A new optional protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

For millions of children around the world, the cost of going to school remains one of the biggest barriers to education, particularly at the pre-primary and secondary levels.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines a child’s right to free and compulsory primary education. However, it doesn’t explicitly oblige states to guarantee free early childhood or secondary education for all.

Nearly half of all children worldwide miss out on early childhood education, and fewer than 60% complete secondary school.

IPNEd supports the proposal to develop an optional protocol (a separate, supplementary treaty) to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The optional protocol would enshrine the right for all children to:

1. early childhood care and education

2. free public pre-primary education, beginning with at least one year

3. free public secondary education

IPNEd is mobilising parliamentarians to encourage their governments to support the new optional protocol and its drafting process, which kicked off in September 2025 in Geneva.

A briefing for members of parliament

In the build-up to the drafting process in late 2025, IPNEd launched a briefing for members of parliament. The briefing explains why we need the optional protocol and how it will be drafted.

It also outlines four ways that members of parliament can help strengthen the right to free education:

Inform your country’s foreign minister that you support the proposal, and urge them to make an early UN statement in support of a strong treaty being adopted swiftly and efficiently.
Write to foreign and education ministers to push for strengthening the right to education in international law, and in particular, to free pre-primary and secondary.
Promote the new optional protocol through parliamentary debates, motions and committee discussions.
Collaborate with other MPs to build cross-party support, increasing the likelihood that the government will commit to supporting it.

Read more about the new optional protocol

Minister of Education from Sierra Leone, Conrad Sackey, wrote about his support for the optional protocol in Modern Diplomacy.

14 parliamentarians in the UK wrote to the Minister for Development, calling for the UK to support the process.
Human Rights Watch released a briefing and Q&A on strengthening the right to free education.

Malala Yousafzai and Vanessa Nakate, along with other activists, wrote an open letter calling for support for the new treaty signed by more than half a million global citizens.
Five children from around the world spoke to the Human Rights Council about their support for the protocol and their need for early care and education.