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"Panka] Mehta" <pmehta@unicef.org>
<chkakotv1@sanchamet.in>; <SOCHARA@VSNL.COM>; <girishn@nimhans.kar.nic.in>
Saturday, May 10, 2003 8'08 PM
FwdGMfC Newsletter - April 2003

Dear Dr. Thelma. Girish. Chiranjeeb - FYI. Pankaj
____________________ Forward Header
Subject: GMIC Newsletter - April 2003
Author: mro@9mtc.orH
Date;
5/5/03 5.15 AM

GLOBAL MO YEMENI FOR CHILDREN
NEWSLETTER - APRIL 2003 EDITION

FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THF. UN SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN
As we celebrate the first anniversary of the General Assembly Special Session on
Children S-IO May, we would like to share with you the Report of the Follow' up
Actions of the UN Special Session on Children, May 2003 (see link below)
prepared by the Child Rights Caucus and UNICEF. This report reviews the progress
made one year after the Special Session. It is an effort to summarise what has
happened in the last 12 months and the challenges ahead. More than 100 countries
have started taking some measures to define their plans of action. But the real
w'ork starts now.

It is often said that the goals and plans marie at United Nations conferences are
rarely met. However, the achievements such as the reduction of infant mortality
rates would have probably not been possible without the 1990 World Summit for
Children. It is undisputable that many promises to children have been broken,
and the fact that millions of children are still deprived of their fundamental
rights fill us ail with shame. But it is a fact that the a??children movements??
has been effective and vocal in advancing its agenda.
Wc would all agree that in May last year wc saw one of the most powerful
partnerships Among peoples, governments, civil society organizations, private
sector, individual leaders, United Nations and children and adolescents working
together to commit the world to a global agenda called the World Fit for
Children.
W'c invite you to use this report in reviewing with your national partners the
progress made in your countries and regions, and chart out how the World Fit tbr
Children agenda could be further advanced in the coming year. In particular w’e
strongly encourage the apparently 90 countries who have not taken actions to
formulaic (heir National Plan of Action or equivalent plan to begin to do so.
Wc have achieved a great deal in the last 12 months in setting the framework for
action. But the real work begins. We sincerely hope that with your combined
efforts in the coming months the next yeari?‘?s report will be demonstrating
stronger results.

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Wo are confident that we would all rededicate ourselves in the coming year to
the follow up of the Special Session on Children with the same passion we placed
to make it a resounding success.

Visit the GMfC.org web site to access the report: www.gmfc.org
Press release by UNICEF: "A year later, children still waiting for leaders to
deliver; Goals Agreed to by All Nations in May 2002 Are Slow to Take Hold":
hnp:/7www.unicef.org/'newsline/2003/03pr32ssoc.htm
A LESSON THE WORLD WILL NEVER FORGET

The Global Action Week of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) On Wednesday,
9 April, almost 1.5 million people around the world learned "Girls Education:
The Biggest Lesson." This lesson informed people of all ages of the urgency to
help girls, who account Tor more than half of all children not in schixd.

65 million girls arc currently unfairly denied access to education. Yet, as Koli
Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations mentioned during the Global
Action Week of the Global Campaign for Education on 9 April 2003: ’Study after
study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective man
the education of girls. No other policy is as likely to raise economic
productivity, lower infant and maternal mortality, improve nutrition and promote
health — including the prevention of HTV/AIDS. No other policy is as powerfill
in increasing the chances of education for the next geeneratiori.
The GCE launched a report called "A Fair Chance" outlining a realistic approach
io achieving the UN Millennium Development Goal Tor attaining gender equality in

education by 2005, and drawing lessons from the success of some of the poorest
countries in the world that have invested in girls' education. This study can be
found at:
http://www.campaignforcducation.org/ html/actionweekAvclcome/framcset.shtml.

More resources and stories of the Global Action Week can Ire found at the web
site of Netaid: http://www.netaid.org/actionweek .
THE WORKING CHILDREN AND YOUTH'S RIGHTS IMPROVE
The Sixth African Meeting of Working Children and Youth took place in Thies
(Senegal) and was closed on April 19 after two weeks of work. The closing

ceremony was attended by the Senegalese Ministry of Labour.

t he meeting was organised by the African Movement of Working Children and Youth
(AMWCY), and attended by delegations of Africa, Latin America and Germany. The
African delegates were the representatives of more than 367 grassroots groups,
in 53 African Towns. National and International authorities, the GMC
Coordinator, the African Movement of Peasants Organizations, NGOs and media also
participated.
During the meeting, participants did an assessment on the progress made in the
field of working children's rights since the Bamako meeting two years ago
(2001). Thanks to the activities undertaken within the associations in all

countries, most of the rights had improved (estimate from the Movement, global

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.progress of 75%).
The rights that have improved the most have been the right to education and
Lraining (read, write, and vocational training) and the right to

self-expression. Other rights, such as the right to stay in the village and the
ngnl to an equitable Justice, still need a groat ell'ort from all actors.
Altogether, belonging to the Movement represents help working children and youth
feel empowered and promote their own rights.
Commissions and workshops on activities undertaken by the working children and
youth associations in their countries were organised, among these: Income
Generating Activities, actions against exploitation, hard labour and child
trafficking, lobbying with authorities, and UNGASS follow up.

The AMWCY has been invited to attend the West African Heads of State Summit on
children. The African Union invited them to attend their Social Commission

meeting in Mauritius, and the African NGO coalition for children also invited
them to attend its general meeting in June, and to participate in its executive
committee.
in rhe final declaration of the meeting, working children made an appeal io
children, youth, adults and authorities to ensure a peacefill world, needed by
the children to work for the progress of their rights and to overcome poverty.

For further information visit: http://www.enda.sn/eia

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5/12/03

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