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Press Release
Press release issued by the UN Department
of Public Information
Record number of children to be official
delegates at upcoming UN Special Session
Unique Conference Between World Leaders,
Children and NGOs
GENEVA / NEW YORK, 19 April 2002 - More
than 300 children will serve as delegates at next month's
landmark United Nations General Assembly Special Session
on Children, UN officials announced today. This is also
the first time young people will actively participate
in deliberations at a major UN conference in such large
numbers.
"It may seem like common
sense to invite young people to a conference completely
dedicated to their well-being. But this is a radical
change for such high-level meetings," said
Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF.
"Children will literally be rubbing shoulders with
presidents and prime ministers. They will have a chance
to voice their concerns and influence the debate."
The children's attendance, along with the expected
participation of more than 1,000 representatives from
child-focused non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
from around the world, promises to broaden the May 8-10
meeting at the United Nations far beyond the traditional
core of official government representatives.
To date, 179 children have registered as members of
government delegations from 101 countries. The remaining
children are part of accredited NGO delegations. Many
more young people are expected to sign up in the coming
weeks, forming an intriguing and youthful counterpoint
to the more than 70 Heads of State and Government that
have so far committed to attending.
"It is vitally important
to listen to children and young people, especially when
making decisions concerning them. How can you make decisions
about young people if you do not know what they want?"
said Claire Bradley, 17, a member of the United Kingdom
delegation from Belfast, Northern Ireland. "Governments
should be responsible for making sure that policies
are in place so young people have their say, regardless
if this is in their school, or on local, national or
international levels."
An Historic Breakthrough for UN Conferences
The Special Session on Children, postponed from last
September due to the attacks on New York and Washington,
DC, will be the first time the United Nations General
Assembly has called a special session to specifically
address issues relating to children. It will explore
the long-standing obstacles to children's well-being,
as well as newly emerging challenges. A key part of
the process will be a review of progress made since
the 1990 World Summit for Children, where governments
committed to specific and time-bound goals on child
survival, protection and development.
Most of the child delegates will first participate
in the 5-7 May Children's Forum, where they will prepare
positions on issues to be deliberated by governments
in the plenary of the Special Session. The Forum will
select two children to present its outcome to the plenary.
There will also be numerous opportunities for the young
people to interact with world leaders during the conference,
including several scheduled closed-door sessions.
"The Children's Forum will
provide me an opportunity to learn from and share my
experiences with fellow children from all over the world,"
said Jehanzeb Khan, 12, a delegate from Pakistan.
"It is important because it provides a platform
for children to express their views and opinions regarding
the rights of children."
Breaking New Ground with NGOs
In addition to the record number of young delegates,
a large contingent of representatives from non-governmental
organizations, expected to exceed 1,000, will provide
governments with a grassroots view of the needs of the
world's children. This is an attempt to bring community
groups - who often work the closest with children -
into the decision-making process.
Of the 3,765 NGOs accredited for the conference, 1,673
do not have a previous official UN affiliation. Arrangements
were made for UNICEF to invite hundreds of the partners
it works with in countries around the world, including
child advocacy groups, non-profit agencies that specialize
in development, and faith-based organizations. (The
list of invited NGOs is available at www.unicef.org/specialsession/ngo/index.html.)
Hundreds of NGOs have already contributed to the Special
Session's two main documents. The first, an updated
version of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report,
"We the Children: End Decade Review of the Follow-up
to the World Summit for Children," was released
this week. It can be found at on the Web at: http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/press
The second document, A World Fit For Children, is the
draft outcome document that will be considered by government
delegates during the Special Session. It delineates
the new commitments and goals for children that countries
must adhere to over the next several years.
* * *
For further information, please contact:
Liza Barrie,
UNICEF Media Chief, New York (212) 326-7593
Patsy Robertson,
UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326-7270
Laufey Love, UN Department of Public Information, New
York (212) 963-3507
Alfred Ironside,
UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326-7261
Mitchie Topper, UNICEF Media, New York (212) 303-7910
View and order the Special Session video b-roll at http://www.unicef.org/broadcast/brolls/specialsession/
A live satellite news feed will be available twice
daily during the Special Session.
Learn more at:
http://www.unicef.org/broadcast/feeds/
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