Themed: "Participation as Means for Enhancing the effectiveness of Children’s and Youth’s Rights"
The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) will participate in the second edition of the International Children’s and Youth Book Fair (SILEJ), from December 14 to 22, 2024, in Casablanca, Morocco.
Organized under the theme “Participation as Means for Enhancing the Effectiveness of Children’s and Youth’s Rights,” the CNDH event aims to underscore its commitment to promote and institutionalize the principle of participation in all its forms. This commitment is implemented through the involvement of children and youth in such events, as well as positioning their participation as a central topic of dialogue and discussion in panels, seminars, open meetings, artistic activities, and workshops.
"The strategic goal of the CNDH is to institutionalize the principle of participation for children and youth—enshrining it legally, encouraging it, and developing it to nurture a generation of active children and youth engaged in public affairs.” — Ms. Amina Bouayach, CNDH Chairperson
The CNDH sees its participation in this fair as an opportunity to address and discuss issues related to children’s and youth’s access to knowledge in all its forms, through a human rights-based approach that considers emerging challenges influenced by the digital context.
Over nine days, the CNDH invites visitors to its pavilion to participate in open meetings inside and outside the venue, enabling children and youth to express their opinions and interact with stakeholders on issues concerning their rights. Activities will include artistic and expressive workshops such as painting, theater, and collaborative writing, offering outlets for children and youth to represent their ideas and concerns.
The CNDH’s program will also feature discussion groups addressing topics such as public policies for youth, civic participation, opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence, and volunteer work. Meetings with authors and publishers at the CNDH’s pavilion will encourage discussions on writing and publishing as tools for fostering creativity and access to knowledge. Various spaces with names reflecting human rights and values—such as Citizenship, Equality, Solidarity, Inclusion, and Communication—will be dedicated to hosting these activities and encouraging inclusive participation.
At this edition, the CNDH has adopted a participatory approach in collaboration with partner institutions and academic and civil organizations, including: Regional Academy of Education and Training, Faculty of Arts at Ben M’Sik in Casablanca, Faculty of Law, Economics, and Social Sciences in Mohammedia and El Jadida, "Bayti" Association, Idmaj Foundation for Development, "Kourara" Association for Arts and Cultures, and the Social Protection Centers of Abdelaziz Benani, Ben Slimane, and Berrechid.
It is worth noting that participation is one of the four core principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), interlinked with the principles of non-discrimination, the right to survival and development, and the best interests of the child. For this reason, institutionalizing the principle of participation is among the CNDH strategic objectives. This principle has been reinforced through its regional consultations with children conducted across the Kingdom’s 12 regions throughout 2023.
Welcome to the CNDH pavilion at the SLEJ in Casablanca, Morocco.
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