The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has forged a fundamental shift of paradigm in program and public policy design. Whereas in most countries the needs-based approach has historically guided services and policies for children, the CRC sets out a new perspective based on the human rights of all children. This perspective requires the active participation of children and families, which has been proved to be a key success factor in program and policy design, implementation, and evaluation. Furthermore, it allows children and families to become subjects of their own lives and aware of their rights-holders condition. Thus, they no longer expect favors. On the contrary, they are empowered to demand their rights. Changing from the needs-based to the rights-based approach in program and policy development is not an easy task, but the CRC has become a powerful instrument for children's rights advocates. (Contains 5 online resources and 5 endnotes.)