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UN RUSHES FOOD, MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO SURVIVORS OF RUSSIAN SCHOOL ATTACK
 
United Nations agencies have been rushing food and medical supplies to the hundreds of children and adults caught up in the hostage-taking tragedy in Beslan, southern Russia, which left 338 people dead and 747 injured.

In response to requests from Russian doctors the World Food Programme <"
http://www.wfp.org/index.asp?section=2">(WFP) on Monday begun an initial one-week food distribution to three hospitals in Beslan and the North Ossetian regional capital of Vladikavkaz, where many victims were taken.

"What happened in Beslan is a terrible tragedy. WFP is determined to do all it can to alleviate the suffering of the victims," WFP Country Director Chris Czerwinski said today.

WFP's ability to respond quickly to the crisis was partly due to the agency's existing capacity in the north Caucasus region of southern Russia, where it has been providing emergency assistance since January 2000 to 290,000 people affected by the conflict in and around Chechnya.

The WFP relief packages include sugar, flour, rice, yoghurt, milk, pasta, condensed milk, dried fruits and jam.

For its part the UN Children's Fund <"
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_23545.html">(UNICEF) has sent 12 tons of medical and other supplies, including bandages, syringes, bed linens, mattresses, hospital beds and catheters to treat the hundreds of children injured in the school siege.

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INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY SPOTLIGHTS NEED TO EDUCATE WOMEN AND GIRLS
 
In a bid to address the plight of millions of adults - mostly women - who are unable to read or write, the United Nations, marked International Literacy Day on September 8th,with a focus on gender inequality. 

Currently, of the world's estimated 860 million illiterate people, the bulk - over 500 million - are women, while girls constitute the majority of children who are not enrolled in school.

In his message marking the Day, Secretary General Kofi Annan decried this state of affairs. "Literacy is a human right," he noted. "It is unconscionable that 20 per cent of the world's adult population are still denied that right."

The Secretary-General pointed out that literacy is not just a goal in itself, but a prerequisite to improving a broad range of conditions. "The cost of building a literate society is relatively low compared with the cost of failure in terms of prosperity, health, security and justice," he said.

The commemoration falls during the second year of the UN Literacy Decade, which was declared by the General Assembly in 2001 to raise awareness of the need for broader access to education.
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 UN REPORT FINDS STALLED PEACE TALKS IN SRI LANKA BLOCKING AID TO CHILDREN
 
Delayed peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are a significant obstacle to assisting children affected by the country's two-decade long war, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said.

A new report by the agency on progress made in the <I>Action Plan for Children Affected By War</I> - the only human rights agreement signed between the Government and the LTTE on the issue - found that the rebel group's failure to stop the recruitment of children and continued inter-factional violence are hindering assistance to youngsters in the country.

Under the Plan, 7,000 children re-enrolled in school and 43,000 children received catch-up education classes.  However, the LTTE recruited 488 children during the first half of this year. While the group released 449 other children, 1,300 still remain in its ranks.

Among its recommendations, the report called for the Government of Sri Lanka to amend its Prevention of Terrorism Act to ensure that it does not apply to children under the age of 18.  LTTE should immediately stop all recruitment of children who are under 18, verify the age of all young people who wish to join, and halt all forcible recruitment and abductions. For its part, the international community should increase support and other resources for children affected by war, the report said.

In releasing its report, <"
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_23613.html">UNICEF stressed that all organizations involved in the Action Plan would continue to work for the rights of children in Sri Lanka.  The Action Plan partners consist of the International Labour Organization (<"http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/index.htm">ILO), Ministry of Social Welfare, Save the Children in Sri Lanka, the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization, the UN Development Programme (<"http://www.undp.org/dpa/journalists/index.html">UNDP), and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home?page=news">UNHCR).
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ISRAELI FIRE WOUNDS PALESTINIAN GIRL IN UN SCHOOL IN GAZA STRIP
 
The main United Nations agency helping Palestine refugees today decried the wounding by Israeli gunfire of a child sitting in a classroom of one of its schools in the Gaza Strip - the third such incident in 18 months.

The 10-year old girl was struck in the head while at her desk in a UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East <"
http://www.un.org/unrwa/index.html">(UNRWA) school in Khan Younis camp when Israeli forces retaliated with sporadic gunfire targeted at the camp after Palestinian militants fired a homemade rocket at the Neve Dekalim settlement.

"The kind of live firing into refugee camps that is so indiscriminate that it makes classrooms dangerous for 10-year old children is totally unacceptable," UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter Hansen said. "UNRWA will protest this violation of the sanctity of its school in the strongest possible terms to the Israeli authorities." 

The girl, Raghda Adnan Al-Assar, underwent major surgery in the European Gaza Hospital.

On 1 June two 10-year old children in an UNRWA school in Rafah were hit by a bullet and ricochets from an Israeli tank stationed on the sand dunes opposite the school. In March last year, a 12-year old girl was blinded when bullet from an Israeli observation post on the outskirts of Khan Younis struck her head.

In another development, UNRWA has announced that it will open 103 new shelters in Rafah for families whose homes have been demolished during the latest uprising against Israel.

Last week the Agency protested to Israel over its barring Mr. Hansen from leaving the Gaza Strip to perform his duties in the West Bank in a security clampdown.

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JORDAN: NATIONAL STRATEGY TO INCREASE FOCUS ON NEEDS OF YOUTH

 

Jordan’s National Strategy for the Youth, to be launched in October, has been formulated with the participation of young people to address a range of issues, including education, vocational training, labour, health, IT and communications, environment, recreational activities, civil rights, culture and media. The initiative is one of the first serious attempts to address gaps and loopholes facing today’s youth, according to the Higher Council for the Youth, which developed the strategy with UNDP’s help.

http://www.undp.org/

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JAPAN DONATES $2 MILLION to UNICEF

 

The Government of Japan is donating  more  than  US$  2  million  to  UNICEF  to  get  children out of orphanages  and  other  residential  institutions  across Central Asia. The announcement coincides  with  a  tour  of Central Asia by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi. Around  32,000  children  in  institutions  in  Central  Asia,  plus 30,000 families  that  are  at  risk  of  institutionalising  their children, will benefit  from  the contribution of approximately 235 million yen. The funds will  be divided between the five Central Asian countries, with US$ 444,000 for  Kazakhstan,  US$  379,000  for  the  Kyrgyz  Republic, US$ 369,000 for Tajikistan, US$ 369,000 for Turkmenistan and US$ 439,000 for Uzbekistan.

The funds, from the Japanese Trust Fund for Human Security, will go to the UNICEF  supported-project:  “Every Child Has a Right to Grow up in a Family Environment”,  aiming  to  turn  back  the  tide  of  children  going  into institutions  in  these  countries.  The  Soviet  legacy  of state care for children  in  difficulties,  coupled with rising poverty, means that around 200,000  children  are  growing up in long-term residential care across the region    almost  84,000  of them in Kazakhstan alone. The major stumbling block  to  getting  them  out  of  institutions  and  back  into  a  family environment  is  the  lack  of  alternatives,  with  few  social workers or services  to  help  families  in  difficulties, few regulations on domestic adoption,  fostering  and guardianship, and the absence of proper norms and standards  on  child  protection. Meanwhile, new children’s homes are still being opened. (…)

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_23373.html

 

 

 

Please note that Africa Youth Leadershiop Program of the Centre for Development Action International is not a Young General Assembly Member Organization

...............................................

 THE PARTNERSHIP

December  5-9,  2005

Somewhere in Nigeria

A networking project under the Africa Youth Leadership Program of the Centre for Development Action Intl.

 

 

As part of activities towards facilitating an increased profile of young people at the December 5-9, 2005 International Conference on AIDS and STDs in Africa holding in somewhere in Nigeria, the PARTNERSHIP is mobilising for series of activities, one of which is supporting this committee process for which young people will be engaged in cognitive-intellectual activities with the content and outcome of the conference and its proceedings.

 

This is a call for applications will provide an opportunity to select appropriate individuals and organisations that will be short listed, met and organised to provide technical input and assistance to the work of the ICASA Organising committee following the efforts to ensure that young people from a regional platform are able to participate in the ICASA beyond the elementary of HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness onto core issues of treatment and care, and resource mobilisation et cetera that are critical to the MDG targets and NEPAD objectives.

 

This is a first of many calls as the various committees are established. The committee are expected to work majority of the time (at lest 65-70%) virtually.

 

Interested individuals under 30 years of age and organisation managed by young people, around the region who can serve on the scientific and communications committee should please respond to this mail with a personal statement of their relevant work and experience around Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Virology, Information Communication Technology and utilisation, Theology, Epidemiology etc.  and indicate which of the committees they are interested in serving on. The letter also should explain that they have the capacity required of the various commitees.

 

The Partnership is a networking project under the Africa Youth Leadership Program of the Center for Development Action Intl. It is established to promote the strongest voices of African Youth for Country Action in consolidating the National response to HIV/AIDS and Young People’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Issues as a matter of responsibility, ownership and inter-generational partnership. This on the strength of the consensus that a strong voice of young people in an organised environment of common understanding and focus was needed to attract the required attention needed to improve programming and increase resources of thematic focus directly to young people.

 

The PARTNERSHIP’S work of advocacy targets improvement in governance as a key outcome, emphasizing, on leadership development and increased dialogue as a youth led consultative Platform on issues that challenge the development of inclusive sustainable health systems in Africa.

  

For more information, please send correspondence to: The COORDINATOR

AYLP- PARTNERSHIP

12 Agboyin Avenue, Off Adelabu Street

Surulere, Lagos,

Lagos State

Nigeria

Tel: 23480 55605988, E-mail, e_etim@yahoo.com

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL REVIEWS EFFORTS TO STEM POVERTY IN 50 POOREST NATIONS.

Economic and Social Council Preparatory Meeting for High-Level Segment

Day-Long Meeting Preparation for Council High-Level Segment 28 -30 June Press Release ECOSOC/6102
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today gathered top United Nations officials, donors and heads of international institutions to examine worldwide efforts to lift the 50 poorest nations home to 720 million people -- out of poverty and instability. During a day -long meeting in preparation for its high-level segment, set for 28 to 30 June, the Council reviewed progress made in mobilizing resources for poverty eradication in the least developed countries since adoption of an action plan in Brussels in 2001. The Brussels Programme of Action, a set of key commitments for implementing the Millennium Development Goals, includes seven specific commitments made by the least developed countries and their development partners, including mobilization of financial resources as well as governance, trade and sustainable development.



Marjatta Rasi of Finland, the first woman to ever head the 54-member Council, stressed that stemming the tide of poverty for least developed countries would ultimately depend on renewed efforts at the national, regional and global levels, based on the spirit of shared responsibility and global partnership forged at Brussels. Setting the stage for the three high-level round table discussions that followed, she challenged the participants to look seriously at a number of important issues, chiefly how existing tools and frameworks could be better used to mobilize more resources for development and improving institutions and the policy environment. Also, how official development assistance (ODA) could be better utilized, and harmonized, to enhance pro-poor policies and accelerate progress towards poverty eradication and sustainable development.



In opening remarks, Jose Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs said that, despite the best efforts made by the countries themselves and the international community, most least developed countries remained at the bottom rung of the development ladder and were in serious danger of falling short of the Millennium Development

Goals and the Brussels action plan. Many were also struggling with huge debt, and despite the positive aspects of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative, there was still serious doubt that they could reach sustainability. Market inconsistencies and commodity price variance also posed a problem, he continued. And while strenuous efforts were underway to augment external finances for the least developed countries, current conditions were such that many could not attract investors and had to depend almost entirely on waning ODA. He suggested that to help those countries escape the poverty trap, proposals to link debt service payments to commodity pricing might also be considered. He added that there was also a need to promote trade, as well as ensure duty- and quota -free access for exports, which currently were subject to protection and subsidized competition.



Highlighting some recent development achievements made by least developed countries, Donald Kaberuka, Minister of Finance of Rwanda, in his introductory statement said measures were being taken to reduce budget deficits and increase transparency to mobilize domestic resources. But, developing countries still needed to create favourable conditions for development and redouble efforts to mobilize resources at the national level. As for external financing, the level and quality of aid and global coherence of external support were the main issues. Among the main challenges, he mentioned the need to widen the tax base in the developing world, saying that in many poor countries agriculture represented the main sector and the informal sector remained significant. Also important were the issues of harmonization and reducing transaction costs. Now, it was necessary to move from pledges to actions and focus on how to best mobilize the domestic and external funds, he added.



Keynote addresses on the theme of the high-level segment were also made by Carlos Magarios, Director-General of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); Raghuram G. Rajan, Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); Jean-Louis Sarbib, World Bank Senior Vice-President for Human Development; Zephrin Diabre, Associate

Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and Carlos Fortin, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).



The first two round tables, held in the morning, examined, respectively, national and international aspects of resource mobilization in order to create an enabling environment for poverty eradication in the context of the implementation of the Brussels action plan. Summing up the panel on national resource mobilization, which was co-chaired by Ibrahim Gambari, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, along with Mr. Kaberuka, Mr. Gambari said that many speakers had stressed the need for more transparency in policy-making and, at the national level, to seriously address the issues of corruption. Promoting policies that expanded the tax base was also emphasized, as was the critical importance of reducing both the risk and cost of doing business in developing countries. Participants concluded that while domestic resources mobilization was certainly necessary, it was not sufficient to generate the critical mass needed for least developed countries to meet the goals set out at Brussels. Domestic resources, therefore, needed to be joined with international efforts.



The panel on international resources towards fulfilling the commitments made at Copenhagen was co-chaired by Jean de Ruyt (Belgium) and Anwarul K. Chowdhury , Under- Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. Giving the highlights of that discussion,

Mr. Ruyt said the panel had stressed that there was a lack of financial resources currently available for developing countries to reach the Millennium Development Goals. They also stressed the quality of international assistance and that official development assistance (ODA) should lead to capacity building and promote sustainable development. Speakers had stressed that resource mobilization should be flexible and should focus on foreign direct investment. Debt reduction was also an

essential element of the discussion, as was the need to open up market access for developing countries.



The afternoon session featured a round table with Executive Secretaries of the regional commissions and representatives of regional development banks, which was chaired by Joel Adechi (Benin ), Chairman of the Group of Least Developed Countries, and Kim Hak-Su, Executive Director of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Mr. Kim said that the panelists welcomed the focus on regional aspects, since many least developed countries suffered from geographical or other handicaps. With regard to macroeconomic policies and an institutional framework, the panel stressed pro-poor polices to reverse poverty. Since aid alone could not address the situation, policy coherence at national and regional levels was necessary. He added that migration and trade policies must also be mutually coherent in order to ensure that neighbouring countries were better able to reach their regional and individual

development goals. Emphasis should also be placed on civil society and the private sector. The Economic and Social Council will convene the next preparatory meeting for its highlevel segment on 17 and 18 March.

Opening Remarks



In her welcoming remarks, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), MARJATTA RASI (Finland), stressed the need to address the broad issues of poverty, the core of the work of the United Nations and ECOSOC, resources that were critical for development, and the policy environment that could be enhanced with the national and international partners. The

ECOSOC once more provided an opportunity for policy-makers, governments, civil society and business sector representatives, international organizations and regional institutions to assess progress made in the implementation of the Programme of Action, identify existing obstacles and constraints and actions required to overcome them. Regarding the Brussels Programme, she said: It is a comprehensive programme, indeed, and we need to keep all partners mobilized to attain the goals set forth.As pointed out by the Secretary-General in his first progress report on the implementation of the Programme, the three major challenges facing least developed countries were development of sufficient national capacities to implement the Programme, the cost associated with it and ensuring its full ownership by all. Poverty eradication in least developed countries would ultimately depend on renewed efforts at the national, regional and global levels, based on the spirit of shared responsibility and global partnership forged at Brussels and in other international conferences. Among the main questions addressed by the meeting, she listed the following: Are policies becoming more pro-poor and more focused towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals? How can existing tools and frameworks be better used to mobilize more resources for development and improving the institutions and the policy environment? How can official development assistance (ODA) be better utilized and harmonized to enhance pro-poor policies and accelerate progress towards poverty eradication and sustainable development? And how can other development resources be more geared towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals?



JOSE ANTONIO OCAMPO, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said that this year the Council was set to consider the problems of 49 countries at the lowest rung of the development ladder. Despite the best efforts made by the countries themselves and the international community, most least developed countries were in serious danger of falling short of the Millennium Development Goals and the Brussels Programme of Action.

Indeed, in many small countries, the obstacles to providing public services and human resources were very serious. That was exacerbated by the fact that most least developed countries were labouring under a staggering debt burden, and despite the positive aspects of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative, there was still serious doubt that the least developed countries could reach sustainability.

Further, market inconsistencies and commodity price variance also posed a problem for the least developed countries he continued. Donors should also ensure that the volume of aid and did not result in commodity price volatility. Proposals to link debt service payments to commodity pricing might also be considered.

He added that, while strenuous efforts were underway to augment external finances for the least developed countries, current conditions were such that many could not attract investors and had to depend almost entirely on waning ODA. Meeting the commitments made at Monterrey would prove instrumental in unlocking the poverty trap, he said.

There was also a need to promote trade, as well as ensure duty- and quota free access for exports, which currently were subject to protection and subsidized competition. Removal of all tariffs should be the international community goal. Agriculture remained the key economic sector in most least developed countries, employing more than 75 per cent of respective populations. Efforts should, therefore, be made to rehabilitate agricultural infrastructure.

Under the Brussels Programme of Action, that meant improving access to land, credit, and insurance, as well as opening market channels. He added that there was also a need to ensure that poverty reduction strategies went hand in hand with efforts to maintain peace and security.

DONALD KABERUKA, Minister of Finance of Rwanda, said that while progress had been achieved by both developing countries and their partners since the Financing for Development Conference in Monterrey, a number of real challenges remained. Recent achievements included increased development efforts, and measures were being taken to reduce budget deficits and increase transparency to mobilize domestic resources.

The developing countries needed to create favourable conditions for development and redouble efforts to mobilize resources at the national level.

As for external financing, the level and quality of aid and global coherence of external support were the main issues. Among the main challenges, he also mentioned the need to widen the tax base, saying that in many poor countries agriculture represented the main sector and the informal sector remained significant.

Least developed countries were not attracting sufficient foreign investment. Now, it was
necessary to move from pledges to actions and focus on how to best mobilize the domestic and external funds. Also important were the issues of harmonization and reducing transaction costs. Following a disappointment in Cancun, the coherence of aid and trade issues needed to be addressed.

CARLOS MAGARINOS, Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) said that, as many international development goals were in danger of being missed, his agency was concerned about the prospects for the least developed countries. He noted that shortly after Brussels the tragic 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States had drawn the world attention to eradicating terrorism and stemming the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

But, the progress made on the fight against poverty was now claiming international attention. Highlighting the reports of various United Nations agencies, he stressed that in many countries the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015 was in danger of not being met. Hunger had been on the rise, and political crises in many of the least developed countries accounted for much of that. Sub-Saharan Africa was also struggling with poverty eradication as well as child and maternal mortality rates.

He added that per capita growth for 30 sub-Saharan countries had been stagnant for the last three decades. So there was a need to work for three types of transition in the least developed countries: human capital transition; productivity transition; and environmental. There was also a need to promote systemic changes at the international level, as well as enhanced trade access and transfer of technologies. A massive investment in the infrastructure and social services in poor countries was also crucial.

RAGURAM G. RAJAN, Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund (IMF), said resources were part of the solution, but certainly not the entire picture. Studies had shown that good polices should be in place to ensure beneficial use of those resources. But, there was the emerging view that, deeper than resources and deeper than good policy, solid institutions must be developed.

Studies had shown that countries with better institutions tended to have higher levels of gross domestic product (GDP). That notion, however, had opened up other questions, like how to develop such institutions and how to change political consensus within countries to empower people. He went on to say that financial institutions could play an important role in that regard. The IMF was playing that role, namely through poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs), incorporating

wide-ranging negotiations and dialogue between governments and civil society. But, he added, it was also necessary to undertake a programme of outreach, not just to governments and nongovernmental organizations, but to the people and local communities. He urged all international actors to support the things that could lead to stronger institutions, chiefly by expanding access to education, land, health and finance. There was also a need to target the middle class; often overlooked, as most strategies only targeted the poorest of the poor.


JEAN-LOUIS SARBIB, World BankSenior Vice-President for Human Development, said the Bank was committed to putting people first to ensure economic growth and social progress for all. Human development was driven by the Brussels agenda, the Millennium Development Goals and the international Community firm commitment to helping countries reduce poverty.

Linking investments in basic service sect

GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE PARTNERSHIP
GKP Youth Fellowship Program Internship for ICT4D

Applications are now open for internships under the Youth Fellowship
Program (YFP) of the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP). Through the
YFP, 12 GKP member organizations will host youths of 18 to 26 years of
age, in a capacity building initiative in the field of Information and
Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D). The internship will
be for a period of 3 months and will begin in September 2004.

The Youth Fellowship Program is a component of the GKP Youth Program,
aimed at realizing the potential of young people as leaders in using ICT
to achieve sustainable development in their communities and around the
world.

Each of the following GKP member organizations is offering one
internship position:
1.      Bangladesh Friendship Education Society (BFES), Bangladesh
2.      PROSHIKA, Bangladesh
3.      Digital Divide Data (DDD), Cambodia
4.      *Open Forum of Cambodia (OFC), Cambodia
5.      RITSEC, Egypt
6.      MITRA Technology Foundation, India
7.      African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET),
Kenya
8.      World Assembly of Youth (WAY), Malaysia
9.      Fantsuam Foundation, Nigeria
10.      Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF), Nigeria
11.      Mailstation.net in, Philippines
12.      Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), Philippines

The internship positions are open to candidates who are citizens of, and
residing in, the same country as the Host organization.
* The position at Open Forum of Cambodia is restricted to applicants
from East Timor.

The deadline for submitting applications is July 31st 2004.  Successful
candidates will be notified by August 15th 2004.

Interested applicants should visit the program page on the GKP portal at
http://www.globalknowledge.org/yfp for more information about the YFP,
host organizations, eligibility requirements and the application form.

Leticia Zero Salomao
Youth Focal Point
Global Knowledge Partnership Secretariat

 

NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL MOVEMENT FOR CHILDREN

br>Welcome to the first newsletter of the Global Movement for Children in 2004! across the world

1. What are you doing in April 2004? Could you help to organise the 'Big Lobby' on education in your country?

In 2000, 189 governments promised to give every child the chance to complete a primary education. Now they must turn the promise into reality. From April 19-25 this year, children around the world will be speaking out on their right to education. This year's action week, organised by the Global Campaign for Education, is the 'Big Lobby': a worldwide action by children for children. Through letters, maps, pictures and face to face meetings, hundreds of thousands of young people will tell their leaders what needs to be done to give every child a quality education.

But we need YOUR help to organise the 'Big Lobby'. Whether you are a child, an adult, a volunteer, an ngo worker, a teacher... everyone can get involved. In particular, we are looking for help from organisations or individuals in Australia, Australia, Botswana, Canada, China, Egypt, Italy, France, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Yemen, Sweden, South Africa, Paraguay and Venezuela.

Work together to make your 'Big Lobby' the biggest in the world, by
- Organising for children to meet with their elected representatives on April 20th;
- Inviting MPs, councillors or traditional leaders to meetings with children at schools and non-formal education centres;
- Sending messages to your president or prime minister asking them to do more to give every child a chance to go to school.
- Making a "Missing-Out Map" of your community, showing which households have children not attending school. Use the map to spark community-wide discussion and agree an action plan to help more children complete their education.

Contact actionweek@campaignforeducation.org for help with your planning, downloadable posters and leaflets, and a classroom activity pack that includes guidelines for the "missing out map". See www.campaignforeducation.org for more information as well.


2. Are you keen to get more involved in the Global Movement for Children?

The Global Movement for Children (GMC) is a world-wide movement of organisations, institutions, individuals and children, uniting efforts to build a world fit for children. Everyone working on behalf, with and for children is part of the Movement - you included. We have recently developed a basic registration pack which, as you are registered on the newsletter, you too can use. Click on the link below to use the GMC logo, write an article and find out more about the GMC. See http://www.gmfc.org/registerpack.htm.

So how can you get more involved?
- Inform the rest of the Movement - please submit articles about your work to put on our website;
- Find out about the rest of the Movement - keep reading the website, get in contact other organisations in your area and find out about how you can work together (national and regional contacts will be available soon);
- Use the GMC logo to support your work - you are part of the Movement and using the logo will help with your advocacy and campaigning work and will connect you to others working in the same field;
- Get involved in the national, regional and international campaigns of the GMC. Firstly, get involved with the 'Big Lobby' in 2004. Next, watch this space...we are currently planning the major work for 2004 and there will be lots of ways we will want you to help.

3. Child rights on the agenda of the World Social Forum for the very first time!

The Global Movement for Children Convening Committee was at the World Social Forum in Mumbai, India, in January 2004. In conjunction with the Indian network of child rights organisations (CR4WSF) it organised a panel of speakers, both children and adults, to discuss current issues facing children around the world as well as financing national plans for the World Fit for Children (WFFC) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

For the first time in the history of the World Social Forum, children were recognised as legitimate social actors holding civil and political rights. Children's rights were the main theme, and special emphasis was given to child participation. Children spoke to an audience of 4,000, raising questions and discussing issues about their everyday lives, such as globalisation and provision of basic benefits. Urvi, a child from Mumbai, India, said 'the voices of all children with disabilities echo through mine' and continued with demands to the Indian government and international processes, saying that 'a lot needs to be done for inclusion to be a successful reality for children with disabilities all over the world'.

The forum recommended measures for both the governments of the developing as well as developed countries as they pursue their commitments to the WFFC and the MDGs. It also discussed what else civil society organisations can do at both the country, regional and global level to mobilise support for the MDGs and the WFFC and the financing of the plans. For the marginalised group of children representing their organisations and various Unions from around the world WSF 2004 has made a small but significant contribution in enabling a platform at the global level for the issue of child rights to be heard.

Read more about Urvi's speech to the Forum and about the GMC event at http://www.gmfc.org/rallycall10.html#movementaction.

4. Are your concerns represented at international level? Would you like to see a reform of international institutions?

The 'World Campaign for In-Depth Reform of the System of International Institutions' seeks to give a voice to all those that, individually and/or collectively, in response to the grave problems the world currently faces, claim the democratic right to take part in global decisions that affect everyday lives. The aim of the campaign is to move towards a true system of global democratic governance that can help us to build a world of justice and equality, a diverse, sustainable, peaceful world.

The campaign is drawing up a series of scenarios which will develop the conceptual and methodological guidelines for such a reform. The campaign aims to increase worldwide awareness of the scenarios and the possibilities for reform. The sheer numbers of internet votes the campaign aims to raise will force the world's leaders to pay attention to the people's demands for reform.

Want to get involved? You too can take part in the writing of these scenarios. Join in with the debate on these issues at http://www.reformwatch.net/, and read the manifesto and sign the campaign at http://www.reformcampaign.net/.

NEWS FROM UNICEF
CHILDREN ARE PAYING THE ULTIMATE PRICE IN IRAQI VIOLENCE - UNICEF

Voicing alarm at the growing impact of the ongoing fighting on Iraqi children, including a mounting death toll in recent days, the United Nations Children Fund <"http://www.unicef.org/">(UNICEF) has called on all parties to ensure the protection of children and all civilians as required by international humanitarian law.

"The fighting in Iraq is exacting a heavy toll and children are paying with their lives," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said in a statement on yesterday's suicide bombings in Basra in which more than 20 children on a school bus were reported to have been killed.

The agency noted that the killings in Basra follow the reported deaths of more than 100 children in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, in recent days.

In many cities across Iraq, children are unable to lead a normal life. "They are not just unable to attend school and get decent health care and clean water, but far too often they are paying the ultimate price," Ms. Bellamy said. "The ongoing instability and fighting is hitting children the hardest."

Many schools are closed due to the recent upsurge in violence. Even where schools are open, many parents are keeping their children at home out of fear. "Children have the right to continue their education, and to do so safely, even when they live in the midst of conflict," Ms. Bellamy added.

"They must feel free to exercise that right, and they must feel safe going to and from school. In fact, everywhere children spend time, whether on a bus, in a health centre, at a school, or on a playground, must be treated as a zone of peace. We must not allow children to become the victims of adults battles," she declared.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan also added his voice to the chorus of condemnations of the Basra attacks and another suicide bombing yesterday in Saudi Arabia.

"Terrorism constitutes an assault on values the international community holds dear," Mr. Ramcharan said in a statement. "An essential element in fighting this scourge is to uphold the rule of law and fundamental standards of human rights, the very things terrorists seek to destroy."
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CONTRADICTORY LAWS UNDERMINE CHILDREN'S RIGHT TO EDUCATION - UN REPORT

The right of children to education is being seriously undermined in dozens of countries by contradictory laws that allow them to work, be married or held criminally responsible at an age when they are legally bound to be in school, according to a new United Nations <"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php@URL_ID=19982&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html"> report launched today.

"The goals of universal education and elimination of child labour are inextricably linked," says the report, "At what age.are children employed, married and taken to court?"

"In the same country it is not rare to find that children are legally obliged to go to school until they are 14 or 15 years old but that a different law allows them to work at an earlier age or to be married at the age of 12 or to be criminally responsible from the age of seven," the report's author, Angela Melchiorre, concludes.

The study was launched in Geneva on the occasion of Education for All Week by the International Bureau of Education of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) and the Right to Education Project, which includes a network of contributors from Brazil to New Zealand headed by UN Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur Katarina Tomasevski.

"Free and compulsory education of good quality secured until the minimum age for entry to employment is a critical factor in the struggle against economic exploitation of children, while child labour is a fundamental obstacle to the development and implementation of compulsory education strategies," the report states.

It found that there is no compulsory education in at least 25 countries, 10 of them in sub-Saharan Africa, six in East Asia and the Pacific, four in the Arab States, three in South and West Asia and two in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Only 45 of 158 nations surveyed have equalized the school-leaving age and the minimum age for employment. In 36 countries, children can be employed full-time while they are still obliged to be in full-time education. At the other end of the scale, children in another 21 countries must wait at least a year, and sometimes three after completing compulsory education, before they can legally work.

There is no minimum age for marriage in 38 countries, 15 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, seven in East Asia and the Pacific, six in Latin America and the Caribbean, four in South and West Asia, four in the Arab States and two in North America and Western Europe. In another 44, girls can marry at a younger age than boys. In addition, in many parts of the world, once girls marry they are considered to have attained majority, which means they may lose the protection offered by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
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DESPITE PROGRESS, WIDE REGIONAL GAPS REMAIN IN YEARS SPENT IN SCHOOL - UN REPORT
Despite a marked increase over the past decade in children attending primary and secondary schools worldwide, there remain substantial differences between countries and regions ranging from as much as over 17 years of education to as little as two years, according to a new United Nations report released recently.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Education Digest 2004 shows that children in Europe, South America and Oceania spend the most time in school with an average of 12 years while in Africa the average is 7.6 years. But Africa has also shown the greatest improvement over the decade.

At the top end, a child in Finland, New Zealand or Norway can expect to receive over 17 years of education, almost twice as much as in Bangladesh or Myanmar and four times as much in Niger or Burkina Faso. North American children spend an average of just over 11 years and children in Asia nine years.

The lowest average in the world was registered in Afghanistan for the 2001/02 school year - just over two years.

Despite the gaps between countries and regions, the figures show a marked increase over the past decade all over the world, with the greatest changes occurring in Africa, where a number of countries showed increases in the so-called school life expectancy (SLE) of two and three years - and in Uganda and Comoros over four years.

In a few countries, SLE fell. "The most dramatic situation is in the Congo, which showed the highest level of primary to secondary enrolment amongst African countries in 1990," the Digest says. In 2001, SLE was over four years lower than it was in 1990.

In the high performing countries, according to the Digest, more than two and a half years of an average school career is due to tertiary studies, as in Argentina, Bermuda, Canada and the United States in the Americas; Israel, Macao (China) and the Republic of Korea in Asia; Finland, the Netherlands and Norway in Europe; and in Australia and New Zealand in Oceania.

"An important exception is Africa, where levels of tertiary education remain marginal even in countries with a long school life expectancy," the Digest adds. "Tunisia is the only country where school life expectancy attributable to tertiary education exceeds one year."

The Digest reveals a clear link between SLE and national wealth. But it also shows that low gross domestic profit (GDP) need not stand in the way of progress. For example, Djibouti and Angola have similar levels of per capita income to Viet Nam, Lesotho, Uzbekistan and Bolivia. Nevertheless, in the first two countries average duration of schooling is only five years, compared to 10 or more in the others.
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SEND MORE GIRLS TO SCHOOL UNICEF STRESSES DURING GLOBAL EDUCATION ACTION WEEK

As part of the global Education for All Week, the United Nations Children's Fund <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_20446.html"> (UNICEF) is calling for increased efforts to reduce the disproportionate number of girls denied schooling.

"As long as millions of girls are denied a basic education, we stand little chance of improving the lives of the world's poorest people," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy says in a message. "Education is not only the key to a young girl's personal fulfilment, but it is essential for reducing poverty, stopping HIV/AIDS, and achieving all other development goals."

Of the 121 million children out of school, more than half are girls. As the world nears the 2005 goal to get as many girls as boys into school, UNICEF's key education initiative, "25 by 2005," has made a concerted effort to maximize the enrolment of girls in 25 countries where the situation is most critical.

In these countries, UNICEF is working closely with national governments and a wide range of partners to rapidly reduce the number of out-of-school girls.

The agency focuses strategically on protecting the right of girls to education since they are systematically denied schooling and generally face higher barriers than boys to get into and stay in school.

The gender gap is most pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa, where 24 million girls were out of school in 2002, and in South Asia, where 23.5 million girls are denied schooling. Eighty-three percent of all girls out of school live in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific.

Girls' education brings with it a multitude of benefits that begin with the girl herself and extend to her family, community and ultimately to her country. Educating girls is the most effective tool to reduce infant and maternal mortality and to combat HIV/AIDS, child trafficking and exploitation. And by making schools more inviting for girls, classrooms become better learning places for both girls and boys.

"The benefits of educating girls are both immediate and long-lasting," Ms. Bellamy says. "Developing countries would be hard put to find an investment that would bring a better return."

Meanwhile, in Mexico City yesterday, UNICEF Ambassador Jessica Lange launched a handbook for parliamentarians on child protection. The guide details ways in which legislators around the world can take practical steps can ensure children are protected.
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STREET CHILDREN, GIRL SERVANTS SEVERELY AFFECTED BY HAITIAN VIOLENCE - UNICEF
The violence that brought about the change of Haiti's government earlier this year has had a severe impact on the 2,000 street children in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and on the 120,000 girls who work as domestic servants across the country, according to a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) assessment mission.

"The conflict affected every child in Haiti because of an environment of impunity. The increase in violence meant that the supply of food was considerably reduced, medical help was virtually unobtainable, and schools were closed for months. The crisis is over, but its effect on children is still of real concern to us," UNICEF representative Francoise Gruloos-Ackermans says.

The mission's report says children were recruited by armed gangs in almost a third of the 31 surveyed zones and now live in fear of retribution for any violence in which they took part, while in more than 15 per cent of the surveyed zones, children were reportedly murdered in the violence. A zone is a town or city and its suburbs.

Children were shot and wounded or were beaten by armed gangs in more than a third of the surveyed zones and the number of child rapes increased significantly in the urban areas. A human rights organization reported that nine girls were raped in the town of Cabaret over the course of only two days, UNICEF says.

Schools and hospitals were often the targets of violence and looting, it says.

Nearly half of primary-school-aged children are not in school and 80 per cent of those eligible do not go to secondary school. Haiti has a literacy rate under 45 per cent, the lowest in the Americas, and the recent crisis has exacerbated the situation, UNICEF says.
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UNICEF CALLS FOR CONCERTED ACTION TO FIGHT CHILD TRAFFICKING IN AFRICA
With child trafficking affecting more African countries than any other type of trafficking, the United Nations Children's Fund <"http://www.unicef.org/">(UNICEF) today called on governments, law enforcement officials, education authorities, local communities and the media to unite in fighting the scourge.

"Trafficking is among the worst violations of child rights in the world," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said in a statement launching a new report issued by the agency's Innocenti Research Centre, based in Florence, Italy. "If we are to put an end to this brazen trade, we need courageous government leaders who will criminalize the trafficking of children in all its forms. Failure to do so is an abuse of children."

Trafficking of human beings affects every country in Africa for which data is available, either as countries of origin or destination, according to the report, which assembles and analyzes data from across the continent.

Although there are no reliable estimates on actual number of those trafficked, the number of countries reporting trafficking in children is twice that of those reporting trafficking in women, according to the report, launched in Cotonou in the West African country of Benin at a meeting of African Union ministers of labour and social affairs.

"Children will only be free from trafficking when they live in a protective environment which shields them from this unconscionable violation of their rights," Ms. Bellamy said in her statement from New York.

A protective environment includes being in school, having strong laws punishing those who exploit children, a government truly committed to fighting the practice and a community aware of the risks children face, UNICEF said. It also means that media raise awareness, that law enforcement is free from corruption, and that strong monitoring systems are in place to identify communities at risk.

The report looks at information from 53 African countries. Trafficking does not remain within Africa. In 34 per cent of African countries, the trade flows to Europe, and in 26 per cent to the Middle East and Arab states. Trafficking within national borders is very common, occurring in 8 out of every 10 African countries.

Root causes, often differing from country to country, include the collapse of a child's protective environment due to conflict, economic hardship and discrimination. Early marriage and lack of birth registration further increase the vulnerability of children and women exploitation. Poverty can create a desperate situation for many women and children, making them marks for manipulation.
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UNICEF LAUNCHES TRAVEL AGENTS' CODE TO HELP COMBAT CHILD SEX TOURISM
With reports indicating that a quarter of international sex tourists are American, and that the number of children being exploited worldwide estimated at 2 million and growing, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_20445.html">launched a code-of-conduct for the North American travel industry.

The code requires travel agencies to train staff in countries where children are exploited; provide information about the issue to travellers; explicitly repudiate the sexual exploitation of children in any contracts with local suppliers; develop ethical corporate policies; and report annually on the issue.

Marking the launch, <"http://www.unicef.org/index.html">UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said the travel industry is an essential segment of the battle against the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

UNICEF estimates that two million children - mostly girls - are victims of the worldwide commercial sex trade, with as many as a third of Cambodian prostitutes under the age of majority.

"We can no longer look the other way while members of our own communities are abusing children in the most unthinkable ways," Ms. Bellamy said. "These are perpetrators of the worst kind. They not only display a callous disregard for human dignity, they do so with total impunity."

Business Week magazine reported in 1995 that the United States is host to 25 sex tour companies, and in February a New York-based agency was closed and its owners indicted - the first time this has happened in the US - after allegations emerged that the agency had organized overseas vacations where girls were available for sex.

The advocacy group ECPAT USA (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) has said that an estimated 25 per cent of sex tourists outside the US are American.

UNICEF said many countries are also passing laws to make it illegal to travel internationally to have sex with children.