*EPF314 05/08/2002
U.N. Special Session on Children Opens
(Thompson outlines U.S. commitment to children and families) (890)

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- World leaders attending the first General Assembly session in history to focus on the needs of children began their three-day special session May 8 listening to children.

The General Assembly Special Session on Children is meeting at U.N. headquarters to take stock of how governments have met commitments to child survival, protection and development they made more than 10 years ago. They'll also examine the progress toward goals in reducing infant and maternal mortality, expanding access to clean water and sanitation, and providing universal primary education and immunization.

"We are not the sources of problems; we are the resources that are needed to solve them. We are not expenses; we are investments," said Audrey Chenynut of Monaco, selected as a representative by the Children's Forum. "We are not just young people; we are people and citizens of the world."

Describing the children's vision of a world free from war, exploitation, abuse and violence, Gabriela Azurduy Arrieta of Bolivia said, "We want a world fit for children, because a world fit for us is a world fit for everyone."

The two girls were the first children to speak before a U.N. General Assembly session.

"We, the grown-ups, have failed you deplorably," said Secretary General Kofi Annan. Addressing the children of the world, he said, "One in three of you has suffered from malnutrition before you turned five years old. One in four of you has not been immunized against any disease. Almost one in five of you is not attending school. Of those of you who do go to school, four out of five will never reach the fifth year of classes," the secretary general said.

"Far too many of you have seen violence that no child should ever see. All of you live under the threat of environmental degradation," Annan said. "We, the grown-ups, must reverse this list of failures. And we are pledged to do so."

U.S. Secretary of Heath and Human Services (HHS) Tommy Thompson, said, "All children deserve a global strategy that is focused, visionary and action-oriented." Thompson, head of the U.S. delegation, continued, "At this special session, we have the opportunity to create a new and better world for our children.... The United States remains committed to giving all children the hope of a new day and the promise of tomorrow. Our children and their families deserve nothing less."

In the 10 years since the World Summit on Children, the child poverty rate in the U.S. has declined more than 17 percent, immunization coverage for two-year-olds is near all-time highs, and the U.S. has begun promoting strong parent-child relationships, encouraging the delay of sexual activity, and supporting abstinence education programs, Thompson said.

Thompson said that the United States is working with partners around the world to support children and families. The United States has committed $500 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; provided more than $2,500 million in assistance to child survival programs in developing countries; contributed almost $157 million to the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor since 1995; and provided more than $2.2 million in 2001 to help prevent the trafficking and exploitation of children in developing countries and provide programs for their protection and rehabilitation.

As the world leaders make the official presentations of their governments in the General Assembly Hall, events are taking place in other areas of the U.N. headquarters and around New York City. Official delegates, children, representatives of non-governmental organizations, business leaders, and others are discussing the many issues associated with the session -- protecting children from violence, religious challenges and practices, refugee children, landmines, education, the health threats of AIDS and tobacco, and financing a world fit for children.

Other delegates are finishing negotiations on a declaration and "plan of action" for a "world fit for children" for the session to adopt.

Carol Bellamy, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said the session provides an opportunity to agree on new goals for children and to re-commit to achieving them.

"Frankly, it is not enough to just make promises to children, you have to keep your promises," Bellamy said. "The leaders who are represented here must actively pursue the goals doing everything in their power to achieve them. They must bring in partners; they must reassign resources; they must seek creative solutions; and they must involve children, families and communities."

Most importantly, she said, the session provides the opportunity for young people to be heard.

"For the first time in the history of the United Nations they are being heard," Bellamy said. "They have been eloquent. They have shown incredible commitment, they have taken responsibility ... and they have seized the opportunities that the General Assembly in its wisdom has placed before them."

What the leaders do here is being watched, Bellamy said. The global campaign called "Say Yes" has gathered pledges from nearly 100 million people around the world. "Through paper ballots as well as Internet voting these almost 100 million individuals have said that they support investment in children and they expect leaders to keep the promises they made. That is a powerful incentive."

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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