10th Anniversary Celebration of the Advanced LL.M. in International Children’s Rights at Leiden University

As we mark 10 years of the Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights at Leiden University, we do so against the backdrop of three historic milestones: 100 years since the first international Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1924), 35 years since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), and 10 years since the entry into force of the Third Optional Protocol to the CRC on a Communications Procedure (OPIC), which has strengthened children’s access to justice at the international level.  

These anniversaries invite both celebration and reflection. While they represent remarkable progress in the promotion and protection of children’s rights, they also call on us to confront the pressing challenges that remain and the new ones rapidly emerging. The convergence of armed conflict, climate change, forced displacement, rising inequality, digital harms, and economic instability has created what UNICEF has called a ‘polycrisis’, with children bearing the brunt of its consequences. In addition, a growing global pushback against human rights and specifically children’s rights, has put core principles under pressure, threatening to undo decades of progress. In this context, the demand for skilled professionals who can uphold international legal standards and hold duty bearers accountable through legal and systemic avenues is critical. 

Legal expertise alone, however, is not enough. Strengthening accountability also demands global solidarity, across borders, disciplines, and sectors and sustained global conversations to share knowledge, confront emerging challenges, and build common ground. Networks of children’s rights professionals, scholars, advocates, and institutions play a vital role in supporting this work and driving forward a shared agenda for justice. The 10th anniversary of the Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights at Leiden University provides a significant opportunity to reflect on this mission and reaffirm our collective commitment to equipping future leaders to protect and promote children’s rights in an increasingly complex world. 

Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights

The Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights (LL.M.) at Leiden University is a pioneering programme that offers an in-depth focus on international children’s rights. Since its inception, the programme has provided a unique interdisciplinary approach, combining international, regional and national legal frameworks with practical applications to address real-world challenges affecting children globally. The fully accredited programme offers an innovative and multi-dimensional approach to international children’s rights in relation to human rights law, private international law, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, criminal justice, migration, digital technologies, the environment and access to justice for children, among others, and has continued to evolve since its inception in 2015.  

Looking back over the decade, the programme has stood out due to its uniqueness in being the only LL.M. offering an advanced legal degree in international children’s rights. The expert instructors, including leading human rights and children's rights professionals, and guest lecturers from institutions such as the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF and global and local civil society organisations, have contributed immensely to the programme’s success. The programme prides itself on its international classroom and personalized learning environment, offering small-scale teaching and individual guidance to help students succeed. Over the past 10 years, the programme has equipped students to promote and protect children's rights globally, address the impact of global crises and understand the evolving legal landscape of children's rights in various contexts. It has grown into a globally recognized programme, delivering graduates who are making significant contributions in various sectors, including international organizations, government agencies, private sector and academia.

Anniversary event

The anniversary event will feature a keynote speech by Dr. Marta Santos Pais, former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, who has been instrumental in shaping the global agenda on children’s rights. A high-level panel discussion will also bring together leading voices, including Prof. Cecilia Bailliet, the UN Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity. With expertise spanning international law, human rights, and global cooperation, the panel will explore how international solidarity and global dialogue are vital to advancing children’s rights and addressing persistent accountability gaps. These discussions underscore that preparing the next generation of children’s rights professionals is not only an academic endeavour but a moral and legal imperative. 

Agenda

MORNING PROGRAMME (OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: 09:00 – 13:00) 

• 09:00 – 10:00: Registration (with Light Breakfast) 

• 10:00 – 11:20: Opening & Keynote Speech ‘Building a New Generation of Children’s Rights Professionals – Enhancing Accountability for Children’s Rights’ 

• 10:00 – 10:10: Welcome remarks by Prof. Ann Skelton and Prof. Ton Liefaard (10 mins) 

• 10:10 – 10:40: Keynote speech by Dr. Marta Santos Pais, Former Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Violence Against Children (30 mins) 

• 10:40 – 10:50: Q&A (10 mins) 

• 10:50 – 11:05: “Why did/do we need this Advanced LLM?” – Conversation between the co-founders – Prof. Julia Sloth-Nielsen and Prof. Ton Liefaard (15 mins) 

• 11:05 – 11:20: Break (15 mins) 

• 11:20 – 12:30: Panel ‘Global Conversations on Children’s Rights and International Solidarity’ 

• 11:20 – 11:30: Dr. Sheila Varadan – Introduction to the theme and speakers (5 mins) 

• 11:30 – 11:45: Prof. Cecilia Bailliet, UN Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity – Opening statement on the significance of international solidarity for the protection of children’s human rights (15 min)  

• 11:45 – 11:55: Prof. Jonathan Todres –Reflections on the importance of global conversations in the current time frame from an academic perspective (10 mins) 

• 11:55 – 12:05: Prof. Ann Skelton – Reflections on the importance of global conversations in the current time frame as the former Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (10 min) 

• 12:05 – 12:15: Tulika Bansal, LL.M. – Reflections on the importance of global conversations in the current time frame as a human rights expert in the field (10 min)  

• 12:15 – 12:30: Q&A (15 mins) 

• 12:30 – 13:00: Launch of the Alumni Fund  

• 13:00 – 14:30: Lunch (KOG) 

 AFTERNOON PROGRAMME (EXCLUSIVE TO ALUMNI: 14:30 – 19:00) 

• 14:30 – 14:45: Quiz / Ice breaker 

• 14:45 – 16:00:  Alumni Experience Exchange – led by Prof. Ann Skelton and Dr. Katrien Klep 

• 16:00 – 16:30: Closing Session – Dr. Katrien Klep 

• 16:30 – 17:30: Academy Building Tour  

• 17:30 – 19:00: Drinks and Bites 

Bios of key speakers

• Dr. Marta Santos Pais 

Dr. Marta Santos Pais is the former Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Violence against Children (SRSG), and was the first person appointed to this position on May 1st, 2009. In this role, she served as a high-level, global independent advocate, working to promote the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children—whether at home, in schools, justice systems, care institutions, workplaces, or communities. Known for her bridge-building efforts, she fostered collaboration across regions, sectors, and disciplines to advance this critical agenda. Throughout her mandate, Dr. Santos Pais was committed to mobilizing action and political support, helping to sustain global momentum and achieve meaningful progress in the protection of children’s rights.  

Prior to her appointment as SRSG, she served as Director of the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre from 2001 and joined UNICEF in 1997 as Director of Evaluation, Policy and Planning. Earlier in her career, she was a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and also served as Vice-Chair of the Council of Europe's Coordinating Committee on Childhood Policies. She was also a Special Adviser to both the UN Study on Violence against Children and the Machel Study on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. In addition, she was a member of the UN drafting group of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, contributing to the development of key international human rights standards. 

Dr. Marta Santos Pais has more than 30 years’ experience on children’s rights, engagement in the United Nations and intergovernmental processes and is the author of a large number of publications on human rights and children's rights. 

• Prof. Cecilia Bailliet 

Prof. Cecilia M. Bailliet is the Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity, appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in October 2023. She is Professor Dr. jur. and Director of the Master’s Program in International Law at the University of Oslo in Norway. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she holds a combined J.D./M.A. (Honors) from The George Washington University Law School and the Elliott School of International Affairs (USA), and earned her Doctorate in Law from the University of Oslo. 

Prof. Bailliet has contributed lectures to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law and served as Chair of an expert advisory group to the previous Independent Expert on International Solidarity, advising on revisions to the draft declaration on the right to international solidarity in 2022. In 2023, she was elected Co-Chair of the Latin America Interest Group of the American Society of International Law. 

At the University of Oslo, she created the courses Refugee and Asylum Law and The International Law of Peace, and currently teaches master’s-level courses on Public International Law and Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism at the Faculty of Law. She also serves on the Academic Review Board of the Cambridge International Law Journal. 

Prof. Bailliet was a Visiting Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in 2017 and a Visiting Scholar at the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica from July 2018 to July 2019. She has delivered lectures at leading academic institutions worldwide. 

Titles of the panelists

• Professor Ann Skelton, Professor Children's rights in a sustainable world at Leiden University and UNESCO Chair in Education Law at the University of Pretoria. Programme Director of the Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights. Former chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 

• Professor Ton Liefaard, Professor of Children’s Rights, UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights and Head of the Department of Child Law and Health Law. Founder of the Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights at Leiden University. 

• Professor Julia Sloth-Nielsen, Emeritus Professor of the University of the Western Cape and Co-founder of the Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights at Leiden University. 

• Dr. Sheila Varadan, Assistant Professor of Children’s Rights and Global Health, Leiden University. 

• Professor Jonathan Todres, Distinguished University Professor and the Catherine C. Henson Professor of Law at Georgia State University College of Law in the United States. Rotating Honorary Chair in Enforcement of Children’s Rights 2024/2025, Leiden University. 

• Tulika Bansal, Independent Consultant for Responsible Business Conduct and Human Rights.

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