UN General Assembly begins meeting Monday,January
29th to review 10-year progress in promoting child
rights.
Ten years after the World summit for children,held in
1990,and following the mid-decade review of the summit
Declaration and Plan of Action undertaken by the
General Assembly in 1996,the General Assembly in its
resolution 54/93 decided to converne in september 2001
at the United Nations Headquarters a special session
for follow-up to the summit[referred to as "special
session on children"].
In 1989,a year before the summit,the convention on the
rights of the Child was adopted.It has become the most
ratified human rights treaty in history,embodying the
commitment of States Parties to respect,fulfil,promote
and protect children's rights.Subsequently,two
Optional protocols were adopted on the involvement of
children in armed conflict,and on the sale of
children,child prostitution and child pornography.
Decision taken at the first substantive session
included:
[a] A proposal to the General Assembly that two
substantive sessions of the preparatory committee be
convened in New York during 2001,one from 29 January
to 2 February,and another from 11 to 15 June;
[b] A proposal to the General Assembly that the
special session be convened in New York for three days
during the first and second weeks of the General
debate of the fifty-sixth General Assembly.
 On monday's opening session,over 2500 Government and
Nongovernmental and civil society representatives
converged on the United Nations Headquarters here in
New York.
General Assembly president Harri Holkeri a national of
Finland said the upcoming special session provided the
international community with the opportunity of moving
one step closer to implementing the commitments it
made in last september's Millennium Declaration.He
pointed out that UN member States had agreed at the
Millennium summit that children have the right to live
in dignity and free from fear of violence oppression
and injustice.Holkeri said the international community
had "unfinished business" from the 1990 summit and
called attention to worsenining poverty,increasing
digital and educational divides within and between
countries,as he put it "evermore rampant" HIV/AIDS
crisis.These problems could be over come by
implementing the convention on the rights of the
child,Holkeri said.
I am attending the Sessions as a correspondent for
AFRICAN SUN TIMES News Paper and a representative of
End Child Prostitution and Trafficking [ ECPAT-USA ] a
Nonprofit Organisation.
Please,if anyone wish to send any protest
letters,articles,to the General Assembly,you can do so
before friday,February 2nd at 3PM.Your confidentiallty
is assured.
Send fax:212-870-2512
Email: [log in to unmask]


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