Composition
Membership to the NGO Panel is open to all international, regional and national NGOs working in the advancement of the full respect of human rights of the child, which request to be member. Members are to agree with the scope and role of the NGO Panel.
In order to ensure efficient functioning of the NGO Panel, a Core Group has been established, currently consisting of nine members. Membership to the NGO Panel is decided by consensus within the Core Group, taking into account a balanced regional representation and relevance to the topic of children deprived of liberty. The Core Group leads and coordinates all activities, with the expectation that each organizational member will invest staff time and resources.
Membership of the Core Group is to be limited to those NGOs who have expressed their interest to join and have been engaged in the campaign calling for a Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty since the initial phases, and must be organizations which work for the promotion and protection of human rights, with a specific child rights agenda.
Members of the NGO Panel can decide to withdraw their membership by giving written notice to the co-conveners (Defence for Children International (DCI) and Human Rights Watch). Replacement with another NGO can take place upon common approval of the Core Group of the NGO Panel.