This is a guide to help officials of local and national institutions, school headteachers, teachers and other professionals to establish or strengthen Children's and Youth Councils, bodies composed of under-18s appointed to become their peers' representatives and which are intended to encourage the participation of young people, often at the community level and within schools. UNICEF's publication Advice for Children and Young People: A Guide to Promoting the Active Participation of Children and Young People offers useful suggestions for better fulfilling obligations under Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children and Adolescents, which recognises the right to participation as a fundamental human right.

The guide has two main objectives: to develop a shared guideline to improve the active participation of under-18s in Children and Youth Councils; and to provide practical suggestions and measures to establish and strengthen inclusive and effective Children and Youth Councils.

The publication is available on the Unicef website, in the dedicated news section

Other materials and news can be found on this site under the topic UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Child participation and leadership accessible from the "Topics" navigation menu.