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Two years of intense preparations
The adoption of the challenging agenda included in 'A World
Fit for Children' is the result of a number of preparatory
activities that took place at the national, regional and global
level.
At the national level, more than 150 countries conducted
an extensive review to assess progress and setbacks in implementation
of the 1990 World Summit for Children Declaration and Plan
of Action.
Reviews took place in all regions. These gatherings drew
together representatives of governments, civil society and
non-governmental organizations, international agencies and
inter-regional bodies, the media and children themselves.
At the global level, the Secretary-General's end-decade report,
'We the Children: Meeting the promises of the World Summit
for Children,' drew on all these reviews to facilitate the
elaboration of the final Declaration and Plan of Action of
the Special Session. In addition, the Preparatory Committee
for the Special Session organized four sessions in 2000 and
2001.
All these activities not only helped lay the groundwork for
the Special Session but also contributed to the building of
partnerships for and with children as part of the Global Movement
for Children.
The
following highlight commitments
and comments made at regional meetings. |
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"Make every necessary effort so that children
and adolescents have opportunities to fully develop
their physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social
capacities and to guarantee and promote respect for
human rights." (Kingston Consensus)
"…Today's children are tomorrow's future
generation, who must be enabled and equipped to achieve
their full human potential and enjoy the full range
of human rights in a globalizing world." (Beijing
Declaration)
"We commit ourselves to meeting our obligations
under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and
thus to ensuring that all children in Europe and Central
Asia enjoy their rights." (Berlin Commitment)
"We agree that children are the future of our
nations and, therefore, investing in children should
be a national priority." (Kathmandu Understanding)
"Today's investment in children is tomorrow's
peace, stability, security, democracy and sustainable
development."(African Common Position)
" …The children of the Arab World, more than
half its current population, are presently our greatest
resource and most valuable asset for the future. We
need to listen to their views and take them into consideration
when designing future plans." (Cairo Declaration:
Towards an Arab World Fit for Children)
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Read more information on the
preparatory process.
For more information on regional activities, see also previous
Special Session Newsletters Nos. 2
(PDF) and 4
(PDF)
In addition, in the run-up to the Special Session, nearly
40,000 children and young people were interviewed on issues
related to their lives, families, schools, communities and
governments, as well as their hopes and dreams for the future.
Girls and boys in 72 countries in East Asia and the Pacific,
Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean
participated in these opinion polls, which were organized
by UNICEF. The polls reflected the views of some 500 million
children, ages 9 to 18, living in these regions.
Read more on the opinion
polls
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