About the IBCR

Founded in 1994, the International Bureau for Children’s Rights (IBCR) is an international non-governmental organisation whose mission is to protect and promote children’s rights in a manner consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols.

Committed to creating a world in which every child enjoys rights equally and in all circumstances, the IBCR strives to strengthen child protection systems and build the capacities of personnel working directly with children. The IBCR’s approach is based on the four main principles of the CRC: systematic consideration of the best interests of the child, non discrimination, the right to life, survival and development, and respect for the views of the child and the right to participation.

Since it was first founded, the IBCR has worked in nearly 50 countries and shared its expertise by offering training in seven languages to more than 64,000* workers, resulting in better protection for millions of children.

In 2021, the IBCR developed a new strategic plan to ensure that, for the next four years, its activities and initiatives would be focused on one clearly stated ambition: “To rise up to the level of children.” It is not uncommon for the issue of child protection to be notably absent from the priorities of the very institutions responsible for safeguarding them. For this reason, the IBCR aims to continue instigating positive change in the way in which children are assisted and protected through the regular provision of services. The IBCR’s new strategy is built on four pillars of action: • Listening to children and ensuring their participation • Providing tools and training to workers with professional responsibilities for children • Improving responsibility sharing and collaboration between project participants • Mobilising agents of change and ensuring they are recognised

The strategic plan and theory of change are available on the IBCR’s website: www.ibcr.org/publications. Since 2015, the IBCR has implemented various multisectoral and multi-year projects, with the opening of satellite offices and the deployment of field staff in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Costa Rica and Honduras. In each of these five countries, projects spanning three to five years have been implemented to provide in-depth capacity building to security forces, social services workers and justice system professionals. These projects are being led in partnership with local governments and with financial support from Global Affairs Canada and UNICEF. The IBCR’s operational team also includes volunteers who are deployed in 11 countries to work with 35 partners.

*These numbers fluctuate annually. For further information, refer to the IBCR brochure, available online on the organisation’s website.

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