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| Press Release
Mandela, Annan, Gates Urge World to Say Yes for Children
Unprecedented Global Campaign Seeks Millions of Pledges
London, 26 April 2001 -- An unprecedented global pledge campaign
on behalf of children, led by an impressive array of international
personalities including Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and Bill Gates,
begins today in London and numerous other locations worldwide.
Called Say Yes for Children, the campaign will reach every part
of the globe to rally people behind ten overarching principles that
seek to improve and protect the lives of children. They are:
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
More than a simple sign-up campaign, Say Yes will focus attention
on the serious issues that face children today. It is intended to
galvanize action at all levels of society, from political leaders
to ordinary citizens, in particular children.
"Here is an opportunity to let leaders throughout the world
know that we expect them to act, sooner rather than later, to ensure
the rights of every child," said former South African President
Nelson Mandela. "And to each one of you who is hearing about
this campaign, I remind you of your own power and obligation to
make the world a better place for children."
The ten principles of Say Yes build on the Convention on the Rights
of the Child, the most ratified international human rights treaty
ever, and 1990's World Summit for Children, where nations committed
themselves to specific goals for children and young people. The
goal of Say Yes is to build a groundswell of support that will push
leaders to live up to these commitments at September's United Nations
General Assembly Special Session on Children.
"The Special Session will indeed be a special moment in history
-- a time for world leaders to commit themselves to specific actions
to help the children of the world," said UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan. "Say Yes for Children is an opportunity for all
of us to show them the way, and to give visibility and a voice to
the children who need it most."
A London middle school will host the international launch of Say
Yes for Children with the participation of Vanessa Redgrave, UNICEF
Special Representative for the Performing Arts. More than 40 other
events are planned around the globe. Distributed on paper and via
the internet worldwide, from remote hamlets to urban centres, the
Say Yes ballot promises to gather millions of pledges.
"With Say Yes we are weaving together the newest form of communication,
the internet, with the oldest, person-to-person contact, to create
a global voice for change on behalf of children," said the
businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates. "This is an initiative
that gives people a chance to take action on the ten points of this
pledge, to ensure that children grow up in health, peace and dignity."
The Say Yes form (found at www.gmfc.org)
begins with a simple plea: "Too many of the world's children
suffer the effects of war, poverty, sickness, discrimination or
abuse. This is your opportunity to send a message to the world's
leaders that this is unacceptable. This is your opportunity to Say
Yes for Children." It then asks people to pledge support for
all ten principles, identify the three most pressing needs for their
own country and volunteer to help with future activities.
The ten principles were developed by the Global Movement for Children
(GMC), a broad-based coalition of organizations and individuals
dedicated to children's rights and well-being. Founding organizations
include UNICEF, PLAN International, Save the Children, Netaid.org
Foundation, World Vision and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee.
The first major initiative of the Global Movement for Children,
Say Yes will tally pledges throughout the spring and summer, culminating
with a presentation of the results to heads of state and governments
at the Special Session on Children, scheduled at the UN General
Assembly from September 19-21. The ten principles of the Say Yes
pledge are part of the Special Session's draft outcome document
- a critical plan of action for children over the next decade.
Celebrities Play Vital Role
World leaders, celebrities and other notables are playing a vital
role in Say Yes for Children and the Global Movement for Children.
Today, the GMC is launching a rolling series of Public Service Announcements
to broadcasters in which prominent individuals make a personal Say
Yes pledge: "I believe that children everywhere should be free
to grow to adulthood in health, peace and dignity." Some of
these include Nelson Mandela and his wife, noted child rights advocate
Graça Machel, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Bill Gates,
and South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung.
Other well-known celebrities that have pledged their support for
Say Yes include:
Lord Attenborough
Harry Belafonte
David Beckham
Judy Collins
Mia Farrow
Sir Alex Ferguson
Julio Iglesias
Anatoly Karpov
Johann Olav Koss
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
Leon Lai
Rigoberta Menchu
Nana Mouskouri
Roger Moore
Youssou N'Dour
Vanessa Redgrave
Line Renaud
Sebastião Salgado
Susan Sarandon
Mercedes Sosa
Vendela Thommessen
Sir Peter Ustinov
Maxim Vengerov
George Weah
Robbie Williams
What is the Global Movement for Children?
Launched by Mr. Mandela and Ms. Machel in May 2000, the Global
Movement for Children has brought together some of the world's largest
child rights organizations in a unique partnership to raise awareness
of the issues facing the world's children in the run up to the United
Nations General Assembly's Special Session for Children.
The GMC is a coalition of organizations and individuals that share
a common vision of a world fit for children, and have the ability
to turn that vision into reality. It seeks to build a massive constituency
of people from all walks of life to support child rights and demand
accountability and action for children in the next century. The
GMC calls for leadership at every level of society - both public
and private, adults and young people alike - to change the world
for children and with children.
***
For further information, interviews and b-roll
material:
www.gmfc.org
Corinne Woods,
+1 917 640 0184
Edward Carwardine,
+ 41 22 209 5523
Sally Burnheim,
+1 212 326 7566
Samantha Henry,
+ 1 212 824 6949
Ian Steele,
+1 253 815 2247
Jo Fletcher,
tel: + 44 207 430 01 62
Note to editors and broadcasters:
Rights-free broadcast-quality video material of young people using
the Say Yes website and pledging their commitment to Say Yes in
southern Sudan, is available from www.TheNewsMarket.com
or from your nearest UNICEF or GMC partner office.
Video of the London launch will also be available from www.TheNewsMarket.com
at approximately 14.30 GMT on April 26. A script and shot list of
the Say Yes B-roll can be viewed at www.unicef.org/broadcast/brolls/.
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