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Ibero-American writers issue historic manifesto for children |
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| Monday, 4 October 1999: Following an unprecedented
meeting, here and in cyberspace, Ibero-America's leading intellectuals issued a
moving and outspoken Manifesto today. The Manifesto
challenges governments and citizens throughout Latin America and the Caribbean
to put aside their differences and establish a "Social Pact" for the
region's 192 million children and adolescents, warning of the dire consequences
for all if business as usual continues. The meeting was convened by former Colombian President Belisario Betancur -- currently Chairman of the Santillana Foundation -- and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director, Per Engebak. It brought together writers representing the richness and variety of intellectual thought and literary creation in Ibero-America to debate and take a stand regarding the current state and future prospects for the region's children on the eve of the 21st century. Attending the meeting were well-known writers from Mexico -- Angeles Mastretta, Elena Poniatowska and Hector Aguilar Camin -- Thiago de Mello from Brazil -- Ecuadorian Jorge Enrique Adoum -- and Arturo Corcuera of Peru. Participating via teleconference from Argentina and Portugal were, respectively, best-selling writer Ernesto Sabato and 1998 Nobel laureate for literature Jose Saramago. Video-taped messages supporting the Manifesto were sent to the meeting by such luminaries as Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez; Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize-winner Rigoberta Menchu; Spanish philosopher Fernando Savater; Chilean novelist Isabel Allende; Uruguayan writers Eduardo Galeano and Mario Benedetti, as well as UNICEF regional Goodwill Ambassador, Argentine singer-songwriter Mercedes Sosa. Originally inspired by Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes, the Manifesto is a powerful reminder to the region's governments of the promises they made to children in 1990 when they signed the World Summit for Children Declaration and Plan of Action and when they ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child following its approval by the UN General Assembly 10 years ago this November. The document stresses the need to invest in the well-being and human rights of all children. Seeking the establishment of a Social Pact for Children, the Manifesto calls for concerted efforts to end the poverty, discrimination and violence affecting millions of the region's children and youth. The unprecedented document, which will be presented to the Ibero-American Presidents when they gather for their 9th Summit next month in Cuba, urges governments to make an all-out effort to achieve the year 2000 goals set at World Summit for Children. Organizations and individuals from different parts of the region sent messages to the meeting, indicating that the Manifesto was eagerly awaited and that it will receive widespread support. One of the most moving messages was sent by the Colombian Children's Peace Movement. Joining UNICEF and the Santillana Foundation in organizing the meeting of the region's intellectuals were the Latin American Institute for Educational Communication, which broadcast the proceedings throughout the hemisphere via satellite; Hotel Nikko, which hosted the event; and Aeromexico airlines. |
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| Please email media@unicef.org with comments or requests for more information, quoting CF/DOC/PR/1999/41 |
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