Ukraine becomes first candidate country to participate in European Child Guarantee
On 24 July, Ukraine officially announced the implementation of the European Child Guarantee. This milestone integrates existing national policies on children’s rights into a unified European framework.
The European Child Guarantee (ECG) is an EU initiative designed to eradicate poverty and social exclusion among children by ensuring free and equal access to essential services. It focuses on the most vulnerable children and covers six key areas: early childhood education and care, healthcare, healthy nutrition, adequate housing, inclusive education and healthy school meals.
The announcement took place during the forum ‘European Child Guarantee: Preparation for Implementation in Ukraine’. Held in Kyiv, the forum brought together representatives from the government, local communities, international partners, and civil society.
“When people in Europe say ‘a child’s life’, they mean well-being, opportunities, growth. In Ukraine today, we mean physical survival. When they say ‘the future’ in Europe, it means a perspective for years. We sometimes narrow the meaning of this phrase to ‘surviving until tomorrow’. This is the reality that Russia’s invasion has created. And children are its most vulnerable hostages,” said First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.
Ukraine is among the first EU candidate countries invited to participate in this initiative.
“This is a tool that will help ensure that every child has access to quality education, healthcare and nutrition, build a service state with children at the centre of policy, and promote interagency cooperation that meets the key principles of the European Union,” said Taras Kachka, Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.
Katarína Mathernová, EU Ambassador to Ukraine said that as Ukraine rebuilds, the European Child Guarantee offers a chance to put children at the heart of its recovery and EU path. “By aligning national reforms like the Better Care Reform with this approach – and ensuring strong investment and coordination – Ukraine can build a more inclusive, resilient future where every child thrives,” Mathernová said.
Ukraine will implement the European Child Guarantee as an integral part of existing strategies in children’s rights protection, education, healthcare, social policy, inclusion, and family support. This includes reforms in childcare and support systems, school nutrition programmes, the expansion of inclusive education networks, the creation of barrier-free environments, and the development of community-level services. The European Child Guarantee unifies these efforts into a cohesive policy framework that aligns with EU standards, strengthening national priorities in child protection.
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