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Summary: New York, 5 May 2002 - Emmen
Seed, 16, from Pakistan, is
one of the facilitators of the
Children’s
Forum. Her job is to lead a discussion
with 234 government delegates from
128 countries. While she wanted to
be part of the Special
Session “because
it’s a really, really big event” she has
no allusions about the outcome.
Emmen Seed, 16, from Pakistan, is one of the facilitators of the
Children’s Forum. Her job is to lead a discussion with 234
government delegates from 128 countries. While she wanted to
be part of the Special Session “because it’s a really, really big
event” she has no allusions about the outcome. “I believe the
government people will work at the same pace that they usually
do,” she said after the opening ceremony at the United Nations
on Sunday. “Nothing will actually change.”
Reena, a youth delegate from India, said that she is hopeful that
nations will at least “make an effort to listen to children.”
The significance of the week’s meeting was not loss on the young
participants, however. “Now that the children have got involved
with this they can go up to their governments and say, ‘Hey what
have you been doing up to now and what will you do now?’”
Emmen said. In Pakistan, she continued, children participate in all
levels of government meetings. “Although they’ll be boring, still
we’ll attend them and we’ll tell them what to do.”
“This is first forum that children have been listened to,” Reena
said. “Back home it will have an impact and adults will learn to
listen to children.”
Association: Children's PressLine