Gerison Lansdown was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 2:00 p.m. ceremony on Friday, June 15, “in recognition of her extraordinary leadership in advocating for children’s rights.”
Lansdown founded the Children’s Rights Alliance for England in 1992 and directed the organization until 2000. She has since worked as an international consultant and advocate for children’s rights, publishing and lecturing widely on the subject.
She supported the Committee on the Rights of the Child, especially the rights of children during adolescence, and in articulating the rights of children to be heard, to play and to enjoy recreation. Lansdown was also integral in developing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the area of inclusive education.
She has received an honorary doctorate from The Open University and an honorary fellowship from the University of Central Lancashire. She is former vice-chair of UNICEF-UK and is currently chair of Child to Child.
She is a member of the Open Society Foundation Early Years Advisory Board and is on the editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Children’s Rights.