In such cases, mechanisms need to be sought to hold the international community to account. An international agenda of accelerated debt relief combined with increased support to health and education provision is a clear implication of this failure of responsibility. Taking child rights seriously has far-reaching implications. Child rights imply not just the provision of health and education, but include measures for the protection and participation of children and young people. A human rights approach to social and economic development entails regarding people in this case emphatically including children as the agents of their own development.
Participation implies democracy.
It is possible that some felt that signing the CRC was little more than a promise to give milk to babies if they felt like doing so, and some amended the WSC because it was a chance for a favorable photo-opt. Those leaders who were not serious at the time should have no option but to become serious now, or pay the price. Realizing Child Rights as a Global Public Good Spending on children is beneficial. This is not in dispute. The challenge is to try to understand in both qualitative and quantitative terms just how beneficial it may be.