The American Bar Association and a growing coalition of international partners will cosponsor the International Summit on the Legal Rights of Street-Connected Children and Youth in São Paulo, Brazil, November 28-29, 2017.

The two-day working summit will bring together advocates and providers for children and youth in street situations from around the world to examine the mandate that the UN Committee provided through the United Nations General Comment on Children in Street Situations. The international law firm of Trench Rossi Watanabe/Baker McKenzie has generously agreed to provide use of their São Paulo meeting rooms, as well as use of several of their offices around the globe for virtual summit participation. We have an ambitious agenda that we hope will assist in ensuring that the important work in drafting the UN Comment translates into practical action around the world.

One unique outcome of the summit will be a vibrant exchange of information and best practices across borders about how nations can implement the rights embedded in the United Nations’ new international instrument. As another result, the Summit will produce a first-ever publication of implementation principles from the world’s experts on street-connected children and youth fostering follow through on each of the legal issues in the UN General Comment.

Building on lessons learned from the ABA’s first-ever 2015 London Summit on the Legal Needs of Street Youth, this invitation-only convening of strategically assembled delegations from 100+ nations will feature:

• An international panel of youth lending their voices and life experiences to the urgency for advocacy;
• Thorough examination of the UN General Comment highlighting the role of advocates, lawyers, and youth in implementing the provisions; and
• Action plans that develop the necessary resources for enforcing the legal rights of this vulnerable population.

Register to attend the summit in Brazil.

Please note that registration for this invitation-only event is limited to the first 150 registrants.

To indicate your interest in virtual participation, please emailjinny.choi@americanbar.org with “Virtual Participation Request” in the subject line along with your city and country. Please also provide your full name, title, and organization affiliation.

See here International Summit Street Children official agenda.