Children to take the stage at the UN General Assembly
Press release 273/2007
7 December 2007
On 11 and 12 December, the 62nd General Assembly of the UN will hold a commemorative high-level plenary meeting devoted to follow-up of the outcome of the Special Session on Children held in 2002. Since the participating nations have been encouraged to include children in their delegations, the plenary meeting will enable children’s participation in decision-making and a dialogue between generations. The Finnish delegation includes two children. In addition to the plenary meeting, they will participate in the Children’s Forum to be arranged on 9 and 10 December. This occurred also in 2002 when, for the first time, children were given a voice at a UN session.
The Finnish delegation at the plenary meeting is led by Ilkka Oksala, State Secretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
The plenary meeting is to adopt a declaration reaffirming the commitments made in 2002. A recent report by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the UN, concludes that despite the progress made in many countries, efforts are still needed to ensure the rights and well-being of children.
The Special Session of 2002 adopted a final document, A World Fit for Children, based on human rights and serving as a guideline for the promotion of children’s rights and status. Implementation of this plan of action is followed regularly in the Member States. The plan of action is based on giving priority to children’s interests, which is one of the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The central goals in the plan of action are promotion of children’s health, provision of education, protection of children against abuse, violence and exploitation, and combating HIV/AIDS. The UN Millennium Development Goals are closely linked with the goals laid down in the plan of action. The Finnish national plan of action, Lapselle sopiva Suomi (A Finland Fit for Children), was completed in 2005.
Additional information: Ministerial Counsellor Kari Ilmonen, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, tel. +358 50 467 1268; Attaché Hanna-Leena Korteniemi, Department for Global Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 6206, +358 400 320 847
Additional information about the plenary meeting:
World fit for children(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)
Lapselle sopiva Suomi(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)