[child-rights] Special Session Update No. 6

Special Session Update No. 6 * 24 May 2002
- NGOs working together for the UN General Assembly Special Session on 
Children


IT'S A STRANGE WAY TO MAKE A BETTER WORLD FOR CHILDREN

After more than two years of preparations and negotiations, delegates to 
the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children were still 
sitting at midnight on the final day on 10 May 2002. There was much relief 
and self-congratulation when the meeting finally concluded a couple of 
hours later, but surely no one can consider it sensible to have to sit up 
half the final night in order to dot the i's and cross the t's - 
particularly as the overriding feeling of many of the children's 
organisations who monitored and tried to influence the protracted Summit 
process was one of disappointment.

* Disappointment at the confrontational and inflexible way the conference's 
main declaration was concluded, with the European Union suddenly falling 
into line with the United States and presenting their proposed text on a 
take-it-or-leave-it basis. Mexico spoke for those delegates who were very 
angry with the way this final round of negotiations was forced through, 
with the country's delegate warning that such an uncompromising approach 
threatened the way multilateral negotiations were conducted at the UN, and 
stating that they hoped such behavior "will never happen again".

* Disappointment that a number of basic tenets were tossed out at the last 
moment - such as the way that - again in the closing minutes - key 
references to the Convention on the Rights of the Child were subtly 
doctored to avoid a categorical statement of the Convention's significance 
as the global standard for children and an essential basis for actions to 
protect and promote the rights of children.

* Disappointment at the way non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were kept 
at a distance from the negotiations. This represents a backward step for 
governments and their representatives at the UN, for which they should be 
ashamed. More than 1,700 NGO representatives from over 88 countries 
attended, and the opening up of the UN process to NGOs, particularly at and 
since the "Earth Summit", is one of the most importance advances made by 
the UN in recent years: it has brought greater expertise to the UN, more 
accountability, more transparency: It has brought the institution a little 
closer to the concept of "we the people" and away from the idea of we "the 
governments, who know what's best and will fix it as we think best, in our 
own interests." In the words of Mary Diaz, co-chair of the NGO Steering 
Group: "Governments must recognise that civil society needs to be present 
and consulted. Citizens are asked to participate in building strong 
societies and holding their governments accountable. In order to do that we 
must have access to policy-making work and negotiations like this one."

* Disappointment, as usual, over the fudges and lack of firm commitment on 
financial resources and, inevitably, over the lack of an inspirational tone 
in conference outcomes - perhaps that is too much to hope from a giant 
committee and such a lengthy process of bargaining.

* Disappointment with the failure to get to grips with the issues of sexual 
and reproductive health for adolescents. Canada condemned the "regrettable 
attempts" to go back on text agreed at previous international conferences 
and in the closing session Bolivia made it clear that this was not just a 
theoretical issue - "it's about a young woman's right to life." The spread 
of HIV/AIDS has made this an even more critical issue than it was a decade 
ago. As Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said, "The biggest crime 
is depriving young people of the right to know. We won't meet the targets 
of the Summit unless AIDS is brought under control."

This is not to suggest all was bad. Language on several issues, such as 
protective measures for children living in especially difficulty 
circumstances, was stronger than the declaration approved by the 1990 World 
Summit for Children. The final outcome featured protection from abuse, 
exploitation and violence as one of the four priority areas, establishing 
five key goals in this areas and more than 47 actions and strategies.

The Summit also helped keep children on the agenda. Under-18s made some 
remarkable and historic contributions, some which must have touched all but 
the most authoritarian, hierarchical and paternalistic delegates. Few who 
listened to China when she addressed the General Assembly will ever forget 
her unbearable account of her experiences as a child soldier, both as 
perpetrator and victim - "It's too painful. I don't feel like any other 
human being." Commented UNICEF executive director Carol Bellamy, "For the 
first time in the history of the UN, they [children] are being heard." 
Bellamy was a major beneficiary of the presence of children as national 
delegates, NGO representatives and participants in the Children's Forum 
because she was able to use their repeated pleas to delegates for action 
rather than talk. Nevertheless, there is a danger that the participation of 
young people, achieved despite the doubts and opposition of a number of 
national delegates, will prove to have been a one-off success unless UNICEF 
takes responsibility for pressing for their inclusion in all relevant UN 
meetings.

It was Bellamy who in her final late-night words to the conference said 
simply, "Now is the time for action." It was a youth delegate, Audrey, who 
noted, "We have 10-15 years to see if they [governments] have been listening."


A WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN

Available now! The unofficial advance unedited version of the outcome 
document, approved on Friday 10 May 2002 by the Special Session of the 
General Assembly on Children.

* In English, go to www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=1756 or 
www.unicef.org/specialsession/documentation/documents/WFFC-unedited-15may02.doc
* In French, go to www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=2632 or 
www.unicef.org/french/specialsession/documentation/documents/WFFC-unedited-v 
ersion-of-15May02.doc
* In Spanish, go to www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=2634 or 
www.unicef.org/spanish/specialsession/documentation/documents/WFFC-unedited- 
version-of-15May02.doc

The official version will be posted as soon as it is made available by the 
UN documentation services. This includes all official languages: English, 
French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian.


Special Session Update is published for the duration of the Special Session 
by the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN). In addition to being 
distributed to over 1,800 email addresses, more than 1,000 printed copies 
are available to delegates in New York.


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