Say Yes, February 2002: The Second Children’s Forum

I am a child and I have rights! Together with the Social Services and Child Protection Agency (SHÇEK), UNICEF hosted child delegates from eighty-one provinces at the Second Children's Forum in Ankara, on the 19th and 20th of November. The date is significant for children the world over being the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989 and also the day when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959.

The burning issue for most was that, as children, they had the right to be listened to -- and it should go on record that they most certainly did make themselves heard.

There was much lively discussion of the ten imperatives of Say Yes for Children and how they can be implemented on both provincial and national levels. Understandably, all of the delegates related to this aspect of the proceedings with natural ease. The vibrant collective imagination of so many children gathered in the arena of the Forum, focused on the burgeoning movement for recognition as individuals with a stake in the world we all share was really something to remember.

During the course of the Forum, the delegates were able to directly question the State Minister Responsible for Women and Children on promises and policies related to children’s rights. Conclusions drawn from the various discussions and debates were rendered in the form of an action plan which was then presented to the President, Ahmet Necdet Sezer who extended his full support and undertook to present the document to the United Nations Special Session on Children (UNSSC) in May.

Delegates enjoyed the opportunity to elect a new coordinator for the nationwide network which proved to be an informative and entertaining feature of the forum. Prior to the election of the coordinator, candidates were required to make proper election speeches, outlining their promises for the better implementation of children’s rights both in the respective provinces and also on a nationwide level and also to show how they would go about fulfilling those promises.

Nükhet Duru added her voice to Say Yes for Children and graciously entertained the assembled delegates with a wonderful concert on the last evening. Her special rendition of the the campaign’s theme Bu Çocuk Neden Ağlıyor? provided a rousing finale to proceedings as the children joined her in song.

Before they left for their homes all over Turkey, delegates made a solemn promise to pursue the ten issues of Say Yes for Children in their home towns and villages. Empowered by the shared feeling of the Forum, they also left a message to adults:

If we want a world fit for children we can only get it by Changing the World with Children.

Read the report on the First Children’s Forum in 2000.

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On behalf of the Global Movement for Children (GMFC), UNICEF extends a special word of thanks to the many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who have been using every opportunity to collect signatures for Say Yes for Children -- Keep up the good work!