Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2020-043/ “The Nordic Region must be the best place in the world for children and young people”. This is the vision of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ strategy for children and young people in the Nordic Region. This publication aims to inspire administrative bodies, organisations, individuals and others to recognise their opportunities and responsibilities. Participation in society and having influence over one’s own life is not only a right for boys and girls, young women and men, but it also leads to better decision-making, more engaged citizens and a more inclusive society.

This book explores how young people across different European contexts participate in decision-making and foster changes on issues that concern them and their communities, giving new insights into discourses on young people’s as active citizens across Europe.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2020-015/ Abstract [en] The well-being of children and young people, and their ability to exercise their rights, is a pre-requisite for the continued development of the Nordic region. Children and young people are therefore priority target groups for the Nordic Council of Ministers, so the Council will integrate a children’s rights and youth perspective in its work. The ambition for greater integration of a children’s rights and youth perspective also brings a responsibility to ensure that the work is based on a number of guiding principles. There must be a common minimum level of the involvement of children and young people and, above all, the work must be carried out in a way that protects and promotes children’s safety and security. This document is relevant for all situations in which children and young people are contacted or involved in the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child lays down the right of children to form their own opinions, as well as the right to express these opinions. In the light of this, the Ombudsman for Children in Sweden has created Young Speakers – a qualitative method which recognises and elevates the voices of young people, without adult adjustment or correction. The rationale for the method is that children are experts on their own lives and have important information to share with decision makers. It is about listening to reflections, nuances, and in-depth stories that are difficult to understand and take into account without going into detail. By listening to different people tell their personal stories about the same topics, patterns, trends, and shortcomings can be identified.

This study explores whether and how enshrining children's rights in national constitutions improves implementation and enforcement of those rights by comparing Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish law.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2020-047/ “The Nordic region must be the best place in the world for children and young people.” This is the vision of the Nordic Council of Ministers as expressed in its cross-sector strategy for children and young people in the Nordic region. The 0–25 age group is a prioritised target group in the strategy. A key objective in the strategy is that the Nordic Council of Ministers will increasingly integrate a child rights and youth perspective in its work, thereby raising the level of participation of children and young people. The objective is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but also on a conviction that today’s projects and activities would be improved when children and young people participate and exert influence in various ways. Decisions would also be given greater legitimacy, and initiatives would be of higher quality and relevant to more people when the perspective of children and young people is incorporated.