The first, an updated version of the Secretary-General's report, "We the Children: End Decade Review of the Follow-up to the World Summit for Children", was released last week. Hundreds of NGOs have already contributed to the special session's two main documents. The spirit of intergenerational solidarity that will characterize the work of the session is expected to yield a set of goals and plan of action devoted to ensuring the essential outcomes - the best possible start in life for all children, a good-quality basic education for all children, and the opportunities for all children, especially adolescents, for meaningful participation in their communities. 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 Forum will select two children to present its outcome to the plenary. 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. Bringing the voices of the world’s youth and bringing community groups - who often work the closest with children - into the decision-making process marks a historic breakthrough for United Nations conferences. Of the 3,765 NGOs accredited for the conference, 1,673 do not have a previous official United Nations affiliation. World leaders will be asked to identify strategic solutions to the problems facing children and to commit the critical human and economic resources that will be needed.Īt the same time, the active participation of children, along with the expected participation of more than 1,000 representatives from child-focused NGOs from around the world providing a grass-roots view of children’s needs, promises to broaden the gathering far beyond the traditional core of official government representatives. Key issues from 1990 remain central to the new global goals, including further reducing infant and maternal mortality, expanding access to clean water and sanitation, and establishing universal primary education. That catchphrase, the session’s unofficial rallying cry, has been adopted by delegations as the title of the draft outcome document.Ī key step towards ensuring a new world youth agenda will be a review of progress made since the 1990 World Summit for Children, where, with the near-universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, governments committed to specific and time-bound goals on child survival, protection and development. Reporting on preparations for the session to the Assembly's Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) last October, Andre Roberfroid, UNICEF's Deputy Director, said the tragedy that had delayed the largest-ever global meeting on children only emphasized the urgency of building a new agenda on their behalf - a more humane world, a world fit for children. They will have a chance to voice their concerns and influence the debate." "Children will literally be rubbing shoulders with presidents and prime ministers. But this is a radical change for such high-level meetings", said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). "It may seem like common sense to invite young people to a conference completely dedicated to their well-being. Many more young people are expected to sign up, forming an intriguing and youthful counterpoint to the heads of State and government that will attend the session, which originally had been scheduled for September 2001. The remaining children are part of accredited NGO delegations. So far, 179 of theģ00 young participants have registered as members of government delegations from 101 countries. The special session will also feature an unprecedented number of youths serving as representatives of their official delegations. Scheduled to take place in New York from 8 to 10 May, the special session will bring together over 70 heads of State and government, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), children's advocates and children themselves. The United Nations is set to renew its commitment to the world's children and adolescents as the General Assembly dedicates a landmark three-day special session to explore long-standing obstacles to young people's well-being and development, as well as new challenges to the promotion and protection of their rights.
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