Say Yes, July 2002: The World Listened -- Facts and Figures

Photograph by Paula Bronstein © UNICEF 2002

In the company of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, UNICEF Executive Director, Carol Bellamy addresses the audience at the close of A Celebration of Leadership: Change the World with Children the gala concert which closed the United Nations Special Session on Children (UNSSC) on the 9th of May, 2002. Photograph by Paula Bronstein © UNICEF 2002

I believe that for the first time in the history of the United Nations, children are not just being seen -- they are being heard.

Carol Bellamy,
UNICEF Executive Director.

It finally happened! After more than a decade and one postponement from September, 2001, the UNSSC convened in New York during May. So who was there, what did they do and what did they achieve?

The Participants

164 boys and 242 girls between the ages of 7 and 18 years old.
265 of these children were part of official government delegations such as Simge Haznedaroğlu and Mehmet Yeşilyurt of Turkey.
Hasan Gemici, Minister Responsible for Women and Children lead the Turkish Delegation of 19 including the child delegates.
Special Invitee Professor İhsan Doğramacı, eminent authority on children’s issues who works extensively with UNICEF at the global level.
There were 69 Summit level Government participants including Heads of State, Crown Princes, Vice Presidents and Deputy Prime Ministers.
43 Heads of State and/or Government.
187 of 189 United Nations Member States spoke at General Assembly Plenary Debates.
54 First Spouses.
141 children of a total of 1,732 participants formed 91 NGO delegations.
314 NGOs from developing countries and 385 from industrialised countries.
250 parliamentarians from 75 countries. 3 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates: Kofi Annan, (2001); Nelson Mandela, (1993) and Rigoberta Menchú Tum, (1992).
10 United Nations entities were represented at directorial level.
9 UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors.
Over 1,200 journalists including more than 50 young journalists.
Almost 200 volunteers from UNICEF and elsewhere.

Significant Results

94,875,927 Say Yes for Children pledges were delivered by Nelson Mandela to the President of the General Assembly, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest ever response to an international pledge campaign.
24 countries took Treaty action during the course of the UNSSC (1-17th May).
For the first time in history, 2 children spoke at the General Assembly.

Events and Processes

43 separate events were organised by governments along with the United Nations and other international organisations. 63 were organised by non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
44 Governments, including 7 Heads of State and/or Government and 4 Heads of United Nations agencies took part in the 5 Inter-generational Dialogue sessions.
15 NGO speakers addressed the General Assembly Plenary and Ad Hoc Committees of the Whole.
Almost 40,000 Child and Youth opinion poll interviews were conducted worldwide in the lead-up to the UNSSC.
The Children’s Forum was conducted in 3 languages: English, French and Spanish. Translations in Arabic, Bangla (Bengali), Chinese, Portuguese and Vietnamese were available during other sessions.

Read the full text of We Are the World’s Children the outcome document of the Children’s Forum. The February 2002 issue of Say Yes carries some useful background to the UNSSC. A full report on the UNSSC is available from UNICEF global headquarters.

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SAY YES, JULY 2002

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