PRESS CONFERENCE BY PLAN INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHING CHILDREN’S MAGAZINE ON MILLENNIUM GOALS

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PLAN INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHING

CHILDREN’S MAGAZINE ON MILLENNIUM GOALS

World leaders were urged to place children and young people at the heart of international efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals as the international children’s agency Plan launched “Our future; our say”, a new magazine written by children on the Millennium Development Goals.

At a press conference sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom, 15-year old Ian Sumagaysay from the Philippines underscored the importance of universal primary school education, which would give children a foundation for the completion of their studies, help them find good jobs, and eventually bring their families out of poverty.  Education would also enable children to avoid HIV/AIDS and care for the environment.  “Let’s make children the heart of everything we do”, he said.

Marjan Kloosterboer, a 16-year-old from the Netherlands, said world leaders were doing little to resolve global problems besides spending money on huge conferences, where they signed agreements and then went home and forgot about them.  The current leaders did not care about the Millennium Development Goals because in a few years they would have retired or died.  The world would then belong to the children and youth of today.  “We need goals that we can achieve, not guidelines to follow”, she added.

Tom Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Plan International, noted that although children made up about 40 per cent of the world’s population, they would not be represented next week when leaders from around the globe came to New York to address all kinds of issues affecting them.

Also present was Sam Worthington, Director of Plan-USA.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record