UNICEF and Turkmenistan’s Gunesh magazine promote children’s participation and self-expressionASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, 1 November 2011 – Turkmenistan’s Gunesh magazine and the United Nations Children’s Fund have partnered to promote children’s participation and self-expression through the media. Earlier this year the Gunesh magazine and UNICEF announced a contest of poems, stories and drawings among children of Turkmenistan that would reflect children’s rights, their life experiences and dreams. The contest that concluded this month was dedicated to the 65th anniversary of UNICEF and 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s Independence. After the contest announcement UNICEF and Gunesh specialists travelled to Lebap velayat to encourage children to submit their stories, poems and drawings to the contest. Around a hundred children from urban and rural areas of Turkmenistan have sent their entries for the contest titled “Children’s Rainbow” and nine of them have received the winning prizes and certificates. In their works, children described how diverse they would like to see their childhood experience and what children and adults can do to create an enabling environment for children. One of the winning drawings depicted children of the world holding colored banners in a way that made up a bright colorful rainbow. The rainbow symbolizes the diversity of the childhood and equality that all children of the world have a right to enjoy. The Convention on the Rights of the Child calls for giving children a voice in the media. The contest gave the children and young people an opportunity to express their ideas and opinions, talk about their own lives, and hear about the experiences of other children and young people. Ms. Ayna Seyitlieva Ms. Gulyalek Soltanova
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