Rallying Call for the GMC

As the 21st century gets under way, there is much to celebrate regarding children's rights. Since the 1990 World Summit for Children, the efforts of a global immunization partnership have brought polio to the brink of eradication, high and sustained levels of child immunization have resulted in 3 million fewer child deaths at the end of the decade than at the beginning. Worldwide, there are now more children in school than ever before. But just as there has been progress, there remain profound challenges for children.

And these are the challenges that have inspired the 10 points that comprise the Rallying Call of the Global Movement for Children.

1. Leave No Child Out: Because every girl and boy is born free and equal in dignity and rights, all forms of discrimination and exclusion against children must end.
   
   
2. Put Children First: Governments must meet their obligations to children and young people. At the same time, everyone - including individuals, non-governmental organizations, religious groups, the private sector, and children and adolescents themselves - must recognize their responsibility to ensure that child rights are respected.
   
   
3. Care For Every Child: All children must enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, especially through immunization, good nutrition and diet, clean water and adequate sanitation, proper housing and a safe and healthy environment.
   
   
4. Fight HIV/AIDS: Children and adolescents and their families must be protected from the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS.
   
   
5. Stop Harming and Exploiting Children: The violence and abuse that children suffer must be stopped now. And the sexual and economic exploitation of children must also end.
   
   
6. Listen to Children: Everyone must respect the right of children and young people to express themselves and to participate in decisions that affect them, consistent with their evolving capabilities. And we must listen and act.
   
   
7. Educate Every Child: All girls and boys must receive a compulsory, free primary education of good quality.
   
   
8. Protect Children from War: Children must be protected from the horrors of armed conflict.
   
   
9. Protect the Earth for Children: There must be urgent steps by every one of us -- including governments, civil society and the private sector -- to assure the well-being and security of future generations by safeguarding the environment at global, national and local levels.
   
   
10. Fight Poverty: Invest in Children: Because children suffer the most from poverty, the fight against it must begin with them. This includes investing in social services that benefit the poorest children and their families, such as basic health care and primary education. At the same time, the well-being of children must be a priority objective of debt relief programmes, development assistance and government spending.