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Press ReleaseImproving the lives of children in Europe and Central Asia, Berlin Conference, May 16 - 18, 2001Prelude to the UN Special Session on Children this September
In an unprecedented effort to improve the lives of children in Europe and Central Asia, delegates from 52 European and Central Asian countries, and the Holy See, gathered in Berlin today, to forge a new agenda for the coming decade. The high-level meeting is organized by the Governments of Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). It is an important step for the region as it prepares for the first ever UN General Assembly Special Session on Children, to be held in New York this fall. "The Berlin Conference gives us an outstanding opportunity to review the challenges faced by children in this region and commit to action. We are here in the shared conviction that children must participate and have a voice. As leaders, we must listen to them, so that we can build a better world with them," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF. A conference highlight is the release of results of an opinion poll conducted among children and young people from 35 countries in Europe and Central Asia - the largest of its kind ever undertaken on issues related to the rights of children. More than 15,000 young people between the ages of 9 and 17 years took part in the survey. A poll of this breadth is remarkable since it represents the views of more than 93 million young people in the region. In the belief that every child, without exception, is assured the right to dignity, security and self-fulfilment, the Conference will produce a declaration called "The Berlin Commitment". It will outline goals and targets for the further development of child-friendly policies in the different States over the next 10 years. It is the culmination of a vast consultation process between governments, civil societies, youth groups, NGOs and other UN agencies all dedicated to improving the lives of children. "Eleven years after the World Summit for Children, the countries of Europe and Central Asia come together in Berlin to jointly discuss their future. The situation of children today has a strong impact on the future development of societies. It is of great importance that this Conference is co-hosted by Bosnia and Herzegovina, thus underlining the common efforts to improve the lives of children together with the governments of the whole region," said Joschka Fischer, the German Federal Foreign Minister. "If we are to create a better world and better future for our children, we must put children and child's rights at the top of our political agenda," said Slatko Lagumdzija the Minister of Foreign Affairs from Bosnia and Herzegovina. "There can be no transition for the better without ensuring all rights to all children, without protecting the welfare of all children and without providing for children to grow up in peace and without fear." Discussions focus on the major issues facing children and youth in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and in the Baltic States. They include issues on poverty and social exclusion, violence and abuse, the impact of transition in the former communist States, health and environmental questions, the state of education and possibilities of children to participate in decisions that affect their lives. "Children in industrialized countries suffer from problems and needs which are not comparable to those in developing countries, the Berlin Conference is an important opportunity to address these differences," said Dr. Christine Bergmann, German Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. "For Germany one of the main issues is to safeguard children's growing up in a healthy environment, to guarantee high quality education and give orientation in a highly complex world, protect them from discrimination, sexual abuse and violence and invite their participation on issues that affect them." When world leaders last met to discuss a global agenda for children's rights, at the World Summit for Children in 1990, they set global targets for themselves. Discussions in Berlin, and recent regional consultations leading to it, make up a kind of report card on those promises including an acknowledgment of achievements made, the work still left to do and the new challenges that have emerged in the region. The unique scope of the meeting is due, in part, to the diversity and changing nature of the 52 countries represented in Berlin and the new challenges they face together. In 1990, there were 9 countries in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union - now there are 28. The political change has been marked by a range of issues; from the challenge of integration with western European institutions to the serious preoccupation with basic survival in the face of growing poverty. Widespread conflict hit 11 countries in the region directly over the past 10 years causing tremendous human upheaval, the consequences of which have particularly affected children and women. The Conference brings together a broad range of groups including delegations from regional organizations like the European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Council of Europe. The United Nations system is represented by several organizations among them UNAIDS, UNESCO, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNHCR, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). There is also representation from various non-governmental associations and young people. For further information please contact: Hans Olsen, Robert Cohen,
Frederike Seidel, Rudi Tarneden, Wivina Belmonte,
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