More than 94 million people all around the world agree: Every child is entitled to a life of peace, health and dignity. In what has become the largest pledge campaign for children in history, people both young and old have declared their support for 10 imperatives for ensuring a better world for children and young people.

The initiative is called ‘Say Yes for Children.’ Not only have 94 million people supported the campaign’s 10-point action agenda, they have identified the most urgent issues facing children in their country, with education and HIV/AIDS ranked among those most critical.

Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, and Graça Machel, former Minister of Education in Mozambique, launched ‘Say Yes’ in April 2001, casting the first vote for children in their back yard.

The campaign caught fire. So far, ballots have been collected from people in 194 countries. Pledge forms have been translated into scores of languages and distributed at book fairs and concerts, in cinema theatres and rural markets.

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	Cobi Jones, Paolo Maldini, El Hadj Diouf, and Fan Zhiyi have said Yes for children. Click on a photo to hear what they have to say. Many other players have pledged their support!

Beyond the promises and commitments of the ‘Say Yes’ campaign, there has been action. Parliamentarians, grass-roots activists, students and entire families have formed new partnerships and initiatives to help secure a better future for young people. Organizations have led marches and hosted debates on the role of national governments in the growing ‘Global Movement for Children’ (GMC).

And individuals from every part of society have used their creativity and passion to spread the word. In Kazakhstan, for example, more than 150 young journalists gathered in the capital to be trained as leaders in the local ‘Say Yes’ campaign. In Kenya, a Say Yes/GMC van travelled around the country promoting the campaign and collecting pledge forms. In Viet Nam, thousands of children presented their vision of a better world by participating in a nationwide writing and drawing contest. In Sri Lanka, teachers supported children in more than 50 urban schools to rally their peers to ‘Say Yes’. The students devised their own projects to actualize each of the ten points of the campaign. They helped provide basic services, toilets, safe water and furniture for young people in poor and rural schools throughout the country.

On May 10, Mr. Mandela and Mrs. Machel presented the ‘Say Yes’ pledges to the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr. Han Seung-soo, before an audience of world leaders and others attending the UN Special Session on Children.

The ballots keep pouring in, and the Global Movement for Children keeps growing. To join those committed to the cause of children, visit http://www.unicef.org/say_yes/.