UCRNN is a membership coalition consisting of 121; Community-based, National and International level organizations that share an interest in child rights issues and the membership is still growing. The membership brings together skills, knowledge, resources and commitment.  The membership also has different spheres of influence within their thematic areas. In becoming members, they lend this credibility to the coalition.

UCRNN draws its mandate from the UNCRC, which hinges on the four guiding principles that inform programming for children. These principles are:

• The right of all children to be free from discrimination, 
• The right to have their best interests given primary consideration
• The inherent rights of children to  survival and development and
• The right of children to participate in all matters affecting them. 

Because the principles provide the basis for the existence of UCRNN, the organizations joining the coalition MUST adhere to them.  

Category of Members:

UCRNN recognizes three specific forms of membership;

• General Members; these are organizations dealing with children; they are certified and registered and are fully paid with the network.
• Honorary Members; these individual organizations/ institutions conferred by the Executive Director and approved by the Board/General Assembly. Such members neither have the voting right nor hold office and are not subjected to pay any fees, but are required to promote the network in different foras.
• Aspiring members; these are organizations that are in the process of registering and await approval of the executive committee.

Roles and obligations of member organizations

General roles and obligations of member organizations are provided for in the UCRNN Constitution. This guide stipulates the specific roles and obligations of members. Organizations are encouraged to discuss with UCRNN leadership their interest and contributions to the coalition with a view to coming to an agreement. It is important that organizations periodically assess their role, involvement and commitment to the coalition.  Below is an outline of roles and obligations for member organizations by category. Although this may not be exhaustive, it provides ideas of what these roles and obligations should be;  

Regional/District Level Organizations and Community Based Organizations (CBOs):

Community Based Organizations and District Based NGOs are very strategically positioned in meeting the needs of the affected children within the districts and communities. This is where UCRNN’s strength lies in reaching out to the target group through the CBO’s. The CBOs thus have these roles and obligations; 

• They share their experiences because they are in touch with the children and are on the ground. They have indisputable evidence that can be used for advocacy.
• They provide a useful conduit to channel child rights information to the children and communities.
• They are better placed to raise awareness of child rights and promote the appreciation of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) at community level.
• They should generate issues of advocacy and pursue them to the logical conclusion because they are the experts.
• Provide link between national level and the children.

National Level Organizations:

The national level organizations are unique in many aspects. Their level of coverage determines their national nature; majority of them operate in more than one region. The activities range from service delivery, media and publication work, advocacy and policy influencing. These too bring to the coalition their knowledge and expertise in their respective fields and also lend their spheres of influence to the coalition. National level organizations thus have the following roles and obligations; 

• Provide opportunities for advocacy at all levels.
• Include issues related to the coalition in their publications. 
• They provide a useful conduit to channel child rights information to the children and communities.
• Are better placed to raise awareness of child rights and promote the appreciation of the UNCRC at community level.

International Organizations:

International organizations are strategically positioned to provide the much-needed international and regional linkages with their offices at those levels. They therefore use these links to share UCRNN positions with their head offices especially on issues that require international/ regional level engagement. Other roles include;

• Linking with their partner organization on child rights advocacy. 
• Acting as a conduit for information dissemination at different levels.
• Playing an active role in initiatives of the coalition including technical initiatives.
• They provide a useful conduit to channel child rights information to the children and communities.
• They are better placed to raise awareness of child rights issues and promote the appreciation of the convention at community level.
• They also share information on their work on a periodic basis.

Benefits of membership at UCRNN

• Networking with other child rights actors in the coalition.
• Alliance building and support.
• Representation in different local and international forum.
• Access to information from various actors at national, regional and international levels.
• Capacity building on child rights issues and child rights programming. 
• Leadership role at umbrella level.
• Program enhancement through joint alignment of member programs to avoid duplication.
• Shared skills and expertise. 
• Collective advocacy and lobbying as a unified voice at different levels of policy 
• Sharing funding opportunities (calls for proposal).
• Strategic alliance in resource mobilization and program implementation at different levels  
• Participation in UCRNN’s Annual general meetings and General Assemblies.