Introduction
World Summit: Follow-up actions
Mobilization of all sectors of society
The Plan of Action called for families, communities,
local governments, NGOs and social, cultural, religious,
business and other institutions, including the mass
media, to play a role in pursuit of the World Summit
goals. It also envisaged the mobilization of all sectors
of society, including those that traditionally did not
focus on children, and placed special emphasis on the
world's new information and communication capacity.
The present report reflects, in all its chapters, the
key roles which have in fact been played by NGOs and
other civil society actors in advocacy, awareness-raising
and programme implementation; in monitoring and supporting
the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child; in participating in national, regional and
global end-decade reviews; and in preparations for the
General Assembly's Special Session on Children, to be
held in May 2002.
Experience over the decade has affirmed the wisdom of involving
the broadest possible range of actors in the cause of
children's rights, and the Special Session on Children
has been recognized as an opportunity to carry this
process of mobilization still further.
In a special event in February 2001, at the conclusion of the second
session of the Preparatory Committee for the special session, representatives
of UNICEF, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, Plan International,
Save the Children, World Vision and Netaid issued an invitation
to the thousands of other organizations around the world that have
been involved in the struggle for children's rights to harness their
collective force as the Global Movement
for Children.
The Movement will call for accountability and action by leaders
at every level of society - public and private, adults and young
people alike - to change the world for children and with children.
It will seek to attract to the cause of children's rights new groups,
such as trade unions, religious and youth organizations, local authorities,
political and women's organizations and various foundations. It
also hopes to recruit prominent public figures - politicians, academics,
performers and sports personalities - as well as media organizations.
Business leaders and private sector groups will also be engaged
in dialogue and activities that will lead to practices that are
consistently responsible to children.
As part of the Global Movement for Children, an initiative has
been launched to secure an unprecedented global pledge campaign
on behalf of children, led by an array of international personalities,
including Nelson Mandela and Bill Gates. More than a simple sign-up
campaign, "Say
yes for children" is designed to focus attention on the
serious issues that face children today and to galvanize action
among those with the power to make change in the coming years. The
results of the campaign will be presented to the General Assembly's
special session on children.
See also 'What you can do.'
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