Belfast City Council has formally adopted a motion supporting the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Northern Ireland law. The council is the first in Northern Ireland to take this step.

The motion, brought by Lord Mayor Róis-Máire Donnelly, commits the council to advancing a children's rights-based approach across local government. It recognises that children and young people are affected by council decisions on planning, community safety, leisure services, play provision, the environment and public spaces.

Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People Chris Quinn welcomed the move, saying incorporation is the most impactful thing legislators can do for children. He said a children's rights-based approach helps public bodies make better decisions and deliver better outcomes. He added that Belfast has set an important precedent and expressed hope that other councils and the Northern Ireland Assembly will follow.

The council has agreed that its chief executive will write to the First Minister, deputy First Minister and relevant Executive ministers outlining its support for incorporation and commitment to embedding children's rights in local government.

Lord Mayor Donnelly said children and young people have been a central theme of her year as Ard Mhéara. She said incorporation would bring immense benefits and that embedding Child Rights Impact Assessments into council planning would ensure the needs of young people are central to future planning.

The UNCRC is the most widely ratified human rights treaty and sets out civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of every child.