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Excerpts from the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children Draft Outcome Document, "A World Fit for Children"

26 April 2002

Proposed Goals

I. Promoting Healthy Lives

(a) Reduction in the infant and under-five mortality rate by at least one

third, in pursuit of the goal of reducing it by two thirds by 2015;

(b) Reduction in the maternal mortality ratio by at least one third, in pursuit of the goal of reducing it by three quarters by 2015;

(c) Reduction of child malnutrition among children underfive years of age by at least one third, with special attention to children under two years of age, and reduction in the rate of low birth weight by at least one third of the current rate;

(d) Reduction in the proportion of households without access to hygienic sanitation facilities and affordable and safe drinking water by at least one third;

(e) Development and implementation of national early childhood development policies and programmes to ensure the enhancement of children's physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive development;
(f) Development and implementation of national health policies and programmes for adolescents, including goals and indicators, to promote their physical and mental health;
(g) Access through the primary health-care system to reproductive health for all individuals of appropriate ages as soon as possible and no later than 2015.

II. Providing Quality Education

(a) Expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education, for girls and boys, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children;

(b) Reduce the number of primary school-age children who are out of school by 50 per cent and increase net primary school enrolment or participation in alternative, good quality primary education programmes to at least 90 per cent by 2010;

(c) Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005 and achieve gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls' full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality;

(d) Improve all aspects of the quality of education so that children and young people achieve recognized and measurable learning outcomes, especially in numeracy, literacy and essential life skills;

(e) Ensure that the learning needs of all young people are met through access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes;

(f) Achieve a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women.

III. Protecting against abuse, exploitation and violence

(a) Protect children from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence;
(b) Protect children from the impact of armed conflict and forced displacement, and ensure compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law; (pending)
(c) Protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation, including paedophelia, trafficking, and abduction;
(d) Take immediate and effective measures to eliminate the worst forms of child labour as defined in International Labour Organization Convention No. 182, and elaborate and implement strategies for the elimination of child labour that is contrary to accepted international standards;
(e) Improve the plight of millions of children who live under especially difficult circumstances.

IV. Combating HIV/AIDS

(a) By 2003, establish time bound national targets to achieve the internationally agreed global prevention goal to reduce by 2005 HIV prevalence among young men and women aged 15 to 24 in the most affected countries by 25 per cent and by 25 per cent globally by 2010, and intensify efforts to achieve these targets as well as to challenge gender stereotypes and attitudes and gender inequalities in relation to HIV/AIDS, encouraging the active involvement of men and boys;

(b) By 2005, reduce the proportion of infants infected with HIV by 20 per cent, and by 2010 reduce it by 50 per cent, by ensuring that 80 per cent of pregnant women accessing antenatal care have information, counselling and other HIV prevention services available to them, increasing the availability of and by providing access for HIV-infected women and babies to effective treatment to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV, as well as through effective interventions for HIV-infected women, including voluntary and confidential counselling and testing, access to treatment, especially anti-retroviral therapy and, where appropriate, breast milk substitutes and the provision of a continuum of care;

(c) By 2003 develop and by 2005 implement national policies and strategies to build and strengthen governmental, family and community capacities to provide a supportive environment for orphans and girls and boys infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, including by providing appropriate counselling and psychosocial support, ensuring their enrolment in school and access to shelter, good nutrition, health and social services on an equal basis with other children, and protecting orphans and vulnerable children from all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, trafficking and loss of inheritance.

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For further information, please contact:

Liza Barrie, UNICEF Media Chief, New York (212) 326-7593

Patsy Robertson, UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326-7270

Laufey Love, UN Department of Public Information, New York (212) 963-3507

Alfred Ironside, UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326-7261

Mitchie Topper, UNICEF Media, New York (212) 303-7910

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