Tower Hamlets Council became the first organisation to sign a charter pledging to uphold children and young peoples rights in the borough today.

The launch of the Mayor’s Charter of Child Rights took place at the town hall this afternoon and represented a major milestone in the council’s new partnership with UNICEF UK, a leading children’s organisation.

Local children and young people decided which 10 articles in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child were most relevant to them and these were used to produce the charter.

Organisations that sign it will be committing themselves to upholding all the articles of the UN Convention, paying particular regard to the 10 points deemed important by local young people.

Speaking at the launch today UNICEF UK Director of Programmes Teresa Bergin said: “We believe that placing children’s rights at the heart of local government will transform services for the better and ensure all children have the same opportunity to flourish.

“This charter is a stepping-stone towards securing this ambitious goal for the children of Tower Hamlets.”

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman, who was the signatory on behalf of the council, said the council is delighted to be working with UNICEF UK on this project.

He added: “We want Tower Hamlets to be widely known as a child-friendly borough. There is a lot of work to do but, thanks to the young people involved, this charter is a great step forward.”