, Recognizing that the risk of maternal mortality is highest for girls under 15 years of age and that complications in pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death among girls under 15 years of age in many countries, and expressing profound concern that early pregnancy may have major mental and physical health consequences for adolescent mothers and their children, Recognizing also that there are large disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity rates between developed and developing countries as well as within and among countries, particularly in rural and remote areas and the poorest urban areas, Emphasizing that good maternal health, including physical and mental health, nutrition and education are essential for the full realization of the rights of the child, including in early childhood, for the survival of children and their ability to develop and to reach their full potential, Reaffirming that, with regard to economic, social and cultural rights, States should take steps to ensure the allocation of available resources to the maximum extent possible and, where needed, within the framework of international cooperation, to provide guidance and support to parents, legal guardians and other individuals legally responsible for the child, as well as caregivers, on how to create safe and inclusive environments that facilitate children’s play and recreational activities, including on their responsible use of digital technology, Recognizing the importance of prevention in ensuring safe online and digital technology environments for children, while protecting them against arbitrary or unlawful interference with their rights to privacy, to seek, receive or impart information, to education, to participation and to the freedoms of expression and of association, and recognizing also that prevention measures and approaches should involve key actors, including Governments, parents, civil society, organizations of persons with disabilities, industry, especially technology enterprises and those related to social media, schools, children, academia, competent authorities and relevant actors, community-based organizations and the general public, Recognizing also the importance of international, regional and bilateral multi‑stakeholder partnerships and initiatives to advance the effective protection and promotion of the rights of the child and the elimination of all forms of violence against children, including all violent punishment of children, Noting with appreciation the work that aims to strengthen the respect, protection and fulfilment of the rights of the child carried out by all relevant organs, bodies, entities and organizations of the United Nations system, including by relevant mandate holders and special procedures, within their respective mandates, and by relevant regional organizations, and intergovernmental organizations, recognizing the valuable role of national human rights institutions and civil society, including non‑governmental organizations, and recalling that the annual day on the rights of the child, held in 2025 at the fifty-eighth session of the Human Rights Council, focused on the priorities to advance early childhood development, including in emergencies, and recognized the importance of early childhood development programmes and services that are accessible to all children, 1. Recognizes that the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the human rights treaty with the largest number of ratifications, and acknowledges that the Rights of the child A/RES/80/190 9/19 25-20888 Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto contain a comprehensive set of international legal standards for the protection and well-being of children; 2. Calls upon States Parties to increase their efforts and undertake all appropriate measures for the full and effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and underlines that this includes the rights of the child in relation to early childhood development; 3. Urges States that have not yet done so to consider becoming Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto as a matter of priority and to implement them effectively, and encourages further efforts by the Secretary-General in this regard; 4. Urges States Parties to withdraw reservations that are incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention on the Rights of the Child or the Optional Protocols thereto and to consider reviewing regularly other reservations with a view to withdrawing them in accordance with the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action; 5. Urges States to review, adopt and update national legislation in line with their international human rights obligations and commitments to ensure that policies related to early childhood development are compatible with the rights set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto and other relevant human rights instruments; 6. Calls upon States to ensure the enjoyment by all children of all their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights without discrimination of any kind; 7. Encourages States to promote the rights of the child in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,40 in accordance with their obligations under international law and in the best interests of the child; 8. Also encourages States to adopt comprehensive, coordinated and adequately resourced policies, laws, programmes and services on early childhood development that integrate a family perspective, where relevant, to ensure that all children, including those in vulnerable situations, experience healthy and holistic early childhood development; to invest in policies and programmes that promote health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, safety and security, and early learning to ensure that children receive nurturing care; to incorporate early childhood development strategies into emergency preparedness and peacebuilding frameworks as appropriate; and to track and monitor progress through effective multisectoral approaches, prioritizing public financing for early childhood development as a national priority; 9. Affirms that States should take all necessary measures to ensure the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of children with disabilities on an equal basis with other children, and recognizes that children with disabilities, particularly girls, are almost four times more likely to experience violence, stigmatization, discrimination, exclusion, abandonment and neglect, and are disproportionately subjected to physical, psychological and sexual violence and abuse; 10. Urges States to ensure that children have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, including toilets, proper handwashing facilities and clean drinking water, to prevent the spread of waterborne illnesses in homes and childcare settings, _______________ 40 Resolution 70/1. A/RES/80/190 Rights of the child 25-20888 10/19 and in this context expresses concern over water scarcity, particularly in remote and rural areas; 11. Also urges States to strengthen efforts towards poverty eradication for children in early childhood and their families, enabling access to employment opportunities and decent work for parents and legal guardians, and improve the situation of children living in poverty, in particular extreme poverty, deprived of adequate nutritious food, clean and safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, including for menstrual health and hygiene management, with limited or no access to essential physical and mental healthcare services, adequate shelter, education, participation and protection, taking into account that, while a severe lack of goods and services hurts every human being, it is particularly threatening and harmful to children, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, to reach their full potential and to participate as full members of society, and exposed to conditions that lead to increased violence; 12. Calls upon States to increase investments in nutrition as a key part of a comprehensive essential healthcare package, including through essential nutrition programming, services and practices, that incorporates early stimulation, responsive caregiving and play-based interventions, and to support maternity and breastfeeding policies to foster young children’s healthy nutrition, growth and brain and cognitive development, bearing in mind the vital importance of good nutrition for child survival and development, particularly during early childhood, and in this regard underscores the need to address child stunting, which remains unacceptably high; 13. Urges States to take measures to improve prenatal, perinatal and postnatal mental and physical healthcare services for mothers and newborns, ending preventable maternal, newborn and child death, such as improving the access to healthcare systems, including for sexual and reproductive health, emergency obstetric and newborn care, the distribution and use of insecticide-treated nets, vaccination and immunization campaigns, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and the strengthening of international cooperation and technical assistance urgently required in developing countries to reduce maternal and child mortality and morbidity and improve maternal, newborn and child health; 14. Encourages Member States to coordinate a multisectoral strategy that aims at promoting mental health for new parents, legal guardians and other individuals legally responsible for the child, through home- and health facility-based prenatal and postnatal care for new mothers, the provision of early childhood programmes that address the cognitive, sensory-motor and psychosocial development of children and the promotion of healthy child-caregiver relationships, and by introducing or strengthening community protection networks and systems; 15. Recalls every child’s right to be registered immediately after birth, to a name, to acquire a nationality and to recognition everywhere as a person before the law, as set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, respectively, reminds States of their obligation to ensure the registration of the birth of all children without discrimination of any kind, including in the case of late birth registration, especially for children in rural and remote areas, refugee and migrant children and those in the most vulnerable situations, and calls upon States to ensure that birth registration procedures are universal, accessible, simple, expeditious and effective and provided at minimal or no cost, including by promoting the use of digital identification systems, and recognizes the importance of birth registration as a critical means of preventing statelessness, ensuring lifelong protection, exercising their rights and accessing essential services; Rights of the child A/RES/80/190 11/19 25-20888 16. Also recalls that the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes the right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family relations, as recognized by law, without unlawful interference; 17. Calls upon States to scale up scientifically accurate and age-appropriate comprehensive education that provides adolescent girls and boys and young women and men, in and out of school, consistent with their evolving capacities, and with appropriate direction and guidance from parents and legal guardians, with the best interests of the child as their basic concern, with information on sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention, gender equality and women’s empowerment, human rights, physical, psychological and pubertal development and power in relationships between women and men, to enable them to build self-esteem and foster informed decision-making, communication and risk reduction skills and to develop respectful relationships, in full partnership with young people, parents, legal guardians, caregivers, educators and healthcare providers, in order to, inter alia, enable them to protect themselves from HIV infection and other risks; 18. Also calls upon States to create opportunities for children’s inclusive and meaningful participation in decision-making processes in line with their evolving capacities, including girls and adolescent girls, children with disabilities, children belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, children of African descent, migrant children, Indigenous children, and children in vulnerable situations and those who are hardest to reach, in all matters affecting them, and for children to become agents of change within their communities, taking into account the importance of involving children’s organizations and child-led initiatives, by creating inclusive consultative mechanisms and ensuring that policy measures are developed on the basis of participatory, evidence-based decision-making processes that take into account the views of children and the best interests of the child; 19. Urges all States to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child, including for children with disabilities and children in vulnerable situations, to express themselves freely and to be provided the opportunity to be heard in any proceeding affecting them, and to ensure that they have access to inclusive and equitable quality education, including pre‑primary education, and information in child-friendly and accessible formats, that their views are given due weight and that they are included in decision-making processes, in accordance with their age and maturity, in all matters affecting them; 20. Reaffirms the right to education on the basis of equal opportunity and non‑discrimination, and calls upon States to make primary education compulsory, inclusive and available free to all children, while encouraging them to take all appropriate measures to make pre‑primary education progressively available, ensuring that all children have equal access to education of good quality, making secondary education generally available and accessible to all, in particular through the progressive introduction of free education, bearing in mind that special measures to ensure equal access, including affirmative action, contribute to achieving equal opportunity and combating exclusion by eliminating social, economic and gender disparities in education and ensuring school attendance, in particular for girls, children with disabilities, pregnant adolescent girls, children living in poverty, Indigenous children, children of African descent, children belonging to ethnic, national, religious or linguistic minorities and children in vulnerable or marginalized situations; 21. Urges States to respect, protect and fulfil the right to education for all children under their jurisdiction, without discrimination of any kind, including based on age, and to ensure access to inclusive early childhood care and education and parenting programmes that improve the quality of children’s early learning, and A/RES/80/190 Rights of the child 25-20888 12/19 encourages States to reduce or remove fees and indirect costs associated with access to childcare and pre‑primary education; 22. Encourages States to adopt and implement sustained and inclusive child- empowering, age-appropriate, disability-inclusive and gender-responsive non‑formal and formal education programmes, providing children, parents, legal guardians and other individuals legally responsible for the child, caregivers, teachers and other professionals working with and for children with skills relating to digital and data literacy, to promote awareness among children of the forms of violence that occur through or are amplified by the use of technology, and online harms and risks; and in this regard commits to address these challenges and spread the benefits of digitalization including by expanding the participation of all countries in the digitalization, in particular developing countries, among others through enhancing their digital infrastructure connectivity as well as building their capacities and access to technological innovations through stronger partnerships and improving digital literacy; 23. Urges States to take measures, including in collaboration with the private sector and other relevant actors, to ensure that early childhood development policies and programmes support the inclusion of children in vulnerable situations, including children with disabilities, in inclusive early childhood education and pre‑primary education settings with the provision of individualized support and reasonable accommodations; 24. Calls upon States to ensure that rest, play and leisure are integrated into school structures and curricula, and enjoyed from early childhood by all children equally, including children in the most vulnerable and marginalized situations, and reaffirms the role of play in building essential and transferable physical, social, cognitive, communication and emotional life skills at all ages, and its positive impact on promoting tolerance and resilience and facilitating social inclusion, conflict prevention and peacebuilding; 25. Also calls upon States to promote the provision of accessible, gender- responsive and age-appropriate information to children, including children with disabilities, on their rights, including through human rights education programmes as well as equal access to technologies that provide them with information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of their social, spiritual and moral well-being, and physical and mental health, and the protection of their rights; 26. Further calls upon States to accelerate efforts to eliminate all barriers to the equal enjoyment by girls of their right to education, to address gender-based discrimination, gender stereotypes and negative social norms in education systems, including in curricula, textbooks and teaching methodologies, and to fight all forms of violence, including sexual harassment and school-related sexual and gender-based violence, in and out of schools and other educational settings; 27. Calls upon States to scale up programming for girls, including education and skills development training for adolescent girls; to address gender-specific barriers to the equal enjoyment by girls of their right to education and access to quality education; to ensure access to gender-responsive support services, including psychological, social and sexual and reproductive healthcare services, and education, including in emergencies; and to ensure that girls’ opinions are heard, and that measures are taken to enable young women and girls to successfully grow into leadership positions in public and private spheres by ensuring their full and equal access to education, technology and skills development, leadership and mentorship Rights of the child A/RES/80/190 13/19 25-20888 programmes, increased technical and financial support, and protection from violence and discrimination; 28. Also calls upon States to ensure that child protection, including social protection and gender-sensitive mental health services, is recognized as essential and that it continues to be provided and be accessible, affordable and available to all children, at all times; 29. Urges States to ensure sustainable and equitable financing for child- responsive social protection and other social sectors as appropriate, including through the provision of social safety nets, such as cash transfers, food transfers, fee waivers and subsidies to enhance child development outcomes, contribute to gender equality and protect young children from poverty, fragility and social exclusion; 30. Calls upon States to commit to the improvement of child protection care systems and pursue policies that address the root causes of child abandonment, neglect, relinquishment and separation from their family; 31. Calls upon States, the United Nations system, the private sector and other relevant actors to commit to comprehensive child and family-friendly policies, including paid parental leave, maternity benefits, support for breastfeeding, affordable, accessible and quality childcare, child benefits and tax credits, as well as parenting and violence prevention programmes that are inclusive and non‑discriminatory, all of which contribute to ensure responsive caregiving, promote work-life balance, and support the well-being of children and their families, prioritizing those most in need, including those engaged in the informal economy, while generating broader benefits for poverty eradication, gender equality and sustainable development; 32. Reiterates that all States should continue to make their best efforts to ensure the recognition of the principle that parents have common responsibilities for the upbringing and development of their children; 33. Urges States to take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect children from all forms of violence and abuse, including sexual and gender-based violence, online and offline, address the lack of child-responsive reporting mechanisms and inadequate data collection on violence, and support violence prevention programmes in early childhood, including through parenting support; 34. Also urges States to take comprehensive, multisectoral, coordinated, effective and gender-responsive measures to prevent, eliminate and respond to all forms of violence and discrimination against all children and to address structural and underlying causes and risk factors, including through enhanced prevention measures, research and strengthened coordination and monitoring and evaluation, implementing, in partnership with all relevant stakeholders, effective violence prevention and response activities in schools and communities, including training for parents, legal guardians and caregivers, capacity-building for professionals working with and for children, and educating children from a young age regarding human rights and the importance of treating all people with dignity and respect, and designing educational programmes and teaching materials that support consent, non‑violent behaviour, respect for boundaries and what constitutes unacceptable behaviour and how to report it, that eliminate gender stereotypes and negative social norms, as well as racism and racial discrimination, build self-esteem and informed decision-making and communication skills and promote the development of respectful relationships based on gender equality, non‑discrimination, inclusion and respect for human rights; A/RES/80/190 Rights of the child 25-20888 14/19 35. Further urges States to take immediate and effective measures to end child labour in all its forms; 36. Urges States to provide children whose rights have been violated or abused with access to effective and appropriate remedial victim support, as well as reparation and guarantees of non‑repetition; and calls upon States and businesses to ensure the availability and accessibility of free-of-charge, safe, confidential, responsive and child-friendly reporting mechanisms; 37. Notes the importance of promoting safe and enabling conditions for children facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, such as children belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as well as migrant children, refugee or asylum-seeking children, internally displaced children, children with disabilities, children of African descent and Indigenous children; 38. Strongly condemns all forms of violence, harassment and abuse against children in all settings, online and offline, including physical, psychological and sexual violence, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, child abuse and exploitation, including sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism, child sexual abuse material, sexual exploitation of children such as child sexual abuse and cybergrooming, economic exploitation, promotion of and incitement to self-harm and life-threatening activities, bullying, including cyberbullying, hostage-taking, domestic violence, trafficking in or sale of children and their organs, gang and armed violence, and harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child, early and forced marriage, and urges States to strengthen efforts to prevent and protect children from all such violence through a comprehensive, gender- responsive, age-appropriate and disability-inclusive approach and to develop an inclusive multifaceted and systematic framework, which is integrated into national planning processes, to respond effectively to violence against children and to provide for safe and child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms and safeguards for the rights of affected children, and comprehensive education enabling them to access these mechanisms; 39. Strongly encourages States to adopt effective measures to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children, particularly those in situations of violence stemming from transnational organized crime, including trafficking in persons, recruitment and use of children for criminal activities, and other forms of criminality that undermine their integrity and well-being, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant international instruments; 40. Urges States to take measures to protect children from all forms of violence in the digital environment, to ensure that national legislation on data protection and privacy is in accordance with their international human rights obligations and allows law enforcement, social welfare and judicial authorities to conduct effective and appropriate investigations and prosecutions with the aim of holding accountable and bringing to justice all those responsible for or who attempt to commit such crimes against children, taking into account that such crimes are often multi-jurisdictional and transnational in nature, and to consider adopting legislation, regulations or policies to ensure that businesses address their responsibilities to respect children’s rights, safety and well-being during the design, engineering, development, operation, distribution and marketing of their technological products and services and putting in place adequate safeguards that seek to prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts on children that are directly linked to their operations, products or services; Rights of the child A/RES/80/190 15/19 25-20888 41. Calls upon States to address prevailing challenges to bridge the digital divide within and among countries, the age, disability and gender digital divides and the divide between rural and urban areas, including between developing and developed countries, and highlights the importance of promoting and protecting the right of the child to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, and to this end notes the importance of promoting digital literacy from an early age, as well as public awareness and understanding of new and emerging digital technologies, promoting risk awareness and self-protection training and guidance, and supporting capacity-building initiatives to ensure that children, as well as their parents or legal guardians, teachers and educators, are given the opportunity to develop the understanding, knowledge and skills needed to engage safely and meaningfully in the digital environment, including through international cooperation, to ensure that children, especially children in vulnerable situations, are able to connect to and access the Internet in a safe and secure way; 42. Also calls upon all States to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child and to ensure, for children belonging to national or ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities and migrant children, children affected by armed conflict, Indigenous children, children of African descent, internally displaced children and children with disabilities, the enjoyment of all their rights as well as access to healthcare services, social services, social protection and accessible and inclusive education on an equal basis with others, and to ensure that all such children, in particular unaccompanied migrant children, internally displaced children and those who are victims of violence and exploitation, receive special protection and assistance and that the best interests of the child are a primary consideration in their policies of integration, return and family reunification; 43. Condemns in the strongest terms all violations and abuses committed against children in armed conflict, and in this regard urges all States and other parties to armed conflict that are engaged, in contravention of applicable international law, in the recruitment and use of children, in patterns of killing and maiming of children and/or rape and other sexual violence against children, acknowledging that sexual violence in these situations disproportionately affects girls, but that boys are also targets, in recurrent attacks on schools and/or hospitals and related personnel and denial of humanitarian access, and in patterns of abduction of children, forced adoptions, forced transfers and deportations as well as in all other violations and abuses against children, to take time-bound and effective measures to end and prevent them and to encourage age- and gender-specific support services, including psychological, social and sexual and reproductive healthcare services, and education, social protection and reintegration programmes; 44. Recognizes that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing and that the protection and reintegration of, and the prevention of violations and abuses against, conflict-affected children should be considered across all stages of this spectrum; 45. Calls upon States to ensure the legal protection of children from violence, both online and offline, in a manner consistent with their obligations under international law, including international human rights law, and to criminalize relevant conduct related to violence against children online and offline, including but not limited to forms of sexual exploitation and abuse of children, such as child grooming, sexual extortion, the streaming of child abuse, the possession or distribution of, access to, or exchange or production of or payment for child sexual abuse material and the viewing, conducting or facilitation of children’s participation in live sexual abuses or exploitation transmitted through digital technologies, in addition to the use of digital A/RES/80/190 Rights of the child 25-20888 16/19 technology in the recruitment or use of children by armed groups and in the context of child trafficking; 46. Also calls upon States to develop coherent and coordinated protection systems and to provide universal access to quality comprehensive social, physical and mental health, including sexual and reproductive health, and legal and counselling services for all victims and survivors, to ensure their full recovery and reintegration into society, and to strengthen social welfare systems and effective service delivery for children affected by violence, in particular in the justice, education and health sectors; 47. Recognizes that the right of the child to education can be severely hampered as a result of physical, psychological and sexual and gender-based violence, including the dissemination or threat of dissemination of personal sexually explicit content that constitutes child sexual abuse or child sexual exploitation material, including artificial intelligence-generated or deepfake images, sexual harassment, including peer-to-peer sexual harassment, as well as bullying, including cyberbullying, in school, outside school and on the way to school, and in digital environments, which compromises learning outcomes and may lead to school dropout, and therefore calls upon States to adopt and strengthen clear and comprehensive measures, including legislative and policy measures, taking into account the best interests of the child, to ensure that all schools are safe and free from violence and provide safe and child- sensitive counselling and reporting procedures for children affected by and involved in such forms of violence, generating statistical information, including gender statistics and data disaggregated by age and sex, and responding promptly and adequately; 48. Urges States to promote and protect the rights of the child against sexual exploitation and sexual and gender-based violence, including in digital contexts, through the adoption of relevant legislation to prevent these acts as well as combat them through the detection of child sexual abuse material and its immediate removal from the Internet, emphasizing the importance of a coordinated and multi-stakeholder global-level response; 49. Appreciates the role of civil society, including child- and youth-led movements, including those aimed at promoting the respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights, in supporting victims and survivors of violence, including by amplifying their voices, and in receiving reports of online harms against children; 50. Takes note of ongoing efforts to mainstream the rights of the child into the work of the United Nations system, and requests all relevant organs, bodies, entities, organizations and mechanisms of the United Nations system to mainstream the promotion, respect, protection and fulfilment of the rights of the child throughout their activities, in accordance with their respective mandates, as well as to ensure that their staff are trained in child rights matters, and take further steps to increase system- wide coordination and inter-agency cooperation for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child; 51. Calls upon the relevant entities, funds and programmes of the United Nations system, donor institutions, including the international financial institutions, and bilateral donors to support, upon request, inter alia, national initiatives, including early childhood development programmes, financially and technically, as well as to enhance effective international cooperation and partnership to strengthen knowledge- sharing, capacity-building and skills transfer for early childhood, in terms of policy and programme development and implementation, research and professional training; Rights of the child A/RES/80/190 17/19 25-20888 52. Expresses support for the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, and recognizes the progress achieved since the establishment of the mandate in promoting the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children, both online and offline, in all regions and in advancing the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children, partnerships with regional organizations, as well as advocacy through thematic consultations, field missions and thematic reports addressing emerging concerns, including on investment in child protection and well-being, starting in early childhood; 53. Takes note of the leadership of the Special Representative of the Secretary- General on Violence against Children in the follow-up to the United Nations global study on children deprived of liberty in cooperation with the other entities in the United Nations inter-agency task force, the non‑governmental organization panel and other relevant stakeholders, and encourages the Special Representative to continue her work in this regard; 54. Urges all States, requests United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and invites regional organizations and civil society, including non‑governmental organizations, to cooperate with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children in promoting the further implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children and in supporting Member States in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, encourages States to provide support to the Special Representative, including adequate voluntary financial support for the continued, effective and independent performance of her mandate, and invites organizations, including the private sector, to provide voluntary contributions for that purpose; 55. Recommends that the Secretary-General extend the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, as established in paragraphs 58 and 59 of its resolution 62/141 of 18 December 2007, for a further four years, and maintain support for the effective and independent performance and sustainability of the mandate of the Special Representative, funded from the regular budget; 56. Welcomes the appointment of Vanessa Frazier as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, expresses support for the work of the Special Representative, recalls the adoption of resolution 51/77 of 12 December 1996, by which the mandate of the Special Representative was created, its increased level of work and the progress achieved since the establishment of the mandate, welcomes the efforts by the Special Representative and the mandate’s important contributions to the maintenance of peace and security through the protection of children in armed conflict situations, and notes the diminishing capacities, in particular at the field level, that will have an impact on the delivery of the mandate if left unaddressed, in particular monitoring, verification and reporting, and, bearing in mind its resolution 63/241 of 24 December 2008 and paragraphs 35 to 37 of its resolution 51/77, paragraph 39 of its resolution 72/245 of 24 December 2017 and paragraph 40 of its resolution 76/147 of 16 December 2021, recommends that the Secretary-General extend the mandate of the Special Representative for a further four years; 57. Notes with appreciation the steps taken regarding Security Council resolutions 1539 (2004) of 22 April 2004, 1612 (2005) of 26 July 2005, 1882 (2009) of 4 August 2009, 1998 (2011) of 12 July 2011, 2068 (2012) of 19 September 2012, 2225 (2015) of 18 June 2015, 2286 (2016) of 3 May 2016, 2427 (2018) of 9 July 2018, 2601 (2021) of 29 October 2021 and 2764 (2024) of 20 December 2024 and the efforts of the Secretary-General to implement the monitoring and reporting mechanism on A/RES/80/190 Rights of the child 25-20888 18/19 children and armed conflict in accordance with those resolutions, with the participation of and in cooperation with national Governments and relevant United Nations and civil society actors, including at the country level, requests the Secretary- General to ensure that information collected and communicated by the monitoring and reporting mechanism is accurate, objective and verifiable, and in this regard encourages the work and the deployment of United Nations child protection advisers in peacekeeping operations and political and peacebuilding missions, as well as supports the implementation of the monitoring and reporting mechanism, including in particular in the context of transitions to or from United Nations missions; 58. Decides: (a) To continue its consideration of the question at its eighty-second session under the item entitled “Promotion and protection of the rights of children”; (b) To request the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its eighty-second session a comprehensive report on the rights of the child containing information on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and on the issues addressed in the present resolution, with a focus on the promotion of children’s mental health and well-being; (c) To request the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to continue to submit reports to the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the activities undertaken in fulfilment of her mandate, including information on field visits and on the progress achieved and the challenges remaining on the children and armed conflict agenda; (d) To request the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, in carrying out her mandate for the protection of children in situations of armed conflict, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council, to continue to engage proactively with relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, Member States, regional and subregional organizations and non‑State armed groups, including by negotiating action plans, securing commitments, advocating for appropriate response mechanisms and ensuring attention and follow-up to the conclusions and recommendations of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, and reaffirms the important role that the Special Representative can play in contributing to conflict prevention; (e) To request the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children to continue to submit annual reports to the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the activities undertaken in fulfilment of her mandate, consistent with paragraphs 58 and 59 of its resolution 62/141, including information on her field visits and on the progress achieved and the challenges remaining on the violence against children agenda; (f) To request the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children to continue to submit reports to the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the activities undertaken in fulfilment of her mandate, including information on her field visits and on the progress achieved and the challenges remaining in the prevention and elimination of all forms of sale and sexual exploitation and abuse of children, and in the protection, rehabilitation, recovery, reintegration and access to justice of children who are victims and survivors, in a gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, victim-centred, trauma-informed and child- friendly manner and with full respect for the rights of the child, including in how to advance the protection capacities of communities and families, with the best interests of the child as a primary consideration; Rights of the child A/RES/80/190 19/19 25-20888 (g) To invite the Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to present an oral report on the work of the Committee and to engage in an interactive dialogue with the General Assembly at its eighty-first and eighty-second sessions as a way to enhance communication between the Assembly and the Committee. 62nd plenary meeting 15 December 2025

UN Project. “A/RES/80/190.” UN Project, https://un-project.org/votes/resolution/A-RES-80-190/. Accessed .

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