November 17, 2025
The National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos and UNICEF Greece have announced the establishment of a Child Rights Centre, hosted at the premises of NCSR Demokritos in Athens, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations on 11 November 2025.
The Memorandum was signed by Dr Vangelis Karkaletsis, Director and Chairman of the Board of NCSR Demokritos, and Dr Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Representative in Greece. With this initiative, NCSR Demokritos becomes the first research centre to join UNICEF’s network of eleven Child Rights Centres (CRCs) that had been established in universities across Greece by August 2025, as part of UNICEF’s wider effort to connect the academic and research community with society, guided by the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In partnership with the Institute of Informatics & Telecommunications (IIT) at NCSR Demokritos, the new Centre will serve as a hub for promoting and advocating for children’s rights through research, education and technology, with a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities of the digital world. It will aim to help children navigate the digital environment safely and consciously, through responsible AI use, online protection and digital literacy, cultivating digital citizenship and ensuring that innovation evolves with ethics, awareness and respect for human rights, children’s rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Centre’s work will include thematic areas such as the right to digital learning and education, the protection of minors online, the role of artificial intelligence in education, the cultivation of digital culture in the school community, and media literacy, including the design of a chatbot to foster pupils’ critical thinking and help them recognise disinformation tactics in educational content.
As part of the collaboration, the design and implementation of training programmes in digital citizenship is foreseen, targeting schools that distinguished themselves in the “The Lyceum Project” competition in the summer of 2025, in which UNICEF participated by awarding a prize. The launch event highlighted the ongoing activities of IIT in the field of digital citizenship, including its participation in consultations on the Guidelines for the European Digital Services Act (DSA), actions that familiarise the school community with technology and the responsible use of AI, and the development of educational materials to support media literacy. Through these initiatives, the NCSR Demokritos Child Rights Centre aims to bring research, education and society closer together, to strengthen responsible AI use and raise awareness about digital rights.
Dr Dora Katsamori, Researcher at the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications at NCSR Demokritos, serves as Coordinator of the Child Rights Centre, overseeing activities that promote children’s rights in the digital environment through research, education and responsible use of emerging technologies.
At the launch, Dr Ghassan Khalil underlined the importance of the new Centre for UNICEF’s work with the research community: “The establishment of the Child Rights Centre at NCSR Demokritos marks an important milestone in the collaboration between UNICEF and the research community in Greece. In an era where technology and artificial intelligence increasingly shape children’s daily lives, it is vital that we ensure the digital world is a safe, inclusive and empowering space for every child. This collaboration highlights the role of science and innovation in protecting children’s rights and reinforces our commitment to promoting knowledge, education and critical thinking based on the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.” He stressed that science and innovation are crucial in protecting children’s rights and in strengthening knowledge, education and critical thinking in the digital age.
Dr Vangelis Karkaletsis emphasised that the collaboration with UNICEF reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that technology serves the rights of the child and not the other way around. “In the age of Artificial Intelligence and digital transition, children need knowledge, guidance and protection. Our collaboration with UNICEF aims to ensure that technology serves the rights of the child and not the opposite. Through the new Child Rights Centre, we aspire to bring research, education and society closer together, promoting actions that strengthen the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence and raise awareness of digital rights. This collaboration is not only about today. It is an investment in children’s future and in the way they will shape the world of technology with safety and values.” The dialogue on children’s rights in the digital age is urgent, and through this Centre, NCSR Demokritos and UNICEF are working to ensure that the digital world becomes a space where every child can learn, create and thrive safely.
More information about:
Institute of Informatics & Telecommunications (IIT) at NCSR Demokritos on LinkedIn, YouTube
NCSR Demokritos on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
UNICEF Greece on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
Coordinator of the Child Rights Centre – Dr Dora Katsamori:
dkatsamori[at]iit.demokritos.gr
Demokritos Communications Team:
communicationsteam[at]central.demokritos.gr
