Young delegates gather in Turkmenistan for the International Children's Festival
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 1 August 2008 – Around 800 children from 20 countries, including from different regions of Turkmenistan , are visiting Geokdere resort area near Ashgabat these days to showcase their accomplishments in music and arts at the Second International Children’s Festival hosted by the Government of Turkmenistan. Featuring song and dance performances and artworks, the week long Festival aims at fostering involvement, unity, and pride in all participants and strongly affirms the power and importance of music and arts as an integral part of children's education.
The Festival is intended to be an opportunity for children from all over the world to demonstrate their capabilities, sing songs, perform national dances, present artworks, and learn about each other and the host country Turkmenistan’s culture. The festival is expected to create strong bonds between the children from different cultural backgrounds who will practice the principles of communal living, appreciating and understanding, as well as overcoming cultural differences.
UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and TV and Radio Broadcasting and Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan is planning to conduct a day long forum during the Festival to listen to children’s voices and opinions about their rights and particularly, right for rest, leisure and cultural development enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“UNICEF encourages child participation as an integral part of good development process in Turkmenistan. We believe that the International Children’s Forum in the framework of the Festival will boost friendly ties between children of participating countries, raise awareness on child rights issues and most importantly, create an environment where children’s opinions are valued ” said Abdul Alim, UNICEF Representative, a.i. in Turkmenistan. “We hope that this Festival will help children to grow in their music talent, knowledge, and skills,so as to bring joy and satisfaction to their lives, challenge their minds, stimulate their imaginations, and lift their spirits”, added Mr. Abdul Alim.
The Festival will last till 7 August at the Nebitchi Children’s Camp in Gokdere resort area.
For more information please contact:
Ms. Gulyalek Soltanova UNICEF Communication Officer Phone: +99312 425681/82/86/86 Fax: +99312 420830 Email: gsoltanova@unicef.org Web: http://www.unicef.org/turkmenistan
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