Preparatory Committee for the 2001                          HR/4514

 Special Session of the General Assembly                    29 January 2001

 on the Children’s World Summit

2^nd Meeting (PM)

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN CONTINUES DISCUSSION;

SPEAKERS HIGHLIGHT PROGRESS, PROBLEMS SINCE 1990 CHILDREN’S SUMMIT

African countries should be allowed to export their way to prosperity for the benefit of their children, the representative of Ghana told the Preparatory Committee for the General Assembly’s special session on children this afternoon, when it resumed its general discussion on preparations for the session.

The special session, to be held 19 to 21 September, is intended to follow up on implementation of the Declaration and Plan of Action of the 1990 World Summit for Children.  The week-long Preparatory Committee meeting, its second substantive session, is expected to conduct a preliminary examination of the end-of-decade reviews on implementation, as well as receive initial comments on the provisional draft outcome document.

Ghana’s representative said that the resources required to meet the challenge of bringing hope to children and guaranteeing a future happiness and prosperity for societies far outweighed the means available to most developing countries, especially those in Africa.  She called on the development partners of African countries to increase their assistance, as the continent was in danger of being left behind in the global scheme of things.

The representative of Ecuador said it was impossible for any country to meet the needs of its children if it had to pay 81 per cent of its national income to servicing external debt.  For that reason, his Government had taken the decision, one year ago, to make children its priority.  It had, therefore, renegotiated its debt burden with the Paris Club and that had resulted in a reduction from 81 per cent to 50 per cent of the national income going towards servicing the debt burden.

In outlining the Ukraine's situation, the representative said that the health of children was of special concern to her country, mainly because of the Chernobyl disaster, she said.  Only some 11 per cent of the children did not suffer from a health problem.  Following the disaster, there had been a rise in thyroid cancer and leukaemia.  She hoped the special session would result in a document that took into account all such problems.

Japan's representative said that, although much progress had been made since the World Summit for Children in 1990, a number of problems and challenges in ensuring a better childhood for children remained.  The survival of children, the fight against infectious diseases and the empowerment of women and girls were

Preparatory Committee               - 1a -                  Press Release HR/4514

2^nd Meeting (PM)                                             29 January 2001

urgent priorities.  Enhancing partnership among governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector was also essential.  His country had not been spared the problems affecting children all over the world, such as child prostitution, child pornography, suicide and drug abuse.  Japan intended to face up to those serious problems at home, while at the same time continuing to provide resources and assistance to global efforts. 

The representatives of Georgia, Mexico, Colombia (on behalf of the Rio Group), Chile, Viet Nam, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Romania, Croatia, Russian Federation, Egypt, and Guyana also spoke.  The Committee also heard from representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as several non-governmental organizations.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 30 January, to continue its work.

Committee Work Programme

As the Preparatory Committee for the General Assembly special session to follow up the 1990 World Summit for Children met this afternoon to continue its general discussion.

(For background, see Press Release HR/4513 issued today.)

Statements

Ms. PASECHNIK (Ukraine) said that the world was not free from child labour abuse, poverty, violence and sexual exploitation.  Discussion during the Millenium Summit focused on building a strategy for a world free of war and violence, poverty and disease.  The current generation of children would have to create such a world.  Would they be able to handle challenges of globalization and guarantee social progress? she asked.  Would they be able to carry the burden of responsibility for the future of mankind?  The special session should trigger immediate, active measures.  Ukraine had prepared comprehensive national programmes.  The main thrust of those programmes was to create favourable conditions for children.  While progress had been achieved, her country had run into serious difficulties for the development of children.  Those difficulties were the result of political and social changes taking place in an economy in transition. 

Health was a special concern in Ukraine, mainly because of the Chernobyl disaster, she said.  Only some 11 per cent of the children did not suffer from a health problem.  Following the disaster, there had been saw a rise in thyroid cancer and leukaemia.  The illegal trafficking of girls outside of Ukraine, mostly older children, was also a problem.  Children were being placed in institutions, unsupervised.  Those were just a few of the acute problems in Ukraine.  She hoped the special session would result in a document that took into account all such problems.  Ukraine had just finalized its national analysis.  Following the review held in March this year, there would be an all-Ukraine meeting on improving the status of children.  That could be done by bringing together all segments of society and using a wide variety of information activities.

DAVID APTSIAURI (Georgia) said his country had a good basis for overcoming the problems faced by children, because traditionally the role of the child in Georgia had always been extremely important and recognized in the established system of human values.  Children have always come first.  Those factors would help advance flexible mechanisms for the effective management and resolution of problems affecting children and young people.

In that regard, the Inter-ministerial Commission headed by President Eduard Shevardnadze had been established to deal with issues related to maternal and child health, he said.  Further, the President had been one of the active participants of the World Summit for Children in 1990.

Turning to the issue of cooperation between Georgia and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), he said that the United Nations agency had played a leading role in combating the most acute problems affecting children in his country.  He especially appreciated the work that had been done regarding specific actions in realizing the right of the child to survival.  He assured the Committee that Georgia would follow and embrace the ideas and principles of the shared commitment to children and was ready to participate actively in the preparatory process.

KIYOTAKA AKASAKA (Japan) said that much progress had been made since the World Summit for Children in 1990, but a number of problems and challenges in ensuring a better childhood for children remained.  The survival of children, the fight against infectious diseases, education, protection and the empowerment of women and girls were urgent priorities.  Enhancing partnership among governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector was also essential. 

In the Millennium Declaration, heads of State resolved to spare no effort to free children from the abject condition of extreme poverty, he said.  The Committee’s work should be guided by the concept of human security or a human-centred approach to the dangers and threats to children’s lives, well-being, health and dignity.  A child’s life, health and education constituted major tasks for the international community to work on towards the long-term objective of ensuring human security. 

The survival of children was the highest priority, he said.  Japan had been an important partner of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) in many of their programmes to address issues relating to the life and health of children, including immunization programmes.  With respect to the protection of children, Japan had taken a number of initiatives in recent years, including hosting an international workshop on children and armed conflict.  His country had not been spared from the problems from which children suffered.  It was also confronted by serious problems, such as child prostitution, child pornography, suicide and drug abuse.  The continuing decline in the average number of children in families was also becoming a serious problem.  Japan intended to face up to those serious problems at home, while at the same time continuing to provide resources and assistance to global efforts. 

JORGE EDUARDO NAVARRETE (Mexico) said that the commitment to international cooperation and shared goals had not been fulfilled with regard to the treatment of children.  Although important progress had been made, a great deal still remained to be done.  Mexico was persevering in its State policies to ensure the health, development and well-being of children and intended to intensify those efforts.

He added that Mexico believed that the special session of the General Assembly should galvanize the political will of the international community with regard to children's rights.  It should give priority to children's needs and a systematic policy committed to their development should be adopted in order to combat poverty and hunger, as well as expand education and health services.  The rights of children, especially migrant children, should be protected at all times.

He further stated that the draft outcome document would help Mexico to present more specific proposals on behalf of children and expressed the hope that the special session would contribute to strengthening the world alliance in the fight for children's rights.

ALFONSO VALDIVIESO (Colombia), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said that the governments of the Rio Group had set the task of implementing policies for girls and boys.  While they had obtained appreciable success, much remained to be done.  The special session was a unique opportunity to inject dynamism and move from words to action.  Governments had established regional mechanisms for evaluating the commitment to accelerated progress in complying with the goals of the World Summit.  In preparing for the special session, the region had carried out significant events, which had resulted in two important documents –- the Panama Declaration and the Kingston Consensus.  The Rio Group reiterated its commitment to laying the foundations for the full realization of the potential of children in their region.

The Rio Group also affirmed its commitment to the principles in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, he said.  He recognized the important contribution of civil society and agreed with the need to promote that sector in the protection of children’s rights.  Poverty and violence were the main reasons children joined the labour market prematurely.  Child and adolescent populations were affected by adverse socio-economic factors.  The Group had agreed to continue to promote national programmes, which sought to assign increased resources to social issues.  The Rio Group reiterated its willingness to work together to produce a satisfactory result focused on the well-being of children.

JUAN GABRIEL VALDES (Chile) said that while there had been some notable successes, a great deal remained to be done.  At the beginning of the decade, some 50.7 per cent of all children in Chile lived in poverty.  In 1998, some 30.3 per cent still lived in poverty.  The reduction was a source of great pride, but that 30.3 per cent that still lived in poverty was a stake in the heart of Chile.  Guaranteeing the effective enjoyment of the rights of the children and adolescents was the responsibility of not only public institutions, but also families and communities. 

The Convention on the Rights of the Child had brought about a radical change in the way in which children were viewed, he added.  It constituted a powerful, ethical and value-based regulatory framework.  Chile’s national policy recognized each of the rights set forth in the Convention and it had been translated into an integrated plan of action.  The plan provided for the implementation of activities by the year 2010, including health and quality education.

Priority areas of public action had been identified in the implementation of Chile’s national policy, he said.  A first strategic area had to do with raising awareness of the rights of children and adolescents.  A second strategy was to provide support for the strengthening of families as the units responsible for the integral development of children.  The most sustainable strategies would always be those that were able to obtain the necessary support from families and the community.  A third strategy was the coordination and development of public policies that recognized the rights of children.  The fourth strategy was the provision of special services for the effective protection of children’s rights in cases of threats and harm to them.  A fifth strategic area was the promotion of participation by children.  The Convention on the Rights of the Child enshrined the rights of all children to participate actively in community and society.

RAUL PATINO AROCA (Ecuador) said it was impossible for any country to meet the needs of its children if it had to pay 81 per cent of its income for external debt.  For that reason, his Government had taken the decision one year ago to make children their priority.  In his country, 91 per cent of children under the age of six did not attend a day-care centre, 82 per cent between the ages of six and 12 did not benefit from a school lunch programme, and there were some 200,000 children begging in the street.

That situation had led his Government to renegotiate its debt burden with the Paris Club, which resulted in a reduction from 81 per cent to 50 per cent of the national income going towards servicing the debt, he added.  That enabled them, with the help of United Nations agencies, to introduce an emergency social plan for children.  The plan led to a reduction in infant mortality rates, the elimination of polio, and a priority being placed on children's right to development.  There were more children benefiting from education, and gender imbalances had largely been eliminated.

He concluded that the United Nations was the appropriate forum for the debate now taking place.  The final outcome document should be adopted by consensus and should include something on the impact of migration on children, which was leading to widespread abandonment of them.  That problem not only affected Ecuador, but many other countries.  Good intentions were not enough to build a world fit for children.  Poverty must be reduced starting from childhood. Governments were responsible for the millions of boys and girls who had no future. Governments needed to define the goals and find mechanisms to improve the plight of children.

TRAN THI THANH THANH (Viet Nam) said that the international community was now reviewing the commitments made at the World Summit for Children and was mapping out new targets for the years ahead.  That was an extremely important task.  It must be implemented at the local, national and international levels and must mobilize all sectors of society.  Since 1990, Viet Nam had reviewed, at all levels, the achievements for children.  Organizations, such as the farmers organization, had been mobilized at the grass-roots level.  In December 2000 and January 2001, Viet Nam had organized several children’s forums.  At the national level, a conference had been organized for children to express their views on the implementation of the National Programme of Action. 

Upon reviewing the past 10 years, it was clear that a certain amount of progress had been made, she continued.  Viet Nam had achieved most of the goals related to the reduction of child mortality and the eradication of polio.  In the current session, Viet Nam would like to share some of the lessons it had learned.  Viet Nam had worked with international organizations, so that the role for children had been included in all sectors of society.  In resource mobilization, her country had tried to make use of all available resources contributed by United Nations organizations.  Resources should accompany each target.  Viet Nam had also set up a system for organization at the grass-roots level to develop and implement programmes.  Education was of paramount importance.  Although the awareness of society had been raised, the challenges in the new century were many.

ALBERTA QUARTEY (Ghana) said that Ghanaians did not live in the kind of conducive socio-economic environment that engendered the kind of success indicated in the review document.  Her country's economy, like most developing countries, had suffered from a persistent fall in the prices of commodities, an increase in the price of oil and a massive debt burden.  All of those posed obstacles to the realization of the objectives of the Declaration and Plan of Action adopted at the Children’s Summit.

She added that the resources required to meet the challenge of bringing hope to children and guaranteeing a future of happiness and prosperity for societies far outweighed the means available.  She called on the development partners of African countries to increase their assistance, as the continent was in danger of being left behind in the global scheme of things.  She stated further that, while more poverty-focused development programmes were needed and more resources allocated for them, African countries should also be able to export their way to prosperity for the benefit of their children. 

MICHEL KAFANDO (Burkina Faso) said that it was symbolic that the primary concern at the beginning of the new century was directed to those dearest to society -- children.  The international community was aware of the need to resolve the problems facing children.  Children were, after all, the men and women of tomorrow.  The special session was vital for shaping the way in which the world treated children’s rights.  Decision-makers would have to elaborate on the solutions they had adopted since 1990 to deal with the myriad problems faced by children.

Promoting education and the participation of children were important, he continued.  The second substantive session of the Preparatory Committee arrived in the nick of time.  The well-being of the girl child was important to his delegation.  The education of the girl child was one of the best investments for a developing nation in terms of poverty eradication and the promotion of peace.  Burkina Faso would work to contribute towards the Committee’s success.  He hoped it would result in a world free of war, hunger and disease.

ABDULMEJID HUSSEIN (Ethiopia) said his country had been working relentlessly towards the protection and promotion of the rights of children.  Though progress had been made in development policies to ensure the protection of the rights of women and children, the overall problems affecting their well-being were profound. Malaria was prevalent in 75 per cent of the country, affecting 4 to 5 million people; 12 per cent of the population was infected with HIV/AIDS; and there had been a high increase in the number of street children and mothers.

He believed that the special session would provide Ethiopia the opportunity to galvanize political commitment and the necessary resources to enable it to tackle the problems that had cut short the hopes and dreams of future generations. He suggested the special session aim at setting objectives, updating targets and renewing strategies to guide international cooperation and national actions with regard to children.

V. POPESCU (Romania) said that the review and appraisal, at the national and international level, of the implementation of the goals established by the 1990 World Summit for Children had a fundamental role to play in directing future actions on behalf of children.  In the last year, Romania had initiated a comprehensive process of evaluation, whose main objective was to identify the areas where future action was needed.  In Romania, the realization of the rights of the child was a fundamental objective of all child-related policies and programmes.  The past 10 years had been a continuous learning process in the field of child development, including increased involvement and responsibilities of local authorities in providing child protection services and developing adequate human resources for the child welfare system. 

In the area of health, Romania had registered significant decreases in child and maternal mortality, she continued.  As a result of measures taken by the Government, in cooperation with the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), steady measures had been taken to address the issue of children, including street children, children with disabilities and abandoned children.  Recent legislative measures were aimed at strengthening the role of the fathers in child care and development.  Despite considerable progress, poverty continued to increase and to negatively impact children’s rights.  Further actions for his Government included greater efficiency and coordination of governmental institutions dealing with children’s issue and adequate allocation and management of financial and human resources in the child welfare system.  She confirmed support for a concise, action-oriented final document, containing concrete strategies for improving the situation of children worldwide. 

IVAN SIMONOVIC (Croatia)said that preparation of the national report, which was an essential component of the preparatory process, had enabled his country to take stock of its progress in fulfilling the goals of the World Summit for Children. The country had been prevented from devising and establishing a National Programme of Action because of the events that took place in its territory over the last decade.  The delay had affected the full realization of the World Summit goals.

He added that, despite those setbacks, his country had not been deterred in its commitments and efforts on the ground.  It had established a working group, which included children, to draft a national report.  He also underscored the benefit of regional events in the preparatory process, such as an initiative by the Governments of Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina to hold a regional intergovernmental meeting in May this year.  Those meetings had a decisive role to play in identifying priorities that would take specific regional conditions into account.

N.V. TCHOULKOV (Russian Federation) said that while the potential benefits of globalization were great, the possible costs should not be forgotten.  The younger generation in many countries remained vulnerable in the face of the widening gap between the poor and the rich.  Globalization should be given a social dimension.  Over the past decade, considerable progress had been made in achieving the goals of the Summit.  However, many of the decisions on the situation of children had not been implemented.  The social and economic problems of the mother and the child were cause for serious concern.  Discrimination based on grounds of race, religion, ethnicity and gender still existed.  The problems of child labour, their participation in armed conflict and serious disease continued unabated. 

The outcome of the special session should set realistic mid-term objectives and goals, rather than unattainalbe abstract ideas, he said.  Exchange of experience between donor and recipient countries should be promoted.  States should unconditionally discharge their obligations under legal instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Given the peculiarities of the current period of social and economic development in Russia, the state of social policy to improve the situation of children should aim at reversing negative trends and creating real preconditions for further progress.  Russia advocated the development of international cooperation on the whole set of children’s rights protection issues.

MOUSHIRA KHATTAB (Egypt) said that her country had put the survival and development of children at the centre of the nation's policy agenda during the 1980s and the latter part of the decade.  It considered the well-being of the children as a sensitive indicator of overall sustainable social development.

She said that President Hosni Mubarak had declared in 1989 "The First Decade of the Egyptian Child".  The country had advocated actions, rather than promises, and had developed ways to monitor the follow-up to the World Summit for Children. Further, she stated, although notable progress had been made in immunization and enrolment in basic education, there were still challenges ahead.  In that regard, the President had declared, in February last year, the Second Decade of the Egyptian Child, which complied fully with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

VARSHNIE JAGDEO, First Lady of Guyana, said that the success of the special session depended on the recommitment to the goals of the World Declaration, the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, strong political will at both the national and international levels, and the placement children at the centre of development strategies.  The Guyana National Plan of Action for children was completed using the goals of the 1990 World Summit for Children and the Convention.  The Convention was not yet legally enforceable in Guyana.  A Committee was appointed in 1996 to review the laws relating to children, with the view to harmonizing law with the Convention.  Enforcing children’s rights called for greater coordination and cooperation between government, institutions and NGOs.

Children were the true wealth of any nation and must be included in the consultative process, she said.  Commitments to improve the life of children were pointless without the commitment of politicians to practice responsible politics.  The work of democratically elected governments would be wasted if the opposition parties of the day resorted to terrorist tactics.  The international community must not be silent when it heard of such actions.  It must speak up with one voice and condemn the abusers.

GEIR MYRSTAD, of the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that child labour was not a problem that was confined to a small category of children. The ILO considered that the worst forms of child labour included the use of young girls as prostitutes, the forced recruitment of child soldiers and the debt burden, which directly affected children in the main.  His organization looked forward to working with Members States in eliminating those problems.

A representative of Education International said that, while some areas of the Convention and other instruments had been implemented, millions of children were not borne to “sweet delight”.  Public institutions sat at the heart of public policy and education was fundamental to the successful implementation of other rights.  Free, compulsory education was a universal human right, and the key to sustainable development.  While statistics showed increases in school enrolment, some countries had recorded decreases.  Many children worked in intolerable

conditions, provided with only a few hours of education after a long workday.  To end child labour, increased provision of childcare was essential.  The emphasis should be on preventing children from entering into child labour.  Special provisions must be made for children who had been affected by HIV/AIDS.

The representative of Defense for Children International said that if the outcome document did not build on and reaffirm the Convention of the Rights of the Child, as well as set new international standards, many will see the special session as a step backward.  He demanded that governments reaffirm all the commitments made to the provisions of the Convention and the targets set by the World Summit Declaration, while adding new goals.  Ratification of the Convention was not enough.

A representative of Association pour le progrès de la defense des droits des femmes maliennes said that the second preparatory session represented a true opportunity for both governments and NGOs to take stock of activities on behalf of children.  Her organization had supported the rights of children and girls as a focal point of its activity.  The Association had disseminated the Convention to a number of schools.  It had also opened up a centre for girls and women who were victims of violence.  In 2000, there had been 195 such cases reported.  The Association worked a great deal on the sexual exploitation of girls and traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation.  Education still was not considered a priority.  Special emphasis should be given to the participation of girls.  A girl must overcome two to three times as many obstacles as her male counterpart.  States should go beyond mere ratification of the Convention.  All of the reservations expressed by States on the Convention should be removed. 

The representative of the Subregional Regional Initiatives of Latin America and the Caribbean called on governments in the region to ensure that NGOs, children and adolescents fully participated in the preparatory process, in order to better reflect their needs.  He added that they expected their governments to maintain the broadest and most democratic forum, in order to take into consideration all the proposals that had been made.  It was important for governments to continue working with NGOs, children and adolescents.  They had much to contribute.

A representative of Grupo de iniciativa nacional por los derechos del niño said the favourable economic conditions were necessary for the well-being of children.  Substantial change to economic models was needed to guarantee the equitable distribution of resources, with children as the priority.  National budgets should also reflect children and adolescents as a priority.  She was concerned to see the poor distribution of resources for health and the high distribution of resources for armaments.  Regarding political conditions, the adage that democracy was good for children and children good for democracy was true.  Organized civil society must be promoted.  It was also important to strengthen a system of national and regional protection, which required certain legal conditions.  In Latin America, legistlation was generally not adequate.

The representative of the Mexican Collective for the Support of Children said that, according to official data, poverty affected 60 per cent of the population and children were the main victims.  While progress had been made in

some areas, effective solutions had not been found to solve those problems. Mexican children who worked and lived in the streets were often the victims of sexual and commercial exploitation.  They also suffered violence.  For the past few years, Mexico had established centres where children could express their views on all kinds of issues and talk about their problems.  He expressed the hope that the practice would not only continue, but expand.  He believed that the special session should have, as one of its main objectives, a permanent forum for the participation of civil society, and children in particular.

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