The Children's Rights Checklist is part of the Child-Friendly Community Standards, which were jointly agreed by the Verein Kinderfreundliche Kommunen e.V. and the City of Wolfsburg and adopted by the Wolfsburg City Council on 28.09.2023. The children's rights checklist was introduced in the administration on 01.01.2024. It must be completed as an internal form for all decision-making projects of the administration that result in a council bill and attached to the council bill in the same way as the follow-up cost data sheet. All council proposals are systematically checked using the children's rights checklist to determine whether the rights and interests of children are affected and, if this is the case, whether the participation of young people is required. The decision regarding the participation of children must be justified and documented. The children's commissioner checks the completeness, relevance to children's rights and justification of the decision on the question of participation.

The checklist is an administration-wide instrument for the implementation of children's rights, in particular the right to participation of children in the specialist areas of the administration. It is a successful example of cross-administrative cooperation between all departments on the subject of children's rights. In the long term, the City of Wolfsburg is implementing its strategic goals, i.e. the integration of children's rights in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into the administration, the examination and implementation of the priority of the best interests of the child in accordance with Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the structural anchoring of child and youth participation.

First democracy conference in the city of Wolfsburg

The first Wolfsburg Democracy Conference took place on Thursday, November 21. Around 100 participants from various areas of the city's society came together at the Treffpunkt am Markt in Westhagen to contribute different perspectives and discuss the current state of democracy in Wolfsburg in depth.

The aim of the conference was to lay the foundations for the Wolfsburg Declaration for Democracy - a declaration that is intended to formulate a vision for Wolfsburg's democratic future. The discussions focused on questions such as: What does democracy mean to us as a city society? What do we stand for and how can we put these values into practice?

The welcoming address by Lord Mayor Dennis Weilmann and City Councillor Iris Bothe was followed by a keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Hannes Delto, who presented the key findings of the study Die distanzierte Mitte - Rechtsextreme und demokratiegefährdende Einstellungen in Deutschland. This study provided an important basis for the subsequent discussions and offered an insight into the current challenges to democracy posed by growing right-wing extremism. After the impulse, the participants worked intensively together in topic-specific working groups to develop a common vision for Wolfsburg's urban society and draw up concrete recommendations for action.

"I was very pleased that so many stakeholders from the city's society accepted the invitation to the democracy conference," explained Lord Mayor Dennis Weilmann. "Our democracy is a valuable asset that we must all protect and shape together. Because only with a vibrant democracy can we create a framework in which all people can feel respected and welcome."

The results of the conference will now be incorporated into the draft of the Wolfsburg Declaration for Democracy. The aim is to create a binding and common basis on which the city's democratic values can be anchored even more deeply and developed further. The city of Wolfsburg is focusing on a participatory process that reflects the diversity of the city and takes into account the individual contributions of all Wolfsburg residents.

City Councillor Iris Bothe emphasized the importance of this initiative: "Democracy is not something that others do for us - it depends on us all taking part, taking responsibility and making our contribution. Every step counts and together we can make Wolfsburg a city in which diversity, respect and cohesion are lived. This conference was an important moment to get into conversation with each other and to reflect on what makes us strong as an urban society: openness, tolerance and the courage to stand up for our convictions. At a time when democracy cannot be taken for granted everywhere, we want to set an example in Wolfsburg. Our city should remain a place where everyone can feel safe, valued and that they belong. We can be proud of this and we will continue to work on this together."

The city of Wolfsburg would like to thank all participants for their commitment, courageous discussions and willingness to openly address controversial topics. This dialog is an important part of creating a vibrant, respectful and diverse urban society in which everyone takes responsibility - from individuals to institutions and associations.

The event is funded as part of the federal program Demokratie leben! As part of the Partnership for Democracy, the city of Wolfsburg is an important cooperation partner of the federal initiative and is committed to diverse, respectful and democratic coexistence.