SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS WIDESPREAD PROGRESS IN EFFORTS TO REACH GOALS SET BY 1990 WORLD DECLARATION ON WELFARE OF CHILDREN
Press Release
SG/SM/6069
ICEF/1833
SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS WIDESPREAD PROGRESS IN EFFORTS TO REACH GOALS SET BY 1990 WORLD DECLARATION ON WELFARE OF CHILDREN
19960930 Says Progress 'Victory for Children and All of Humanity'; Struggle Must Continue to Alleviate Condition of People in Absolute PovertyThis is the text of an address by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali in New York today, at a commemorative meeting organized by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on the occasion of the mid-decade review of progress towards the achievement of the goals for children:
It is with a deep sense of satisfaction -- and renewed hope for the future -- that I address you today. Exactly six years ago, the World Summit for Children adopted the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children. That summit produced a plan of action for implementation in the 1990s. We are here today, at mid-decade, to review the progress made.
The political leaders who gathered at that historic summit, so soon after the end of the cold war, discussed children. Not military or security matters; not the global economy; not any of the burning issues that have traditionally brought heads of State together. The theme highlighted the beginning of a new era -- one in which the human being was placed at the core of global cooperation for development, peace and democracy.
That was the first summit meeting to raise children high on the global political agenda. It set the tone for the series of major United Nations conferences that followed, helping to shape a comprehensive agenda for development into the twenty-first century.
Today, we are able to assess how far we have come because the World Summit for Children set specific, measurable goals to improve children's well- being; because it established a deadline for their achievement, and because more than 150 governments established national programmes of action to achieve these goals. Never before has humankind been in a position to assess progress for its children so broadly and accurately. Never before has it been possible to identify obstacles so clearly or to hold leaders and institutions so closely accountable.
The international community does not often come together to celebrate major successes in development. But this is such an occasion. The progress that has been made for children since 1990 is widespread and significant. And all the more significant in light of the many difficulties facing developing nations in an increasingly disadvantageous international environment. I am pleased to report that mid-decade reviews in some 90 countries indicate that 60 per cent are on track to reach the overall goal of child survival, or are within striking distance of that goal. Predictably, the levels of achievement vary greatly by goal, between countries and even within countries. But that cannot reduce our enthusiasm for the overall process. Let me share with you some of the highlights:
-- In spite of unprecedented population growth, it is estimated that a million fewer children under the age of five will die this year than in 1990 -- a figure that could have been twice as great had all the mid-decade goals been achieved in all countries and communities.
-- Every year, about 80 per cent of the world's children are immunized against the major diseases of childhood before their first birthday. Polio, that dreaded crippler and killer of the young, is well on its way to permanent eradication.
-- Guinea worm, the "fiery serpent" that plagued millions in Africa and South Asia only five years ago, is now on the verge of elimination.
-- In just five years of accelerated efforts, an additional 1.5 billion people are now using iodized salt, striking a major blow against iodine deficiency disorders and preventing mental retardation in some 12 million infants yearly.
-- There has been progress in the provision of safe drinking water, although gains in sanitation have lagged.
-- Some 50 million more children are now enroled in primary school than in 1990, although this gain barely keeps pace with population growth. Enrolment now stands at 82 per cent of all children of primary school age, compared to 80 per cent in 1990. Overall, this is a record of which the world can be proud. Clearly, more progress is now being made for the world's children than ever before. Nevertheless, more than 1.3 billion people still live in absolute poverty -- 300 million more than in 1990. Children are the first victims. Every minute of every day, approximately 50 babies are born into absolute poverty. Cutbacks in basic social services, crushing debt burdens, proliferating armed conflicts and reductions in development assistance all deepen the problems confronting children and their families in many countries.
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To ensure that the gains for children can be sustained, and to reach the children who have not yet been reached, we must redouble our efforts to eradicate poverty. We must move boldly to establish an environment in which the positive momentum for children can continue and grow. A strategy for basic social services aimed at accelerating progress for children is at the heart of the United Nations System-Wide Special Initiative on Africa. It is crucial to achieve a real breakthrough for Africa's development on the eve of the twenty-first century. It must draw on the combined strengths of all United Nations agencies concerned.
Even as we soberly assess the complex and daunting challenges that lie ahead, this mid-decade review gives us legitimate grounds for renewed hope. The progress achieved so far is a victory for children and all of humanity -- because healthy and educated children are the key to future prosperity for all nations. It is a victory for development at a time when pessimism and retrenchment imperil the progress of recent decades. It is a victory for the very concept and practice of summitry. And it is an impressive victory for the United Nations at a time when its importance is often misunderstood.
This is not the time to falter. We must sustain the progress we are highlighting here today. We must accelerate our efforts to reach the goals for the year 2000. This will require further integration of global commitments into national plans, strategies and programmes. It will require continued commitment and support from the donor community. We must expand and strengthen partnerships between governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and the United Nations agencies, including the Bretton Woods institutions.
National strategies naturally must reflect national conditions and priorities. But our goals are universal. They are morally and politically binding. And now, with the near universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, they are also legally binding. I propose that an end-decade review be held in the year 2000, and its results presented to the General Assembly to advance global cooperation on behalf of the world's young into the next century.
I would be remiss if I ended this speech without paying homage to Jim Grant, the late Executive Director of UNICEF. More than any other individual, he was responsible for the convening of the World Summit for Children. His contributions to improving the lives of the world's children can be seen in virtually every aspect of the progress we are celebrating today. In closing, I urge every country to persist in and to intensify its efforts for children -- all children. So much depends on our success in this area. My heartfelt thanks to you all for what you have accomplished for the survival, protection and development of children.
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