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Press Release

A MAJOR MONTH FOR CHILDREN

Regional Gatherings This Month in Beijing, Berlin, Cairo and Kathmandu Will Review Progress and Sketch Out A Future Agenda

Prelude to the UN Special Session on Children This September

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 11 May 2001 – Calling the month of May “a major month for children,” the United Nations Children’s Fund today heralded the start of a three-week period during which four regional meetings on children and young people will take place, involving some 130 governments and hundreds of other organizations. The voices of thousands of participating young people will infuse all four meetings with unusual urgency and relevance.

• In Beijing from 14-16 May, government ministers from the East Asia and Pacific region will review progress on goals for children and hold high-level consultations on their common agenda for children over the next decade. NGOs, young people and donor country representatives will also participate in the consultations, which will feature the launch of a regional opinion survey of children and adolescents. Press release and official declaration
• In Berlin from 16-18 May, representatives of 52 governments from Europe and Central Asia will convene to review progress on goals for children and discuss new challenges and priorities in the region . A regional poll representing the views of 93 million young people will be released. Press release
• In Kathmandu from 19-24 May, three separate meetings will enable young people, business leaders, and government ministers to focus on the imperatives of forging partnerships for children in South Asia. All three panels will focus on the need to invest in children and will consider the costs of not investing. The three sessions will converge for full interaction among the participants. The meeting of young people is being organized in conjunction with Save the Children.
• In Cairo from 28-31 May, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and UNICEF will host a conference for leaders from across Africa – including government ministers, intellectuals and youth – to examine the challenges facing children on the continent and develop a common position on a future agenda.

All four of the regional meetings will serve as preludes to the UN Special Session on Children taking place this September in New York, at which UN member states and their leaders will review progress on global goals and commit to a new agenda for children and young people.

“September’s session on children will be a culmination of all the work being done around the world right now,” said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF. “At these regional conferences, governments, business leaders and ordinary citizens – including youth – are beginning to think about the shared commitments they must make in order to reduce disease, overcome poverty, and help their nations thrive. It’s an exciting time.”

Bellamy emphasized that the issues being addressed in the May conferences hold significance for all people.

“None of us can separate the opportunities and experiences we are exposed to as children from the longer trajectory of our lives, so in a very personal way we all understand the link between real progress for children and the progress of nations as a whole,” Bellamy said. “Focusing on this link between healthy children today and a healthy world tomorrow is the purpose of the UN Special Session. We think the various regional meetings this month are helping forge this link.”

Background: Other Regional Meetings Include:

• A Summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) convened in Lome, Togo in July 2000.
• The Fifth Ministerial Meeting on Children and Social Policy in the Americas took place in Kingston, Jamaica in October, 2000.
• The Tenth Ibero-American Ministerial Summit on Children and Adolescents was held in Panama City, Panama in November, 2000.

Background: 2001 UN Special Session on Children

Ten years ago, world leaders at the first World Summit for Children pledged to ensure, protect and promote the rights of children and young people world-wide. To fulfil that pledge they agreed to seven major goals that would improve living conditions and the chances of survival for all children by increasing access to health services; reducing the spread of preventable diseases; creating more opportunities for education; providing better sanitation and adequate food supplies; and protecting children in danger.

This September, world leaders will gather in New York at the UN Special Session on Children (September 19-21) to review their record of achievement and the factors that have influenced it, and to endorse a renewed agenda for children.

Background: Say Yes for Children

Beyond the conference rooms, people of all ages and nationalities have an opportunity to influence the UN Special Session on Children. By logging on to www.gmfc.org (Global Movement for Children), ordinary citizens can say “yes” to the 10 critical actions needed to improve the lives of children and adolescents everywhere. The pledges collected on the Web and via a global grassroots campaign will be delivered to leaders at the Special Session in September. The message will be straightforward: the citizens of the world care about children and expect governments to keep the promises they make to them.

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For further information, please visit www.unicef.org/media/presshome.htm, or contact:

Patsy Robertson, UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326-7270
Wivina Belmonte, UNICEF Media, Geneva (4122) 909-5509
Madeline Eisner, UNICEF Media, Nairobi (2542) 622-214
Emily Booker, UNICEF Media, Bangkok (662) 28-5931
Robert Tyabji, UNICEF Media, Kathmandu (9771) 419-471