This is a unique collaboration to advance the importance of children’s human rights between Hillary Rodham Clinton, Swansea University and the Welsh Government.

It is the first programme to be announced since Secretary Clinton unveiled the renaming of the University’s Law School as the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law in October 2017.

It is planned that the investment will fund three cohorts of PhD Students.

Marking the announcement, Professor Richard B. Davies, Vice-chancellor of Swansea University said: “Last year saw the beginning of what we knew would become a deep and important partnership between Secretary Clinton and Swansea University around the advancement of children’s human rights.  The support of the Welsh Government for this programme, led by the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law at Swansea, is vitally important and is a sign of the centrality of children’s rights to policy and lawmaking in Wales.”

He added: “It builds on the ground breaking work of our Observatory on the Rights of Children and Young People and we are proud that this programme will encompass scholars from our international partner institutions at the University of Texas Austin, Columbia University and Emory, Atlanta.”

First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Carwyn Jones, said: “Wales was the first nation in the world to appoint a Children’s Commissioner, who is an independent champion for children and young people and ensures their voices are heard at a local, nation and international level. Since then, we have continued to put the rights of children at the centre of all we do in Government. This exciting new partnership between Hillary Clinton, Swansea University and the Welsh Government, will build on the progress we have made so far and help Wales to become a world leader in championing children’s rights.” 

In addition to the PhD scholars, the research programme will develop reports, dissemination seminars and policy digests focusing on the following areas:

• Embedding children’s rights within policy and practice at governmental level.
• Developing children as full citizens in democracies.
• Developing the Youth Parliament for Wales.
• The impact of fiscal austerity on the realisation of children’s rights.
• Children’s rights and energy and security.
• Children’s rights and the environment.
• Children’s rights and access to the justice system.