General Assembly Session 62 meeting 73

The Acting President

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Hugo Siles Alvarado, chairman of the delegation of Bolivia.

Mr. Siles Alvarado (Bolivia)

Permit me to begin this statement by expressing, on behalf of the Government and the people of Bolivia, our condolences and full support to the Government and the people of Algeria following the acts carried out in that country, which claimed precious human lives. We energetically condemn those acts, because they were committed against innocent human beings.

The Government of President Evo Morales Ayma has approved a national development plan entitled "A worthy, sovereign, productive and democratic Bolivia", adopted by his Government. Based on the concept of quality living, the plan sets out guidelines and strategies that promote structural change according to a community-oriented concept centred on uniting peoples and communities, which respects diversity and cultural identity and takes an intersectoral approach to caring for children and adolescents.

The structure of Bolivia's population pyramid is characterized by the fact that, in 2005, 57 per cent of the nation's people were under the age of 18. Of that group, 19.2 per cent were 6 or younger, 16.3 per cent were between 7 and 12 and 13.7 per cent were adolescents aged 13 to 18. In addition, 61 per cent of the population is concentrated in urban areas, with 39 per cent in rural areas.

Those statistics represent a challenge for our country, because they indicate a large population of children and adolescents. It is estimated that, by 2015, 40 per cent of the total national population will consist of those age groups. Given that reality, the issue of children is becoming a priority of particular interest when it comes to the activities of the Bolivian State.

The economic and social crisis that has produced high poverty levels in Bolivia over the past 10 years has caused an increasing number of children under 14 years old to enter the labour market, as a result of the abject poverty in marginalized sectors such as the indigenous community. In order to ensure a minimal level of household income, often in situations of exploitation and abuse, these children are compelled to engage in labour -- frequently forced labour. The situation of these children, who are forced to work at a very young age, has been called "stolen childhood".

The Government of President Morales is seeking to reverse that cruel reality through structural changes, by adopting policies that will improve the situation of children and adolescents. In that context, we have developed activities that will enable us to assess the impact of public spending on children's living conditions and to allocate resources in a strategic and focused manner in order to ensure sustainable results.

We are promoting intercultural and multilingual education that gives priority to equal opportunities in order to promote, adapt and apply science and technology through productive and wholesome schools. We are also engaged in educational research to reassess Bolivia's various cultures. At the same time, these basic policies are enabling us to eliminate the problem of the exclusion of segments of the population, particularly the indigenous community, and to reassess the traditional knowledge and technologies of Amazonian and Andean civilizations.

In addition to those provisions, we have adopted legal rules for the awarding of Juancito Pinto grants, economic grants aimed at preventing members of the poorest sectors from leaving the educational system.

We have launched national programmes to address and prevent vaccine-preventable diseases, which has made it possible to register progress in controlling child and maternal mortality. Moreover, the new constitutional text, recently adopted by the Constitutional Assembly and shortly to be submitted to a national referendum, prohibits forced labour and child exploitation in the context of child labour. The activities of children and adolescents must be limited to the family sphere and geared towards their comprehensive development.

The Executive Board of UNICEF, which Bolivia has had the honour to chair in 2007, adopted a country programme this year that represents the outcome of efforts and commitments made between Bolivia and the United Nations system. In that regard and as previously noted, given the priority that our Government attaches to the issue of childhood, national contributions have been made to ensure the full implementation of the aforementioned programme, which reflects the policies to be implemented from 2008 to 2012. In that context, we prioritize the implementation of the "Zero malnutrition" programme, to be implemented by 2010, as a significant reduction in child mortality.

At this Commemorative Meeting, Bolivia wishes to underscore the effective actions of UNICEF, in which we are all involved with the aim that our children and adolescents will be the direct beneficiaries of those shared efforts.

Finally, allow me, on behalf of our Government, to convey the message that the United Nations must pay closer attention to ensuring that future generations of children and adolescents live in a world that is free from the threat of war, terrorist acts and the effects of climate change. If the United Nations does not take decisive steps to that end, we will be unable to guarantee a future for the generations to come.

The Acting President

I now give the floor to Mr. Reta Alemo Nega, chairman of the delegation of Ethiopia.

Mr. Nega (Ethiopia)

I wish at the outset to join other delegations in expressing our deepest condolences to the victims, their families and the Government of Algeria for the terrorist attacks in that country the day before yesterday. Such inhuman and senseless acts of terrorism deserve the strongest condemnation of the international community.

My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Ghana on behalf of the African Group. We welcome and express our thanks to the Secretary-General for his report to this Commemorative High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly Devoted to the Follow-up of the Outcome of the Special Session on Children in 2002. The report clearly indicates the progress made so far and what remains to be done in the implementation of the Declaration and Plan of Action adopted at that session to usher in a better and brighter future for our children under the motto "A world fit for children".

There is no doubt that, as the report of the Secretary-General and other studies conducted by relevant United Nations agencies indicate, despite the encouraging progress witnessed in certain areas, there is an urgent need for concerted action by the international community to put an end to situations that continue to make children vulnerable to violence, sexual abuse, labour exploitation and armed conflicts and to undermine children's welfare and their basic human rights and dignity.

Ethiopia strongly believes that ensuring children's well-being and promoting, protecting and respecting their rights and legitimate interests should be central to social and economic policies at the national, regional and international levels. A home, a village, a community and a society fit for children will ultimately lead to a world fit for children. That, of course, requires devising appropriate policies and strategies focusing on children's rights from the basic unit of society -- the family -- to the world community at large. That is why Ethiopia has adopted at the national level policies and strategies which have meaningful impact on children's well-being, and has become a party to a number of agreements relating to children, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Let me take this opportunity to highlight some of the principal measures taken by the Government of Ethiopia with regard to promoting the rights of children and to share our experiences in the implementation of those measures and the encouraging results registered so far.

Following the adoption of the Declaration and Plan of Action in 2002 at the special session on children, my Government immediately launched the task of preparing a national plan aimed at translating into action those important documents. The plan was developed in the course of extensive discussions with stakeholders. The Government offered the opportunity for children from around the country to comment on the national plan of action for children. Children also marched to Parliament and shared their concerns about their needs. The Ministry of Women's Affairs was entrusted with the task of implementing the action plan and has mainstreamed children's rights into all its programmes and projects, which are being carried out in partnership with national and international non-governmental organizations.

My Government also took initiatives to improve the situation of children in various ways and, in an effort to fulfil its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, reviewed national laws and introduced amendments when needed. The first act in the introduction and revision of laws includes the insertion of provisions on the rights of children into our federal and regional laws and the revision of the national family code and labour, penal and civil laws. For instance, provisions against harmful traditional practices were included in our revised penal code, while provisions allowing corporal punishments were removed. Other proclamations were also amended to allow the prosecution of illegal actions against children. There is also parliamentary oversight of children's rights. The Ministry of Women's Affairs submits reports to Parliament on its activities regarding children on a regular basis.

In our national endeavour to disseminate and implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we have put mechanisms in place to ensure that the rights of children are promoted through all Government mass media. Furthermore, propitious conditions have been created for initiatives to be led and run by children in order to ensure that they are able to express their opinions and ideas on matters that affect them directly. The Ministry of Education has helped schools to establish child rights clubs, which are managed by children themselves.

I would also like to point out here that a significant part of the national budget has been allocated to implementing educational and health policies that directly affect children's rights. As a result, enrolment rates of children in primary education have been on the increase and notable achievements are evident. The national action plan also included programmes to control child poverty and mother-to-child HIV/AIDS transmission and to make provision for AIDS orphans. In addition, national health and education policies include the creation of a special task force for children living in difficult circumstances.

The federal and regional police commissions have established child protection units in police stations in different parts of the country. There are efforts to establish child-friendly courts, where children's cases will be tried by specially trained judges and in an environment appropriate for children.

With respect to measures taken to eliminate discrimination against certain groups of children, namely against girls, HIV-infected children, AIDS orphans and disabled children, the national action plan on gender equality, which has been incorporated into the Government's development strategy, focuses on children's education and reproductive rights. All governmental organizations have been made responsible for mainstreaming gender issues and children's issues in their main work. The national action plan is also focused on prevention and on the rehabilitation of victims, through awareness-raising programmes and campaigns.

Today, the world of our children is characterized by both opportunities and challenges. The experiences derived from the implementation of the Declaration and Plan of Action demonstrate that if there are concerted efforts by the world community, we can use the opportunities -- that is, the existing strong commitment and determination of the international community -- to make a real difference in improving the welfare of children and ensuring their rights and legitimate interests, thereby making the world much brighter and better. The challenges currently facing children are multifaceted and enormous. They need practical and concrete measures beyond mere statements of commitment and promises to effectively address them, with a view to achieving our lofty goals of making our world fit for children. In that regard, Ethiopia wishes to reiterate its commitment to the full realization of this noble goal by working together with all those involved in the implementation of the Declaration and Plan of Action.

The Acting President

I call on His Excellency Archbishop Celestino Migliore, observer of the Observer State of the Holy See.

Archbishop Migliore (Holy See)

At the outset, I would like to join the previous speakers who have expressed their condolences and support to the people of Algeria and to the United Nations family.

This Commemorative High-level Plenary Meeting gives us the opportunity to pause and assess where we stand today with respect to the commitment to create a world fit for children made during the 2002 special session on children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child remains the standard in the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. It contains such fundamental principles as the rights of the child before as well as after birth, the family as the natural environment for the growth and education of children and the right of the child to the best health care and education possible.

Echoing the principles enshrined in the Convention, the 2002 special session reaffirmed the family as the basic unit of society, providing the best environment for children to acquire knowledge, cultivate good qualities and develop positive attitudes in order to become responsible citizens. It is therefore in everyone's interest to motivate parents to take personal responsibility in the education of their children and to strengthen the family.

Acting on its perennial conviction that education lies at the heart of the development of every child, the Catholic Church today runs more than 250,000 schools on all continents, with 3.5 million teachers educating 42 million students. To help every child exercise the right to education, many of these schools are in some of the most challenging locations where otherwise children would be completely left behind, such as remote villages, deprived inner cities, conflict zones, refugee camps and waste-dumping grounds.

Recognizing that chronic poverty remains the single biggest obstacle to meeting the needs of children, helping working children through education is the key to empowering them to break the cycle of extreme poverty and raising their awareness of their self-worth and dignity. Ways must be found to offer them free basic education and training and to integrate them into the formal educational system in every way possible.

The commitment of the Holy See in the area of protecting children and their families from the impact of HIV/AIDS is illustrated by the thousands of institutions engaged in the care and education of orphans, prevention and awareness campaigns, the distribution of antiretroviral drugs, basic health care and nutrition, the prevention of mother-to-child viral transmission, the fight against stigma and the empowerment of people living with HIV/AIDS to be protagonists in the fight against the epidemic. However, while continuing to focus on HIV/AIDS, we must enhance our health-care policies on even more common killer diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis.

An even more fundamental challenge is the lack of access of children and mothers to basic health care and sanitation. As the Secretary-General recently stated, sanitation is one of the most overlooked and underserved basic human needs, and international efforts to deliver in this area have been lacklustre. Children are the first victims of this unacceptable situation. This neglect or lack of focus on basic health care is very costly, given that basic medical prevention is often one of the most cost-effective and successful ways of improving the health and stability of society.

My delegation earnestly hopes that the commitments renewed or made in the course of this meeting are not mere declarations of good intentions or objectives to which to aspire, but steadfast commitments to be upheld, so that a world truly fit for children can at last become a reality.

The Acting President

I now call on His Excellency Mr. Riyad Mansour, chairman of the observer delegation of Palestine.

Mr. Mansour (Palestine)

A problem occurred in a Python script. Here is the sequence of function calls leading up to the error, in the order they occurred.

<type 'exceptions.UnicodeEncodeError'>: 'ascii' codec can't encode character u'\xe7' in position 2095: ordinal not in range(128)
      args = ('ascii', u'\n\t<p id="pg005-bk02-pa01">As we gather on the fi...n celebrating a world truly fit for children.</p>', 2095, 2096, 'ordinal not in range(128)')
      encoding = 'ascii'
      end = 2096
      message = ''
      object = u'\n\t<p id="pg005-bk02-pa01">As we gather on the fi...n celebrating a world truly fit for children.</p>'
      reason = 'ordinal not in range(128)'
      start = 2095