DCI is an independent non-governmental
organisation set up during the International
Year of the Child (1979) to ensure
on-going, practical, systematic and
concerted international action
specially directed towards
promoting and protecting the
rights of the child.
The International Secretariat, located at Geneva, is DCI's co-ordination point. It represents the movement at the international level and develops programs and projects which promote child rights globally and which support the activities and growth of sections.
DCI is in fact a growing network of grassroots groups, that is to say that the sections and associate members design their own programs, tailored to the specific needs of their country. The aim of the International Secretariat is to assist the sections and associate members in developing their structure and ideas, and to give support and assistance in the implementation of their projects and the achievement of their goals.
The International Secretariat seeks updated information from each section and associate member at regular intervals and uses this experience in the field to illustrate and deepen its input to child rights advocacy and monitoring at the UN and with other international organisations.
