Previous Presidencies of the Council of the Baltic Sea States
Finnish Presidency 2023-2024
On 1 July 2023, Finland took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The Finnish Presidency prioritised combatting child trafficking and counteracting violence against children. During the presidency, the Expert Group on Children at Risk (EG CAR) and CBSS Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings (TF-THB) cooperated on a joint project “Best practices to prevent child trafficking and violence against children in the CBSS countries”.
German Presidency 2022-2023
On 1 July 2022, Germany took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The German Presidency prioritised the protection of children and adolescents from sexual violence.
Norwegian Presidency 2021-2022
On 1 July 2021, Norway took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The Norwegian Presidency focused on good practices and building trust between the systems in the region. It featured a project, with funding from the CBSS Project Support Facility, which mapped child protection systems and promising practices. This work contributed knowledge about child protection systems in the region and forms the basis for further collaboration and trust in the Baltic Sea Region.
Lithuanian Presidency 2020-2021
On 1 July 2020, Lithuania took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The Lithuanian Presidency focused on promoting children’s emotional health. The presidency featured a conference “Children’s emotional health: what achievements the countries can be proud of and what challenges remain unresolved”. It further investigated the role of Barnahus in the identification and investigation of child trafficking and the support and assistance provided to victims.
Danish Presidency 2019-2020
On 1 July 2019, Denmark took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The Danish Presidency prioritised prevention, early intervention and the welfare of children in care and child-friendly case handling. During the the Presidency a new mandate and strategy was adopted; in adopting these documents, the Expert Group agreed that it will continue to stimulate dialogue and exchange on cross-border concerns, to develop and nurture strategic partnership and to contribute to the development and implementations of tangible projects to promote children’s rights and bolster national child protection systems.
Latvian Presidency 2018-2019
On 1 July 2018, Latvia took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The Latvian Presidency of the CBSS aimed to enhance cooperation in civil protection to strengthen resilience in the region against major emergencies and disasters, fighting against trafficking in human beings to prevent and mitigate consequences of this severe crime and lastly combating organised crime and strengthen border management. The CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk contributed to these goals through its work against trafficking and exploitation of children.
Swedish Presidency 2017-2018
On 1 July 2017, Sweden took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The Swedish Presidency took up child protection and welfare issues during the year, as well as unaccompanied children. The Presidency further highlighted the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Icelandic Presidency 2016-2017
On 1 July 2016, Iceland took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The Icelandic Presidency placed children in the centre. The logo of the Icelandic Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States represented smiling children who are facing a world of openness, freedom and safety – achieved only through a democratic society where everyone has a voice. The abbreviation of the Expert Group was updated from EGCC to CAR as of May 2017, to reflect the shortened name of the group and at the same time as it adopted the new Mandate.
Polish Presidency 2015-2016
On 1 July 2015, Poland took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The Polish Presidency featured a roundtable on foster care. Two projects were also launched during this time: PROMISE, promoting Barnahus, and AudTrain II, continuing the work with system based audits.
The Expert Group changed its name from the CBSS Expert Group for cooperation on Children at Risk to simply the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. The acronym EGCC stayed the same. The group also decided the Children’s Unit at the CBSS Secretariat should be called the Children at Risk Unit.
Estonian Presidency 2014-2015
On 1 July 2014, Estonia took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which all CBSS member states have ratified and which form the basis of the work of the Expert Group. The Estonian presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk culminated with an expert-level meeting on alternative care and family support. On the basis of a regional report and a background paper, the meeting endorsed the Tallinn Recommendations and Action Plan on Alternative Care and Family Support for the Baltic Sea Region.
Finnish Presidency 2013-2014
On 1 July 2013, Finland took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. Finland undertook an ambitious programme during the year the Foreign Ministry chaired the Council of the Baltic Sea States, which ultimately culminated in three new long priorities for the organisation. The objective of the Children at Risk area underlines the need to strengthen comprehensive and sustainable child protection systems to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children through a multi-sectorial approach and increased cooperation among relevant ministries, other stakeholders and professionals in the Baltic Sea Region. During the Finish Presidency, the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk further adopted a new mandate for 2013 – 2017.
Russian Presidency 2012-2013
On 1 July 2012, Russia took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. This year marked the 10th Anniversary of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. With three projects coming to a close – ROBERT, AudTrain, and children in criminality – the Expert Group entered a period consolidating their work with a view to the future.
German Presidency 2011-2012
On 1 July 2011, Germany took over the presidency of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk. One of the focuses for the German Presidency was early intervention, particularly on intervention methods targeting families with infant children considered to be at risk. The Expert Group also took up the issues of online sexual abuse and trafficking for criminality. Additionally, a new priority and mandate for the Expert Group for was adopted in November 2011. As of this year, the chairmanship of the Expert Group on Children at Risk and the Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States became synced.