First-ever Children's Forum at the UN

UNICEF and partner organizations held a Children's Forum in New York, 5-7 May 2002, so that children and young people could gather before the Special Session on Children to discuss important issues and come up with ways for governments, civil society organizations and children to work together to make the world a better place for everyone.

After three days of hard work, children at the Forum agreed on the key challenges facing young people and on the ways that governments and children themselves can make a difference. They entitled their statement 'A World Fit for Us'.

The message was delivered to the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children by child delegates, Gabriela Azurduy Arrieta, 13, from Bolivia and Audrey Cheynut, 17, from Monaco on 8 May 2002. It was the first time that children addressed a formal session of the United Nations and a proud moment for children everywhere.

As Thomas Burke, an under-18 delegate from the United Kingdom, explained: "At the end of the Children's Forum we explicitly told governments what a world fit for all of us would look like."

Of the 404 children between the ages of 7 and 18 who attended the Children's Forum 242 were girls and 162 were boys. A total of 264 children had been selected by their own governments to be members of official delegations from 142 countries to the Special Session. The other 140 children came as members of the 106 different non-governmental delegations. In all, the children represented 154 countries, forming a truly global constituency.

All of the participants were selected at the national or regional level through competitions in schools or communities, for example, or through membership in youth parliaments, involvement in the Say Yes for Children campaign, or affiliation with NGOs. Many of the children had participated in national or regional preparatory meetings, where their peers selected them to participate in the Children's Forum.

Some of the participants had been to UN headquarters before to take part in one or more of the Preparatory Committee meetings. However they were selected, and whether they were part of a governmental or an NGO delegation, all of the children were passionately committed to their common goal of improving the world.

All participants expressed their thoughts freely and took part in decisions, discussions, various activities, media events and celebrations. They worked in regional and topic groups to develop a message of action to present to world leaders at the Special Session on Children. Decidedly democratic from start to finish, groups elected their peers to represent them in drafting the action plan they developed, as well as two representatives to present their message at the Special Session on Children.

What would 'A World Fit for Children' look like? Here is what the children envision in their Children's Forum message, 'A World Fit for Us'.

Read more about the opening of the Children's Forum on 5 May: 'United Nations Children's Forum opens with energy and hope'.

Read more about the closing ceremony of the Children's Forum and about Nelson Mandela receiving the pledges from the 'Say Yes for Children' campaign

Youth Journalists: Telling it like it is

More than 50 young journalists from around the world reported on events at the Children's Forum and Special Session. Assigned to get the scoop on children's activities in their countries and their experiences at the Forum and Special Session, the reporters conducted interviews with youth activists as well as decision makers from governments and the United Nations.

One group included 11 reporters from Quebec, Canada's Radio Enfant, who set up operations at the Manhattan Center, where the Children's Forum took place. The group broadcast panel discussions, one-on-one interviews and music and entertainment from the Forum. Young scribes - aged 12 to 15 - from the Belfast bureau of Children's Express, United Kingdom, covered the Special Session events. Another group of young reporters published a daily record of Special Session events in the newspaper, On the Record for Children.

Read more about the youth journalists who covered the events.

After the closing ceremony of the Children's Forum, participants held a press conference.

Read the full report of the Children's Forum. (PDF)