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Special Session on Children > A World Summit for Children
A
World Summit for Children
Over the past 12 years a number of significant events led to the UN General
Assembly convening a Special Session on Children, and contributed to the
promotion of child rights within the international arena.
The
World Summit for Children
On 30 September
1990, at the World Summit for Children held at the United Nations, the
World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children
and the Plan of Action for Implementing the World Declaration were signed
by 71 heads of state and governments, and was later endorsed by 181 countries.
The Plan of Action established seven major and 20 supporting goals that
were considered achievable by the year 2000.
The Plan
of Action called for national action and international co-operation to
meet the goals set in the Plan, and which would greatly improve a child's
chances for survival. The Plan covered child health, food and nutrition,
the role of women, maternal health and family planning, the role of the
family, basic education and literacy, children in especially difficult
circumstances, the protection of children during armed conflicts, children
and the environment, and the alleviation of poverty and revitalisation
of economic growth.
Governments
were urged to prepare national plans of action (NPAs) for the implementation
of these goals. At the international level, international agencies were
asked to assist underdeveloped and highly indebted poor countries in the
achievement of their plans of action. UNICEF was then entrusted with preparing
a consolidated analysis of these plans in collaboration with other UN
bodies, and providing a periodic review of progress.
Mid-decade
reviews
In 1996 the
Mid-Decade Review following the World Summit for Children stressed that
the General Assembly should consider holding a Special Session to examine
how far the world's nations had managed to fulfil their 'promises to children'
and implement the Declaration and Plan of Action of the World Summit for
Children.
End-decade
national and regional reviews of progress
Paragraph
15 of the General Assembly Resolution 54/93 adopted in December 1999,
invited governments and relevant organisations (in particular UNICEF and
regional and sub-regional organisations) to undertake reviews of progress
achieved since the World Summit for Children, and encouraged appropriate
national, regional and international preparatory activities. In paragraph
16, the resolution requested 'the Secretary-general to submit to the special
session … a review of the implementation and results of the World
Declaration and Plan of Action' (a/res/54/93,
dated 17 December 1999).
'We
the Children'
This report
is the summary and global end decade review of the follow-up to the World
Summit for Children. The report is from United Nations Secretary-general
Kofi Annan and was considered by the third Preparatory Committee for the
Special Session of the United Nations in June 2001 (a/s-27/3,4 May 2001).
The report
assesses the progress made in meeting the commitments made to children
at the 1990 World Summit for Children. There is an accompanying statistical
review that presents an exhaustive 150-country data collection effort.
The report announced that considerable progress was made since 1990. The
most notable achievements are in the areas of polio eradication, neonatal
tetanus, diarrhoea, vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency. Nearly
1 billion additional people now have access to improved drinking water.
Additionally, there are now more children in school than there were ever
before.
But for many
of the seven major goals of the 1990 Plan of Action achievements were
less than impressive. As examples, infant and under-five mortality only
declined by 11 percent (rather than the goal of 33 percent), malnutrition
declined by 15 percent (rather than 50 percent), there was no real progress
in the reduction of maternal mortality (the goal was a 50 percent reduction)
and universal access to safe drinking water and hygienic facilities is
far from a reality.
All of these
documents are available on CRIN's website, below.
Further
reading
On
30 September 1990 at the World Summit for Children held at the United
Nations, the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development
of Children [ html
format ] and Plan of Action [ html
format ] for Implementing the World Declaration were signed by 71 Heads
of State and Governments, and later endorsed by 181 countries. In total
155 countries committed to the preparation of national plans of action
for children. The Plan of Action established 7 major and 20 supporting
goals considered achievable by the year 2000.
'Special
Session of the General Assembly in 2001 for follow-up to the World Summit
for Children', Resolution 54/93 adopted by the General Assembly on 7 December
1999 (A/RES/54/93, dated 17 December 1999) [
word or pdf
format ]
We the Children:
End-decade review of the follow-up to the World Summit for Children, (a/s-27/3,4
May 2001) [ word
(2.6 MB) or pdf
(975 KB) ] This report, from United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan,
was considered by the third Preparatory Committee for the Special Session
of the United Nations in June 2001.
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