Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: The report examines three of the most
widespread and devastating factors
threatening childhood today: HIV/AIDS,
conflict, and poverty.
Foreword by Kofi Annan:
The Millennium Declaration, adopted in 2000 by all countries as a
blueprint for building a better world in the 21st century, was a
landmark document. It captured the aspirations of the international
community for a world united by common values, striving to
achieve peace and a decent standard of living for every man,
woman and child. In such a world, the years of childhood hold a
special place as an ideal we all hope to realize – a place in which
all children are healthy, protected from harm and surrounded by
loving and nurturing adults who help them grow and develop to
their full potential.
But as "The State of the World’s Children 2005" makes clear, for
nearly half of the two billion children in the real world, childhood
is starkly and brutally different from the ideal we all aspire to.
Poverty denies children their dignity, endangers their lives and
limits their potential. Conflict and violence rob them of a secure
family life, betray their trust and their hope. HIV/AIDS kills their
parents, their teachers, their doctors and nurses. It also kills them.
With the childhood of so many under threat, our collective future is
compromised.
Only as we move closer to realizing the rights of all children will countries
move closer to their goals of development and peace. When nations
gather in 2005 for the five-year review of the implementation of the
Millennium Declaration, I hope they will bear that in mind, and be ready to
take far-reaching decisions that can translate our aspirations into reality.Owner: Carol Bellamypdf: www.unicef.org/sowc05/english/sowc05.pdf