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| © UNICEF/HQ02-0075/Markisz |
| The 404 Special Session Delegates, UN Special Session on Children, New York, USA. |
The United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children in New York City, from 8 to 10 May 2002, was another listening landmark. It was the first time that young people had played an official part in a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly: They came as official delegates from their governments and from non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
"We the children are experts on being 8, 12 or 17 years old in the societies of today … To consult us would make your work more effective and give better results for children. My proposal is that you make us part of your team." Heidi Grande, 17, from Norway
In the three days leading up to the Special Session, just over 400 children – 242 girls and 162 boys – from a total of 154 countries attended a related event: The Children's Forum. During the forum the young delegates’ job was to explore ways to improve the rights of children and young people worldwide. They also came to discuss the many new challenges that have arisen since the 1990 World Summit for Children (which, by the way, involved no child delegates).
The 404 young delegates at the Children's Forum had been chosen to represent their countries in various ways: through competitions in schools or communities, through participation in youth parliaments, or through involvement in national campaigns. So some were experienced and travelled campaigners, but many had never before been outside their own town or village.
Forty thousand voices
It was not only the young delegates themselves who had a chance to influence the Special Session. There had been a massive effort to consult children and young people beforehand. In all, UNICEF and its partners polled nearly 40,000 young people in 72 countries.
That's a lot of voices from a lot of very different backgrounds. And obviously, 40,000 young people don't all want the same things. But on some of the most crucial issues, there was a lot of agreement.
To start on a positive note, most young people said that they got on well with their parents and teachers and were generally happy. But most were also deeply worried about a range of problems, in particular:
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violence at home, at school or in the community
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discrimination against those who are poor, have disabilities, or minority children
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unemployment and poverty
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shortage of information about children's rights and about drugs, HIV/AIDS and sex
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lack of access to high-quality education
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the lack of opportunity to express opinions and have them taken into account
Disillusionment with traditional politics and politicians was another common factor. But the very fact that these polls influenced the agenda at the Special Session, and that children got a chance to talk to leaders face to face, was a step in the right direction.
