REPORT ON STATE OF THE WORLD'S CHILDREN 2005 LAUNCHED IN EGYPT

Launch of the SOWC 2005 (Childhood Under Threat) at UNICEF Egypt

Cairo, December 12, 2004: The Secretary General of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, Ambassador Moushira Khattab, was among government officials, representatives of leading NGOs, and journalists who attended the launch in Egypt of UNICEF's annual survey on the State of the World's Children.

Presenting the main findings of the report – entitled "Childhood Under Threat" --, UNICEF Egypt Interim Representative, David Bassiouni, said they showed that despite almost universal acceptance of standards for protecting childhood, more than one billion children still suffered extreme deprivations resulting from poverty, conflict and HIV/AIDS.

"The world needs to reaffirm and recommit to its moral and legal responsibilities towards the most vulnerable members of society," said Bassiouni. "Governments must adopt socially-responsible policies, based on the principles of human rights. But in a broader sense, everyone must fulfil their obligations to children."

Ambassador Khattab said that while in some respects the report presented a bleak picture, there was clear evidence of progress, not least in Egypt.

David Bassiouni, UNICEF Egypt Interim Representative at the launch of the SOWC 2005, Cairo Dec. 12, 2004

"Under the leadership of the First Lady, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, we've started to allocate more resources to child protection issues," said Ambassador Khattab. She referred in particular to successes by the Girls Education Initiative, which recently witnessed the inauguration of a second school funded by the private sector.

Ambassador Khattab spoke at length about Egypt's programme for the abandonment of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) which she said was going well. "Opponents of FGM/C are stronger than those advocating the practice," said the ambassador. "We are optimistic with the achievements but we can and must work even harder".

Representatives of the Ministry of Health and Population, the United Nations Development Programme and other UN agencies also attended the launch, which was held at the UNICEF office in Maadi.

For further information please contact:
Simon Ingram, Communication Officer UNICEF Egypt
Singram@unicef.org
Tel: (202) 5265083-87 Ext 210 / 208
Fax: (202) 5264218