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Summary: Government delegations from seven
countries met in Kathmandu on May
22 and 23, 2001 for the South Asia
High Level Meeting on Investing in
Children. They issued the Kathmandu
Understanding. This included
government delegates from
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka,
corporate leaders and young
activists.
Kathmandu Understanding
Investing in Children in South Asia
WE, the delegations of the Governments of Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, along with
corporate leaders and young activists (Change Makers) from our
countries met at the South Asia High Level Meeting on Investing
in Children in Kathmandu, Nepal on 22-23 May 2001. This meeting
was preceded by consultations between Change Makers and
corporate leaders. These meetings were organised as part of the
Global Movement for Children and in preparation for the United
Nations General Assembly Special Session to be held in New York
19-21 September 2001.
WE agree that children are the future of our nations and,
therefore, investing in children should be a national priority.
GUIDED by the spirit of the draft outcome document of the United
Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children, A World
Fit for Children, we recognise that each child needs a good start
in life; completion of basic education of good quality, and the
opportunity for adolescents to develop their individual capacities
to the fullest.
WE note the progress made by countries of South Asia towards
achieving the goals of the World Summit for Children and the
1996 SAARC Ministerial Conference on Children held in
Rawalpindi. We also note examples of large-scale actions taken
by governments of South Asia, non-governmental organisations,
international agencies, civil society and communities in areas such
as early childhood development, universal primary and
elementary education, and immunisation. But
WE acknowledge that there is still much to be done to attain
most of the goals and to fulfil the rights of all girls and boys to
survival, health, development and protection through access to
quality basic social services, including health, nutrition, education,
and protection against neglect, abuse and exploitation. In
particular, we note that birth registration, low-birth weight,
infant, under-5 and maternal mortality, malnutrition, micronutrient
deficiencies such as Vitamin A and iodine, maternal and child
anaemia, quality water supply, sanitation, salt iodisation, access
to primary school and learning achievement, and care of the girl
child and the adolescent girl remain areas of concern. In most
situations girls are worse off than boys.
WE recognise that poverty denies the fulfilment and enjoyment of
human rights of children and robs them of the nurturing care that
is crucial for their physical, cognitive, and psychological
development, and the inculcation of a sound value system to lead
healthy and productive lives. Impoverished children are victims of
the vicious cycle of poverty, which perpetuates into the next
generation. Providing a safe and healthy start to all children is
important for breaking the inter-generational cycle of malnutrition
and poor health which links an infant, adolescent girl and mother.
WE affirm, therefore, that investing in children is a priority issue
and that poverty reduction should begin with children.
WE affirm, once again, that there is no greater investment than
laying a stable foundation for every child by ensuring the
fulfilment of rights as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights
of the Child (CRC). It is our obligation to allocate the required
financial resources and take all requisite actions towards the
survival and development of all children in South Asia. This covers
good health and nutrition of the populations, especially infants,
adolescents and women, quality education for girls and boys,
improved drinking water and environmental sanitation, and
protection of children from all forms of discrimination, exploitation,
violence and abuse, trafficking, and hazardous and exploitative
forms of child labour. We recognise the urgent need to protect
adolescents and young people from HIV/AIDS and children
affected by armed conflict.
WE recognise that universal access to quality education is the
critical foundation for economic growth. However, the quality of
education and learning available to the majority of our children is
a matter of great concern. We strongly affirm that South Asia
cannot afford disparities in education between boys and girls.
Efforts, therefore, must be intensified to achieve gender parity in
access and learning.
WE recognise that governments, the corporate sector, civil
society, communities, young people, international organisations
and media need to work in partnership to ensure adequate,
timely and productive investments in fulfilling the rights and
achieving the well-being of all children in South Asia, and in
strategies towards poverty alleviation.
WE call upon the international community to create a supportive
environment for the survival, development and protection of
children and promote a non-violent, non-exploitative international
order. We urge the donor countries to meet all their commitments
under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, implement
measures for debt relief, assess and monitor the impact of
sanctions on children and ensure humanitarian exemptions that
are child focussed to address the possible adverse effects of the
sanctions. We also urge donor countries to earmark a higher
percentage of their Official Development Assistance for the
welfare of children under the 20/20 Initiative. We urge UNICEF
and our development partners to reaffirm, in spirit and in actions,
the need for structural adjustment with a human face, and trade
and tariff arrangements for preferential access to developed
country markets.
Noting the situation of children in South Asia we:
Reaffirm our commitments to accelerate progress to achieve the
goals for children agreed at the World Summit for Children in
1990 and the 1996 SAARC Ministerial Conference on Children;
Support and call for increasingly greater investment in children;
Urge our development partners to enhance their aid and
assistance to support higher investment in children in South Asia;
Recognise the need to listen to children and actively explore
ways of involving them in decisions that affect them at all levels;
Recognise the importance of partnerships between government,
private and corporate sector, civil society organisations,
communities, individuals, children, international organisations and
media;
Call for the sharing of national experiences and best practices,
and common strategies, which reach families and communities at
the grassroots level for fulfilling the rights of children;
Recognise the importance of regular monitoring and review of
progress as part of the accountability for results;
Propose that this Kathmandu Understanding be brought to the
attention of UN General Assembly Special Session and the Third
Special Session of the Standing Committee of SAARC which will
meet in Colombo 8-9 June 2001, which provides another
opportunity for a common position to be taken by our countries to
the UN Special Session.
WE pledge to work towards the implementation of this
Understanding.
WE adopt this Understanding as the outcome of our Meeting.
WE thank His Majesty's Government of Nepal and UNICEF for
organising this South Asia High Level Meeting on Investing in
Children and for the hospitality extended to us. We also thank
Save the Children for organising the Change Makers meeting and
their participation.
South Asia High Level Meeting on Investing in Children
23 May 2001
Kathmandu, Nepal
[Source: UNICEF]