Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: GENEVA / NEW YORK, 19 April 2002 -
More than 300 children will serve as
delegates at next month's landmark
United Nations General Assembly
Special Session on Children, UN
officials announced today. This is
also the first time young people will
actively participate in deliberations at
a major UN conference in such large
numbers. GENEVA / NEW YORK, 19 April 2002 - More than 300 children will
serve as delegates at next month's landmark United Nations
General Assembly Special Session on Children, UN officials
announced today. This is also the first time young people will
actively participate in deliberations at a major UN conference in
such large numbers.
"It may seem like common sense to invite young people to a
conference completely dedicated to their well-being. But this is a
radical change for such high-level meetings," said Carol Bellamy,
Executive Director of UNICEF. "Children will literally be rubbing
shoulders with presidents and prime ministers. They will have a
chance to voice their concerns and influence the debate."
The children's attendance, along with the expected participation
of more than 1,000 representatives from child-focused non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world,
promises to broaden the May 8-10 meeting at the United Nations
far beyond the traditional core of official government
representatives.
To date, 179 children have registered as members of government
delegations from 101 countries. The remaining children are part
of accredited NGO delegations. Many more young people are
expected to sign up in the coming weeks, forming an intriguing
and youthful counterpoint to the more than 70 Heads of State
and Government that have so far committed to attending.
"It is vitally important to listen to children and young people,
especially when making decisions concerning them. How can you
make decisions about young people if you do not know what they
want?" said Claire Bradley, 17, a member of the United Kingdom
delegation from Belfast, Northern Ireland. "Governments should
be responsible for making sure that policies are in place so young
people have their say, regardless if this is in their school, or on
local, national or international levels."
An Historic Breakthrough for UN Conferences
The Special Session on Children, postponed from last September
due to the attacks on New York and Washington, DC, will be the
first time the United Nations General Assembly has called a
special session to specifically address issues relating to children.
It will explore the long-standing obstacles to children's well-
being, as well as newly emerging challenges. A key part of the
process will be a review of progress made since the 1990 World
Summit for Children, where governments committed to specific
and time-bound goals on child survival, protection and
development.
Most of the child delegates will first participate in the 5-7 May
Children's Forum, where they will prepare positions on issues to
be deliberated by governments in the plenary of the Special
Session. The Forum will select two children to present its outcome
to the plenary. There will also be numerous opportunities for the
young people to interact with world leaders during the
conference, including several scheduled closed-door sessions.
"The Children's Forum will provide me an opportunity to learn
from and share my experiences with fellow children from all over
the world," said Jehanzeb Khan, 12, a delegate from Pakistan. "It
is important because it provides a platform for children to express
their views and opinions regarding the rights of children."
Breaking New Ground with NGOs
In addition to the record number of young delegates, a large
contingent of representatives from non-governmental
organizations, expected to exceed 1,000, will provide
governments with a grassroots view of the needs of the world's
children. This is an attempt to bring community groups - who
often work the closest with children - into the decision-making
process.
Of the 3,765 NGOs accredited for the conference, 1,673 do not
have a previous official UN affiliation. Arrangements were made
for UNICEF to invite hundreds of the partners it works with in
countries around the world, including child advocacy groups, non-
profit agencies that specialize in development, and faith-based
organizations. (The list of invited NGOs is available at
www.unicef.org/specialsession/ngo/index.html.)
Hundreds of NGOs have already contributed to the Special
Session's two main documents. The first, an updated version of
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report, "We the Children: End
Decade Review of the Follow-up to the World Summit for
Children," was released this week. It can be found at on the Web
at: http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/press
The second document, A World Fit For Children, is the draft
outcome document that will be considered by government
delegates during the Special Session. It delineates the new
commitments and goals for children that countries must adhere to
over the next several years.