Under-18 zone
Kelzang carries Bhutan children's hopes
New York, June 13 - Kelzang Dorjee, 14 years old and four feet
eight inches tall, may be the one of the youngest and smallest delegates
at the third Preparatory Committee meeting of the UN General Assembly's
Special Session on Children going on in New York, but he is an assured
and highly articulate speaker.
Kelzang is part of the government delegation from Bhutan and says
his main concern is that children are often excluded from the policy-making
process. "Children are not involved in decision-making,"
he says. "Why not? Adults just decide whatever they want and
children never like it."
The schoolboy and scout lives in the country's capital, Thimphu,
and regularly takes part in discussions on children's issues with
the local UNICEF office. His only disappointment so far in New York
is the food. "The taste of food here is very different and
I don't like it," he explains. "My stomach remains empty
throughout the day."
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