III. The Global Movement for Children: 'Say Yes for Children'
Six organizations – the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee,
Netaid.org Foundation, PLAN International, Save the Children,
UNICEF and World Vision – have joined together to launch
the Global Movement for Children, promoting children's rights
and emphasizing participation, action and accountability.
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Education for all children is one of the
points of the Global Movement's 'Say Yes' campaign. Here,
a young girl is being measured for a school uniform in Rajasthan,
India.
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In all its aspects – including the fact that children are
full partners in all its activities – the Global Movement
for Children is about leadership.
The Movement's message is made clear in its 10-point pledge:
Leave no child out. Put children first. Care for every child.
Fight HIV/AIDS. Stop harming and exploiting children. Listen to
children. Educate every child. Protect children from war. Protect
the earth for children. Fight poverty: Invest in children.
A massive grass-roots campaign is growing as the Global Movement
asks individuals around the world to 'Say Yes for Children'. Netaid.org
Foundation – a joint public-private venture between the UN
Development Programme and Cisco Systems – created an Internet
site www.gmfc.org for ongoing
discussions about taking action for children.
National launches of 'Say Yes for Children' blossomed across
the globe between April and June 2001, spearheaded by UNICEF.
Launches involved government officials, sports and entertainment
celebrities, religious leaders, writers, child advocates and,
of course, children. Leaders vowed to stand up for children, in
some cases, despite serious national crises.
In Haiti, children spoke up for their rights to be respected
and called for an end to violence. In spite of social and political
turmoil, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide promised to attend the
Special Session on Children and
to ensure education for all by 2004.
In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Makednski Posti
company provided prepaid postcards for distribution through newspapers,
schools and community centres to ensure that people without Internet
access could still pledge. Top local hip-hop artist Vrcak will
campaign for 'Say Yes for Children' through September.
With Say Yes campaigns in over 100 countries, the Global Movement
for Children is gathering the kind of momentum and moral force
that political leaders will ignore at their peril.
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For additional information on topics mentioned in the text, click
on the links below:
The Bangladesh Rural Advancement
Committee (BRAC)
Netaid.org
PLAN International
Save the Children
World Vision
The Global Movement for Children
The United Nations Development
Programme
Cisco Systems
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