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SDA-RF-CH-4.20
WORLD DECLARATION
ON THE SURVIVAL, PROTECTION
AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN
AND
PLAN OF ACTION
FOR IMPLEMENTING THE WORLD DECLARATION ON THE
SURVIVAL, PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN IN THE 1990s
AW
J
WORLD SUMMIT FOR CHILDREN
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK
30 September 1990
WORLD DECLARATION ON THE SURVIVAL, PROTECTION AND
DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN
1.
We have gathered at the World Summit for Children to undertake a joint
commitment and to make an urgent universal appeal—to give every child a
better future.
2. The children of the world are innocent, vulnerable and dependent. They are
also curious, active and full of hope. Their time should be one of joy and
peace, of playing, learning and growing. Their future should be shaped in
harmony and co-operation. Their lives should mature, as they broaden thenperspectives and gain new experiences.
3.
But for many children, the reality of childhood is altogether different.
The challenge
4.
Each day, countless children around the world are exposed to dangers that
Tiamper their growth and development. They suffer immensely as casualties of
war and violence; as victims of racial discrimination, apartheid, aggression,
foreign occupation and annexation; as refugees and displaced children, forced
to abandon their homes and their roots; as disabled; or as victims of neglect”
cruelty and exploitation.
5.
Each day, millions of children suffer from the scourges of poverty and
economic crisis—from hunger and homelessness, from epidemics and illiteracy,
from degradation of the environment. They suffer from the grave effects of the
problems of external indebtedness and also from the lack of sustained and
sustainable growth in many developing countries, particularly the least
developed ones.
6.
Each day, 40,000 children die from malnutrition and disease, including acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), from the lack of clean water and
inadequate sanitation and from the effects of thFdrugproblerfL
7.
These are challenges that we, as political leaders, must meet.
The opportunity
8.
Together, our nations have the means and the knowledge to protect the lives
andjp diminish enormously the suffering of children, to promote the full
development of their human potential and to^make them aware of their needs,
rights and opportunities. The Convention on the Rights of the Child provides
a new opportunity to make respect for children's rights and welfare truly
universal.
9.
Recent improvements in the international political climate can facilitate this
task. Through international co-operation and solidarity it should now be
possible to achieve concrete results_in many fields—to revitalize economic
growth and development, to protect the environment to prevent Ihe spread of
fatal and crippling diseases and jo achieve greater social and economic justice.
The current moves towards disarmament also mean that significant resounTes
could be released for purposes other than military ones. Improving the well
being of children must be a very high priority when these resources are
reallocated.
The task
ii
’I
10.
Enhancement of children's health and nutrition is a first duty, and also a task
' for which Solutions are now within reach. The lives of fens of thousands of
boys and girls can be saved every day, because the causes of their death are
readily preventable. Child and infant mortality is unacceptably high in many
parts of the world, but can be lowered dramatically with means that are
already known and easily accessible.
11.
Further attention, care and support should be accorded to disabled children,
as~wen-as to other children in very difficult circumstances.
12.
Strengthening the role of women in general and ensuring their equal rights
will be to the advantage of the world's children. Girls must be given equal
treatment and opporfunitieslrom the very beginning.
13.
At present, over 100 million children are without basic schooling, and twothirds of them are girls, llie provision of basic educationjnd literaqTfor all are
among the most importaiTt contributions thafcaiT be made to the development
of the world's children.
14.
Half a million mothers die each year from causes related to childbirth. Safe
motherhood must be promoted in all possible ways. Emphasis must be placed
on responsible planning of family size and on child spacing. The family, as a
fundamental group and natural environment for the growth and well-being of
children, should be given all necessary protection and assistance.
2
15.
All childrenmust be given the chance to find_their identity and realize their
wdrtKTh a safe and supportive environment, through families and other care
givers committed to their welfare. They must be prepared for responsible life
in a free society. They should, from their early years, be encouraged to
participate in the cultural life of their societies.
16.
Economic conditions will continue to influence greatly the fate of children,
especially in developing nations. For the sake of the future of all children, it is
urgently necessary to ensure or reactivate sustained and sustainable economic
growth and development in all countries and also to continue to give urgent
attention to an early, broad and durable solution to the external debt problems
facing developing debtor countries.
17.
These tasksjequire a continued and concerted effort by all nations, through
national action and international co-operation.
The commitment
18.
The well-being of children requires political action at the highest level. We are
determined to take that action.
19.
We ourselves hereby make a solemn commitment to give high priority to the
rights of children, to their survival and to their protection and development.
This will also ensure the well-being of all societies.
20.
We have agreed that we will act together, in international co-operation, as well
as in our respective countries. We now commit ourselves to the following
10-point programme to protect the rights of children and to improve their lives:
(1) We will work to promote earliest possible ratification and
implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Programmes toencourage information about children's rights should
BeTaunched world-wide, taking into account the distinct cultural and
social values in different countries.
(2) We will work for a solid effort of national and international action to
enhance children's health, to promote pre-natal care and to lower
infant and child mortality in all countries and among all peoples. We
will promote the provision of clean water in all communities for all
their children, as well as universal access to sanitation.
(3) We will work for optimal growth and development in childhood,
through measures to eradicate hunger, malnutrition and famine, and
thus to relieve millions of children of tragic sufferings in a world that
has the means to feed all its citizens.
(4) We will work to strengthen the role and status of women. We will
promote responsible planning of family size, child spacing,
breastfeeding and safe motherhood.
3
(5) We will work for respect for the role of the family in providing for
children and will support the efforts of parents, other care-givers and
communities to nurture and care for children, from the earliest stages
of childhood through adolescence. We also recognize the special
needs of children who are separated from their families.
(6)
We will work for programmes that reduce illiteracy and provide
educational opportunities for all children, irrespective of their
background and gender; that prepare children for productive
employment and lifelong learning opportunities, i. e. through
vocational training; and that enable children to grow to adulthood
within a supportive and nurturing cultural and social context.
(7)
We will work to ameliorate the plight of millions of children who live
under especially difficult circumstances—as victims of apartheid and
foreign occupation; orphans and street children and children of
migrant workers; the displaced children and victims of natural and
man-made disasters; the disabled and the abused, the socially
disadvantaged and the exploited. Refugee children must be helped to
find new roots in life. We will work for special protection of the
working child and for the abolition of illegal child labour. We will do
our best to ensure that children are not drawn into becoming victims
of the scourge of illicit drugs.
(8)
We will work carefully to protect children from the scourge of war
and to take measures to prevent further armed conflicts, in order to
give children everywhere a peaceful and secure future. We will
promote the values of peace, understanding and dialogue in the
education of children. The essential needs of children and families
must be protected even in times of war and in violence-ridden areas.
We ask that periods of tranquillity and special relief corridors be
observed for the benefit of children, where war and violence are still
taking place.
We will work for common measures for the protection of the
environment, at all levels, so that all children can enjoy a safer and
healthier future.
(9)
(10) We will work for a global attack on poverty, which would have
immediate benefits for children's welfare. The vulnerability and
special needs of the children of the developing countries, and in
particular the least developed ones, deserve priority. But growth and
development need promotion in all States, through national action
and international co-operation. That calls for transfers of appropriate
additional resources to developing countries as well as improved
terms of trade, further trade liberalization and measures for debt
relief. It also implies structural adjustments that promote world
economic growth, particularly in developing countries, while
ensuring the well-being of the most vulnerable sectors of the
populations, in particular the children.
4
The next steps
21. The World Summit for Children has presented us with a challenge to take
action. We have agreed to take up that challenge.
22.
Among the partnerships we seek, we turn especially to children themselves.
We appeal to them to participate in this effort.
23.
We also seek the support of the United Nations system, as well as other
international and regional organizations, in the universal effort to promote the
well-being of children. We ask for greater involvement on the part of non
governmental organizations, in complementing national efforts and joint
international action in this field.
24.
We have decided to adopt and implement a Plan of Action, as a framework for
more specific national and international undertakings. We appeal to all our
colleagues to endorse that Plan. We are prepared to make available the
resources to meet these commitments, as part of the priorities of our national
plans.
25.
We do this not only for the present generation, but for all generations to come.
There can be no task nobler than giving every child a better future.
New York, 30 September 1990
5
PLAN OF ACTION FOR IMPLEMENTING
THE WORLD DECLARATION ON THE SURVIVAL, PROTECTION
AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN IN THE 1990s
I.
INTRODUCTION
II.
SPECIFIC ACTIONS FOR CHILD SURVIVAL, PROTECTION
AND DEVELOPMENT
The Convention on the Rights of the Child
Child health
Food and nutrition
Role of women, maternal health and family planning
Role of the family
Basic education and literacy
Children in especially difficult circumstances
Protection of children during armed conflicts
Children and the environment
Alleviation of poverty and revitalization of economic growth
III.
FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS AND MONITORING
Action at the national level
Action at the international level
Appendix:
Goals for children and development in the 1990s
7
I. INTRODUCTION
1.
This Plan of Action is intended as a guide for national Governments,
international organizations, bilateral aid agencies, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and all other sectors of society in formulating their own
programmes of action for ensuring the implementation of the Declaration of
the World Summit for Children.
2. The needs and problems of children vary from country to country, and indeed
from community to community. Individual countries and groups of countries,
as well as international, regional, national and local organizations, may use
this Plan of Action to develop their own specific programmes in line with their
needs, capacity and mandates. However, parents, elders and leaders at all
levels throughout the world have certain common aspirations for the well
being of their children. This Plan of Action deals with these common
aspirations, suggesting a set of goals and targets for children in the 1990s,
strategies for reaching those goals and commitments for action and follow-up
measures at various levels.
3.
Progress for children should be a key goal of overall national development. It
should also form an integral part of the broader international development
strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade. As today's
children are the citizens of tomorrow's world, their survival, protection and
development is the prerequisite for the future development of humanity.
Empowerment of the younger generation with knowledge and resources to
meet their basic human needs and to grow to their full potential should be a
primary goal of national development. As their individual development and
social contribution will shape the future of the world, investment in children's
health, nutrition and education is the foundation for national development.
4.
The aspirations of the international community for the well-being of children
are best reflected in the Convention on the Rights of the Child unanimously
adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989. This
Convention sets universal legal standards for the protection of children against
neglect, abuse and exploitation, as well as guaranteeing to them their basic
human rights, including survival, development and full participation in social,
cultural, educational and other endeavours necessary for their individual
growth and well-being. The Declaration of the World Summit calls on all
Governments to promote earliest possible ratification and implementation of
the Convention.
8
5. In the past two years, a set of goals for children and development in the 1990s
has been formulated in several international forums attended by virtually all
Governments, relevant United Nations agencies and major NGOs. In support
of these goals and in line with the growing international consensus in favour
of greater attention to the human dimension of development in the 1990s, this
Plan of Action calls for concerted national action and international co-operation
to strive for the achievement, in all countries, of the following major goals for
the survival, protection and development of children by the year 2000.
(a) Reduction of 1990 under-5 child mortality rates by one third or to a
level of 70 per 1,000 live births, whichever is the greater reduction;
(b) Reduction of maternal mortality rates by half of 1990 levels;
(c) Reduction of severe and moderate malnutrition among under-5
children by one half of 1990 levels;
(d) Universal access to safe drinking water and to sanitary means of
excreta disposal;
(e) Universal access to basic education and completion of primary
education by at least 80 per cent of primary school age children;
(f) Reduction of the adult illiteracy rate to at least half its 1990 level (the
appropriate age group to be determined in each country), with
emphasis on female literacy;
(g) Protection of children in especially difficult circumstances, particularly
in situations of armed conflicts.
6. A list of more detailed sectoral goals and specific actions which would enable
the attainment of the above major goals can be found in the appendix to this
Plan of Action. These goals will first need to be adapted to the specific realities
of each country in terms of phasing, priorities, standards and availability of
resources. The strategies for the achievement of the goals may also vary from
country to country. Some countries may wish to add other development goals
that are uniquely important and relevant for their specific country situation.
Such adaptation of the goals is of crucial importance to ensure their technical
validity, logistical feasibility, financial affordability and to secure political
commitment and broad public support for their achievement.
IL SPECIFIC ACTIONS FOR CHILD SURVIVAL, PROTECTION AND
DEVELOPMENT
7. Within the context of these overall goals, there are promising opportunities for
eradicating or virtually eliminating age-old diseases that have afflicted tens of
millions of children for centuries and for improving the quality of life of
generations to come. Achievement of these goals would also contribute to
lowering population growth, as sustained decline in child death rates towards
the level at which parents become confident that their first children will
survive is, with some time lag, followed by even greater reduction in child
9
births. To seize these opportunities the Declaration of the World Summit for
Children calls for specific actions in the following areas:
The Convention on the Rights of the Child
8. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, unanimously adopted by the
United Nations General Assembly, contains a comprehensive set of
international legal norms for the protection and well-being of children. All
Governments are urged to promote earliest possible ratification of the
Convention, where it has not already been ratified. Every possible effort
should be made in all countries to disseminate the Convention and, wherever
it has already been ratified, to promote its implementation and monitoring.
Child health
9. Preventable childhood diseases—such as measles, polio, tetanus, tuberculosis,
whooping cough and diphtheria, against which there are effective vaccines,
and diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia and other acute respiratory infections that
can be prevented or effectively treated through relatively low-cost remedies—
are currently responsible for the great majority of the world's 14 million deaths
of children under 5 years and disability of millions more every year. Effective
action can and must be taken to combat these diseases by strengthening
primary health care and basic health services in all countries.
10. Besides these readily preventable or treatable diseases and some others, such
as malaria, which have proved more difficult to combat, children today are
faced with the new spectre of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
(AIDS) pandemic. In the most seriously affected countries HTV/AIDS threatens
to offset the gains of child survival programmes. It is already a major drain on
limited public health resources needed to support other priority health
services. The consequences of HIV/AIDS go well beyond the suffering and
death of the infected child and include risks and stigmas that affect parents
and siblings and the tragedy of "AIDS orphans". There is an urgent need to
ensure that programmes for the prevention and treatment of AIDS, including
research on possible vaccines and cures that can be applicable in all countries
and situations, and massive information and education campaigns, receive a
high priority for both national action and international co-operation.
11. A major factor affecting the health of children as well as adults is the
availability of clean water and safe sanitation. These are not only essential for
human health and well-being, but also contribute greatly to the emancipation
of women from the drudgery that has a pernicious impact on children,
especially girls. Progress in child health is unlikely to be sustained if one third
of the developing world's children remain without access to clean drinking
water and half of them without adequate sanitary facilities.
10
12.
Based on the experience of the past decade, including the many innovations in
simple, low-cost techniques and technologies to provide clean water and safe
sanitary facilities in rural areas and urban shanty towns, it is now desirable as
well as feasible, through concerted national action and international co
operation, to aim at providing all the world's children with universal access to
safe drinking water and sanitary means of excreta disposal by the year 2000.
An important related benefit of universal access to water and sanitation
combined with health education will be the control of many water-borne
diseases, among them elimination of guinea-worm disease (dracunculiasis),
which currently afflicts some 10 million children in parts of Africa and Asia.
Food and nutrition
13.
Hunger and malnutrition in their different forms contribute to about half of
the deaths of young children. More than 20 million children suffer from severe
malnutrition, 150 million are underweight and 350 million women suffer from
nutritional anaemia. Improved nutrition requires (a) adequate household food
security, (b) healthy environment and control of infections and (c) adequate
maternal and child care. With the right policies, appropriate institutional
arrangements and political priority, the world is now in a position to feed all
the world's children and to overcome the worst forms of malnutrition, i.e.
drastically to reduce diseases that contribute to malnutrition, to halve protein
energy malnutrition, virtually to eliminate vitamin A deficiency and iodine
deficiency disorders and to reduce nutritional anaemia significantly.
14.
For the young child and the pregnant woman, provision of adequate food
during pregnancy and lactation; promotion, protection and support of
breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, including frequent
feeding; growth monitoring with appropriate follow-up actions; and
nutritional surveillance are the most essential needs. As the child grows older,
and for the adult population as a whole, an adequate diet is an obvious
human priority. Meeting this need requires employment and income
generating opportunities, dissemination of knowledge and supporting services
to increase food production and distribution. These are key actions within
broader national strategies to combat hunger and malnutrition.
Role of women, maternal health and family planning
15.
Women in their various roles play a critical part in the well-being of children.
The enhancement of the status of women and their equal access to education,
training, credit and other extension services constitute a valuable contribution
to a nation's social and economic development. Efforts for the enhancement of
women's status and their role in development must begin with the girl child.
Equal opportunity should be provided for the girl child to benefit from the
health, nutrition, education and other basic services to enable her to grow to
her full potential.
■
11
16.
Maternal health, nutrition and education are important for the survival and
well-being of women in their own right and are key determinants of the health
and well-being of the child in early infancy. The causes of the high rates of
infant mortality, especially neonatal mortality, are linked to untimely
pregnancies, low birth weight and pre-term births, unsafe delivery, neonatal
tetanus, high fertility rates, etc. These are also major risk factors for maternal
mortality claiming the lives of 500,000 young women each year and resulting in
ill-health and suffering for many millions more. To redress this tragedy, special
attention should be given to health, nutrition and education of women.
17.
All couples should have access to information on the importance of
responsible planning of family size and the many advantages of child spacing
to avoid pregnancies that are too early, too late, too many or too frequent. Pre
natal care, clean delivery, access to referral facilities in complicated cases,
tetanus toxoid vaccination and prevention of anaemia and other nutritional
deficiencies during pregnancy are other important interventions to ensure safe
motherhood and a healthy start in life for the newborn. There is an added
benefit of promoting maternal and child health programmes and family
planning together in that, acting synergistically, these activities help accelerate
the reduction of both mortality and fertility rates, and contribute more to
lowering rates of population growth than either type of activity alone.
Role of the family
18.
The family has the primary responsibility for the nurturing and protection of
children from infancy to adolescence. Introduction of children to the culture,
values and norms of their society begins in the family. For the full and
harmonious development of their personality, children should grow up in a
family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding.
Accordingly, all institutions of society should respect and support the efforts of
parents and other care-givers to nurture and care for children in a family
environment.
19.
Every effort should be made to prevent the separation of children from their
families. Whenever children are separated from their family owing to force
majeur or in their own best interest, arrangements should be made for
appropriate alternative family care or institutional placement, due regard being
paid to the desirability of continuity in a child's upbringing in his or her own
cultural milieu. Extended families, relatives and community institutions should
be given support to help to meet the special needs of orphaned, displaced and
abandoned children. Efforts must be made to ensure that no child is treated as
an outcast from society.
Basic education and literacy
20.
The international community, including virtually all the Governments of the
world, have undertaken a commitment at the World Conference on Education
for All at Jomtien, Thailand, to increase significantly educational opportunity
12
for over 100 million children and nearly 1 billion adults, two thirds of them
girls and women, who at present have no access to basic education and
literacy. In fulfilment of that commitment, specific measures must be adopted
for (a) the expansion of early childhood development activities, (b) universal
access to basic education, including completion of primary education or
equivalent learning achievement by at least 80 per cent of the relevant school
age children with emphasis on reducing the current disparities between boys
and girls, (c) the reduction of adult illiteracy by half, with emphasis on female
literacy, (d) vocational training and preparation for employment and (e)
increased acquisition of knowledge, skills and values through all educational
channels, including modem and traditional communication media, to improve
the quality of life of children and families.
21.
Besides its intrinsic value for human development and improving the quality
of life, progress in education and literacy can contribute significantly to
improvement in maternal and child health, in protection of the environment
and in sustainable development. As such, investment in basic education must
be accorded a high priority in national action as well as international co
operation.
Children in especially difficult circumstances
22.
Millions of children around the world live under especially difficult
circumstances—as orphans and street children, as refugees or displaced
persons, as victims of war and natural and man-made disasters, including
such perils as exposure to -radiation and dangerous chemicals, as children of
migrant workers and other socially disadvantaged groups, as child workers or
youth trapped in the bondage of prostitution, sexual abuse and other forms of
exploitation, as disabled children and juvenile delinquents and as victims of
apartheid and foreign occupation. Such children deserve special attention,
protection and assistance from their families and communities and as part of
national efforts and international co-operation.
23. More than 100 million children are engaged in employment, often heavy and
hazardous and in contravention of international conventions which provide for
their protection from economic exploitation and from performing work that
interferes with their education and is harmful to their health and full
development. With this in mind, all States should work to end such child
labour practices and see how the conditions and circumstances of children in
legitimate employment can be protected to provide adequate opportunity for
their healthy upbringing and development.
24.
Drug abuse has emerged as a global menace to very large numbers of young
people and, increasingly, children—including permanent damage incurred in
the pre-natal stages of life. Concerted action is needed by Governments and
intergovernmental agencies to combat illicit production, supply, demand,
trafficking and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances to
13
counter this tragedy. Equally important is community action and education,
which are vitally needed to curb both the supply of and the demand for illicit
drugs. Tobacco and alcohol abuse are also problems requiring action,
especially preventive measures and education among young people.
Protection of children during armed conflicts
25.
Children need special protection in situations of armed conflict. Recent
examples in which countries and opposing factions have agreed to suspend
hostilities and adopt special measures such as "corridors of peace" to allow
relief supplies to reach women and children and "days of tranquillity" to
vaccinate and to provide other health services for children and their families in
m
areas of conflict need to be applied in all such situations. Resolution of a
conflict need not be a prerequisite for measures explicitly to protect children
and their families to ensure their continuing access to food, medical care and
basic services, to deal with trauma resulting from violence and to exempt them
from other direct consequences of violence and hostilities. To build the
foundation for a peaceful world where violence and war will cease to be
acceptable means for settling disputes and conflicts, children's education
should inculcate the values of peace, tolerance, understanding and dialogue.
Children and the environment
26.
Children have the greatest stake in the preservation of the environment and its
judicious management for sustainable development as their survival and
development depends on it. The child survival and development goals
proposed for the 1990s in this Plan of Action seek to improve the environment
by combating disease and malnutrition and promoting education. These
contribute to lowering death rates as well as birth rates, improved social
services, better use of natural resources and, ultimately, to the breaking of the
vicious cycle of poverty and environmental degradation.
27.
With their relatively low use of capital resources and high reliance on social
mobilization, community participation and appropriate technology, the
programmes designed to reach the child-related goals of the 1990s are highly
compatible with and supportive of environmental protection. The goals for the
survival, protection and development of children as enunciated in this Plan of
Action should therefore be seen as helping to protect and preserve the
environment. Still more action is needed, of course, to prevent the degradation
of the environment in both the industrialized and the developing countries,
through changes in the wasteful consumption patterns of the affluent and by
helping to meet the necessities of survival and development of the poor.
Programmes for children that not only help to meet their basic needs but
which inculcate in them respect for the natural environment with the diversity
of life that it sustains and its beauty and resourcefulness that enhance the
quality of human life, must figure prominently in the world's environmental
agenda.
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Alleviation of poverty and revitalization of economic growth
28.
Achievement of child related goals in the areas of health, nutrition, education,
etc., will contribute much to alleviating the worst manifestations of poverty.
But much more will need to be done to ensure that a solid economic base is
established to meet and sustain the goals for long-term child survival,
protection and development.
29.
As affirmed by the international community at the eighteenth special session
of the United Nations General Assembly (April 1990), a most important
challenge for the 1990s is the need for revitalization of economic growth and
social development in the developing countries and to address together the
problems of abject poverty and hunger that continue to afflict far too many
people in the world. As the most vulnerable segment of human society,
children have a particular stake in sustained economic growth and alleviation
of poverty, without which their well-being cannot be secured.
30.
To foster a favourable international economic environment, it is essential to
continue to give urgent attention to an early, broad and durable solution to
the external debt problems facing developing debtor countries; to mobilize
external and domestic resources to meet the increasing needs for development
finance of developing countries; to take steps to ensure that the problem of the
net transfer of resources from developing to developed countries does not
continue in the 1990s and that its impact is effectively addressed; to create a
more open and equitable trading system to facilitate the diversification and
modernization of the economies of developing countries, particularly those
that are commodity-dependent; and to make available substantial concessional
resources, particularly for the least developed countries.
31.
In all of these efforts the fulfilment of the basic needs of children must receive
a high priority. Every possible opportunity should be explored to ensure that
programmes benefiting children, women and other vulnerable groups are
protected in times of structural adjustments and other economic restructuring.
For example, as countries reduce military expenditures, part of the resources
released should be channelled to programmes for social and economic
development, including those benefiting children. Debt-relief schemes could
be formulated in ways that the budget reallocations and renewed economic
growth made possible through such schemes would benefit programmes for
children. Debt relief for children, including debt swaps for investment in social
development programmes, should be considered by debtors and creditors. The
international community, including private-sector creditors, are urged to work
with developing countries and relevant agencies to support debt relief for
children. To match increased efforts by developing countries themselves, the
donor countries and international institutions should consider taigetting more
development assistance to primary health care, basic education, low-cost water
and sanitation programmes and other interventions specifically endorsed in
the Summit Declaration and this Plan of Action.
15
32.
The international community has recognized the need to stop and reverse the
increasing marginalization of the least developed countries, including most
countries of sub-Saharan Africa and many land-locked and island countries
that face special development problems. These countries will require
additional long-term international support to complement their own national
efforts to meet the pressing needs of children over the 1990s.
III. FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS AND MONITORING
33.
Effective implementation of this Plan of Action will require concerted national
action and international co-operation. As affirmed in the Declaration, such
action and co-operation must be guided by the principle of a "first call for
children'—a principle that the essential needs of children should be given high
priority in the allocation of resources, in bad times as well as in good times, at
national and international as well as at family levels.
34.
It is particularly important that the child-specific actions proposed must be
pursued as part of strengthening broader national development programmes
combining revitalized economic growth, poverty reduction, human resource
development and environmental protection. Such programmes must also
strengthen community organizations, inculcate civic responsibility and be
sensitive to the cultural heritage and social values which support progress
without alienation of the younger generation. With these broad objectives in
mind, we commit ourselves and our Governments to the following actions:
Action at the national level
(i)
All Governments are urged to prepare, before the end of 1991,
national programmes of action to implement the commitments
undertaken in the World Summit Declaration and this Plan of
Action. National Governments should encourage and assist
provincial and local governments as well as NGOs, the private sector
and civic groups to prepare their own programmes of action to help
to implement the goals and objectives included in the Declaration
and this Plan of Action;
(ii)
Each country is encouraged to re-examine in the context of its
national plans, programmes and policies, how it might accord higher
priority to programmes for the well-being of children in general, and
for meeting over the 1990s the major goals for child survival,
development and protection as enumerated in the World Summit
Declaration and this Plan of Action;
(iii)
Each country is urged to re-examine in the context of its particular
national situation, its current national budget, and in the case of
donor countries, their development assistance budgets, to ensure
that programmes aimed at the achievement of goals for the survival,
protection and development of children will have a priority when
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resources are allocated. Every effort should be made to ensure that
such programmes are protected in times of economic austerity and
structural adjustments;
(iv)
Families, communities, local governments, NGOs, social, cultural,
religious, business and other institutions, including the mass media,
are encouraged to play an active role in support of the goals
enunciated in this Plan of Action. The experience of the 1980s shows
that it is only through the mobilization of all sectors of society,
including those that traditionally did not consider child survival,
protection and development as their major focus, that significant
progress can be achieved in these areas. All forms of social
mobilization, including the effective use of the great potential of the
new information and communication capacity of the world, should
be marshalled to convey to all families the knowledge and skills
required for dramatically improving the situation of children;
(V)
Each country should establish appropriate mechanisms for the
regular and timely collection, analysis and publication of data
required to monitor relevant social indicators relating to the well
being of children—such as neonatal, infant and under-5 mortality
rates, maternal mortality and fertility rates, nutritional levels,
immunization coverage, morbidity rates of diseases of public health
importance, school enrolment and achievement and literacy rates—
which record the progress being made towards the goals set forth in
this Plan of Action and corresponding national plans of action.
Statistics should be disaggregated by gender to ensure that any
inequitable impact of programmes on girls and women can be
monitored and corrected. It is particularly important that
mechanisms be established to alert policy makers quickly to any
adverse trends to enable timely corrective action. Indicators of
human development should be periodically reviewed by national
leaders and decision makers, as is currently done with indicators of
economic development;
(vi)
Each country is urged to re-examine its current arrangements for
responding to natural disasters and man-made calamities which
often afflict women and children the hardest. Countries that do not
have adequate contingency planning for disaster preparedness are
urged to establish such plans, seeking support from appropriate
international institutions where necessary;
(vii) Progress towards the goals endorsed in the Summit Declaration and
this Plan of Action could be further accelerated, and solutions to
many other major problems confronting children and families greatly
facilitated, through further research and development. Governments,
industry and academic institutions are requested to increase their
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efforts in both basic and operational research, aimed at new technical
and technological breakthroughs, more effective social mobilization
and better delivery of existing social services. Prime examples of the
areas in which research is urgently needed include, in the field of
health, improved vaccination technologies, malaria, AIDS,
respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, nutritional deficiencies,
tuberculosis, family planning and care of the newborn. Similarly
there are important research needs in the area of early child
development, basic education, hygiene and sanitation, and in coping
with the trauma facing children who are uprooted from their families
and face other particularly difficult circumstances. Such research
should involve collaboration among institutions in both the
developing and the industrialized countries of the world.
Action at the international level
35. Action at the community and national levels is, of course, of critical importance
in meeting the goals and aspirations for children and development. However,
many developing countries, particularly the least developed and the most
indebted ones, will need substantial international co-operation to enable them
to participate effectively in the world-wide effort for child survival, protection
and development. Accordingly, the following specific actions are proposed to
create an enabling international environment for the implementation of this
Plan of Action.
(i)
All international development agencies—multilateral, bilateral and
non-governmental—are urged to examine how they can contribute to
the achievement of the goals and strategies enunciated in the
Declaration and this Plan of Action as part of more general attention
to human development in the 1990s. They are requested to report
their plans and programmes to their respective governing bodies
before the end of 1991 and periodically thereafter;
(ii)
All regional institutions, including regional political and economic
organizations, are requested to include consideration of the
Declaration and this Plan of Action on the agenda of their meetings,
including at the highest political level, with a view to developing
agreements for mutual collaboration for implementation and ongoing
monitoring;
(iii)
Full co-operation and collaboration of all relevant United Nations
agencies and organs as well as other international institutions are
requested in ensuring the achievement of the goals and objectives of
the national plans envisaged in the World Summit Declaration and
Plan of Action. The governing bodies of all concerned agencies are
requested to ensure that within their mandates the fullest possible
support is given by these agencies for the achievement of these goals;
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36.
(iv)
The assistance of the United Nations is requested to institute
appropriate mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of this
Plan of Action, using existing expertise of the relevant United
Nations statistical offices, the specialized agencies, UNICEF and
other United Nations organs. Furthermore, the Secretary-General of
the United Nations is requested to arrange for a mid-decade review,
at all appropriate levels, of the progress being made towards
implementing the commitments of the Declaration and Plan of
Action;
(V)
As the world's lead agency for children, the United Nations
Children's Fund is requested to prepare, in close collaboration with
the relevant specialized agencies and other United Nations organs, a
consolidated analysis of the plans and actions undertaken by
individual countries and the international community in support of
the child-related development goals for the 1990s. The governing
bodies of the relevant specialized agencies and United Nations
organs are requested to include a periodic review of the
implementation of the Declaration and this Plan of Action at thenregular sessions and to keep the General Assembly of the
United Nations, through the Economic and Social Council, fully
informed of progress to date and additional action required during
the decade ahead.
The goals enunciated in the Declaration and this Plan of Action are ambitious
and the commitments required to implement them will demand consistent and
extraordinary effort on the part of all concerned. Fortunately, the necessary
knowledge and techniques for reaching most of the goals already exist. The
financial resources required are modest in relation to the great achievements
that beckon. And the most essential factor—the provision to families of the
information and services necessary to protect their children—is now within
reach in every country and for virtually every community. There is no cause
which merits a higher priority than the protection and development of
children, on whom the survival, stability and advancement of all nations—
and, indeed, of human civilization—depends. Full implementation of the
Declaration and this Plan of Action must therefore be accorded a high priority
for national action and international co-operation.
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Appendix
GOALS FOR CHILDREN AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE 1990s
The following goals have been formulated through extensive consultation in
various international forums attended by virtually all Governments, the relevant
United Nations agencies including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF,
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD) and a large number of NGOs. These goals are recommended
for implementation by all countries where they are applicable, with appropriate
adaptation to the specific situation of each country in terms of phasing, standards,
priorities and availability of resources, with respect for cultural, religious and social
traditions. Additional goals that are particularly relevant to a country's specific
situation should be added in its national plan of action.
I. MAJOR GOALS FOR CHILD SURVIVAL, DEVELOPMENT AND
PROTECTION
• A
(a)
Between 1990 and the year 2000, reduction of infant and under-5 child
mortality rate by one third or to 50 and 70 per 1,000 live births respectively,
whichever is less;
(b)
Between 1990 and the year 2000, reduction of maternal mortality rate by half;
(C)
Between 1990 and the year 2000, reduction of severe and moderate
malnutrition among under-5 children by half;
(d)
Universal access to safe drinking water and to sanitary means of excreta
disposal;
(e)
By the year 2000, universal access to basic education and completion of
primary education by at least 80 per cent of primary school-age children;
(f)
Reduction of the adult illiteracy rate (the appropriate age group to be
determined in each country) to at least half its 1990 level with emphasis on
female literacy;
(g)
Improved protection of children in especially difficult circumstances.
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II. SUPPORTING/SECTORAL GOALS
A. Women's health and education
B.
(i)
Special attention to the health and nutrition of the female child
and to pregnant and lactating women;
(ii)
Access by all couples to information and services to prevent
pregnancies that are too early, too closely spaced, too late or too
many;
(iii)
Access by all pregnant women to pre-natal care, trained attendants
during childbirth and referral facilities for high-risk pregnancies
and obstetric emergencies;
(iv)
Universal access to primary education with special emphasis for
girls and accelerated literacy programmes for women.
Nutrition
(i)
Reduction in severe, as well as moderate malnutrition among
under-5 children by half of 1990 levels;
(ii)
Reduction of the rate of low birth weight (2.5 kg or less) to less
than 10 per cent;
(iii)
Reduction of iron deficiency anaemia in women by one third of
the 1990 levels;
(iv)
Virtual elimination of iodine deficiency disorders;
(v)
Virtual elimination of vitamin A deficiency and its consequences,
including blindness;
(vi)
Empowerment of all women to breast-feed their children
exclusively for four to six months and to continue breast-feeding,
with complementary food, well into the second year;
(vii) Growth promotion and its regular monitoring to be
institutionalized in all countries by the end of the 1990s;
(viii) Dissemination of knowledge and supporting services to increase
food production to ensure household food security.
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c. ChUd health
D.
E.
(i)
Global eradication of poliomyelitis by the year 2000;
(ii)
Elimination of neonatal tetanus by 1995;
(ill)
Reduction by 95 per cent in measles deaths and reduction by 90
per cent of measles cases compared to pre-immunization levels by 1995,
as a major step to the global eradication of measles in the longer run;
(iv)
Maintenance of a high level of immunization coverage (at least 90 per
cent of children under one year of age by the year 2000) against
diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis and
against tetanus for women of child-bearing age;
(v)
Reduction by 50 per cent in the deaths due to diarrhoea in children
under the age of five years and 25 per cent reduction in the diarrhoea
incidence rate;
(vi)
Reduction by one third in the deaths due to acute respiratory
infections in children under five years.
Water and sanitation
(i)
Universal access to safe drinking water;
(ii)
Universal access to sanitary means of excreta disposal;
(iii)
Elimination of guinea-worm disease (dracunculiasis) by the year 2000.
Basic education
(i)
Expansion of early childhood development activities, including
appropriate low-cost family- and community-based interventions;
(ii)
Universal access to basic education, and achievement of primary
education by at least 80 per cent of primary school-age children
through formal schooling or non-formal education of comparable
learning standard, with emphasis on reducing the current disparities
between boys and girls;
(iii)
Reduction of the adult illiteracy rate (the appropriate age group to be
determined in each country) to at least half its 1990 level, with
emphasis on female literacy;
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4
(iv)
E
Increased acquisition by individuals and families of the knowledge,
skills and values required for better living, made available through all
educational channels, including the mass media, other forms of
modem and traditional communication and social action, with
effectiveness measured in terms of behavioural change.
Children in difficult circumstances
Provide improved protection of children in especially difficult circumstances
and tackle the root causes leading to such situations.
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