Children and young people want a society that leaves no one behind

World Children’s Day celebrates stories of vulnerable children

20 November 2022
Group photo onstage at the World Children's Day 2022 event
UNICEF Philippines/2022/Iya Forbes
UNICEF, partners, children and young people come together at an event to commemorate World Children's Day in the Philippines, where the voices of children were highlighted and adults reaffirmed their commitment to promote and protect the rights of all children.

MANILA, 20 November 2022 – Landmarks around the Philippines turn blue today to celebrate World Children’s Day—a day by children, for children. The Rizal Monument, the SM MOA Globe, the Office of the Bangsamoro Chief Minister, the Maasin City Park, the Provincial Capitol of Dinagat Island and major expressways under the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation are awash in blue to impart an important message: that every child everywhere has a story to tell, regardless of their gender, race, status, and capabilities.

In September-October 2022, nearly half a million young people around the world who took part in a UNICEF U-Report poll said that discrimination is common in their environments such as school, community or workplace, and almost half of them felt that discrimination had impacted their lives or that of someone they know in a significant manner. In the Philippines, the most vulnerable children include children with disabilities, children who belong to indigenous groups, children living in poverty, and those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

To celebrate children and their voices, young people, and adults who support them came together in “Sigaw ng Kabataan, Walang Iwanan,” a World Children’s Day event that rallies the public to listen and amplify their views. This includes a children’s event with SM Mall of Asia and a three-day Children’s Congress in cooperation with the Cotabato City Government.

“Regardless of age, gender, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or other status, every child deserves to be included and celebrated, as well as protected against all forms of discrimination. Children must have a say in decisions that affect them. Listening to their voices is crucial for inclusive development,” UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov says.

As a way to support children’s participation, UNICEF undertakes capacity building activities that enable children and youth groups advocate for their own rights. For this year’s WCD celebrations, children from Southern Leyte, CARAGA, Cotabato and Valenzuela teamed up with creatives using dance, film and photography to allow others to view the world through their eyes.

Media contacts

Niko Wieland
Chief of Communication
UNICEF Philippines
Tel: +63 917 867 8366
Marge Francia
Communication Officer
UNICEF Philippines
Tel: +63 917 858 9447

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in the Philippines, visit www.unicef.ph.

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