REPORT
OF THE
1995 WORLD SUMMIT OF CHILDREN
PROJECT AND
INTERNATIONAL
SUMMIT
JUNE 17-28, 1995
MT. ALVERNO CONFERENCE CENTER
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, USA
The 1995 World Summit of Children
Project was a two-year
international educational and action
oriented endeavor involving
over 20,000 children worldwide. It was
dedicated to strengthening
the United Nations in the next fifty years
through the participation
of children and it honored the Fiftieth
Anniversary of the UN
Charter signing in San Francisco.
INTRODUCTION
TO THE 1995 WORLD SUMMIT OF CHILDREN
PROJECT
Children do not like to be called “children.” The word “childish”
is demeaning. Older children (teen-agers) are looked upon with suspicion by the
media and society in general. Younger children are patronized and not taken
seriously. Statistics show that the number of angry, violent acts committed by
children is growing at an alarming rate. Presently children are a third of the
world’s population and UNICEF estimates that by the year 200 children under 18
will be closer to one half of the world’s population. Think of the potential
future we face very shortly if society continues to disempower its children.
The Declaration from the UN 1990 World Summit for Children holds a
key to broadening society’s traditional view of children. In clause 22 the
Declaration states, “Among the partnerships we seek, we turn especially to
children themselves. We appeal to them to participate in this effort.” There
are thousands of children worldwide who are waiting for opportunities to build
mutually respectful partnerships with adults in hopes that adults will learn
that children can participate in building a positive future in a responsible
and resourceful way.
In response to children’s wishes, PEACEWAYS began to offer
opportunities for young people and world decision-makers to develop productive
partnerships of mutual respect. In 1990 the international Children’s
World Seminar was organized at which 33 children between the ages of 11 and 19
from 21 different countries presented their Children’s Declaration for Peace
to the Dalai Lama. In 1991 the Response to the World Summit for Children
Conference culminated with 45 children from 13 countries interacting with U.S. and UNICEF officials in New York to discuss ways children and adults could partner. In 1992 the
European Conference on Children’s Rights met in Switzerland. The 84 children
from 25 countries made a presentation to high ranking officials at the Centre
for Human Rights in Geneva during which they requested that children have a
voice at the plenary session of the 1993 UN Human Rights Conference to be held
in Vienna. In June 1993 the Children’s World Conference on Human Rights
was held in Vienna paralleling the Human Rights Conference. The 178 children
from 36 different countries presented to the UN plenary session on Children’s
Rights Day 21 June. Here, again, the children stated that they are ready and
willing to actively and responsibly partner with the world’s decision-makers
for a better future.
Throughout 1994 and 1995 the 1995 WORLD SUMMIT OF
CHILDREN PROJECT offered children 8-18 all over the world opportunities to
develop partnerships to further UN ideals and to participate in the UN50
observance. This project was developed in three stages using UN format so
children worldwide could: (1) create a proposal for an ongoing voice for
children within the UN, (2) propose an annual day when children worldwide can
interact with government decision-makers and media, and (3) compile a report
about how governments are keeping their written commitments to children. To
prepare children, the first project step was to print a guidebook giving
summarized material about the UN. This 180 page guidebook, written by children
and adults, was used during the second step of the project: 27 worldwide
Preparatory Committee Meetings (PrepComs). The project’s third step occurred
between June 17-28, 1995. It consisted of concurrent children’s summits in
PrepCom locations as well as the INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT meeting near San Francisco. One hundred ten young delegates from 36 countries who were selected by
their PrepCom peers came to Mt. Alverno Conference Center in Redwood City near San Francisco. Here they coordinated and finalized the three documents begun at the PrepComs
and presented their ideas to visiting dignitaries as a step towards actualizing
mutually respectful partnerships between children and adults and also to
achieve a new level of participation by children in world affairs.
During the INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT it was calculated that at least
20,000 children have been informed about the UN and child rights through the
PrepComs and their ensuing projects. The Summit Project participants feel that
this grassroots movement of children promoting children’s responsible
participation is growing. These young people know that the situation for
children has to improve if there is to be hope for a brighter future. Children
must be allowed to participate in decision-making that creates the future they
will live.
PREPCOM SITES FOR THE 1995 WORLD SUMMIT OF CHILDREN
PROJECT
(29 preparatory educational meetings were
held worldwide for children 8-18)
June 17-19, 1994 San
Jose, Costa Rica Baha’i Youth Group/UNICEF
July 15-20, 1994 London, England B.B.Associates/PEACEWAYS
September 4-12,
1994 Freetown, Sierra Leone Peace-Links/PEACEWAYS
September 9-13,
1994 Milan, Italy International
Children’s Peace Council
October 5-9, 1994 Newfane, USA Children of the Earth/PEACEWAYS
Nov.20-26, 1994 Manila, Philippines Philippine Women’s University
Dec.5,12,19 &
Jan.2,9 Curepipe, Mauritius Halley Movement
Dec. 26-31, 1994 Gandhigram, India Tamilnadu United Nations Association
Dec.27,’94-Jan.1,’95 Zakopane, Poland WYSPA/PEACEWAYS
Jan.12-15, 1995 Cardiff, Wales B.B.Assoc./PEACEWAYS/United World College
Feb. 17-19, 1995 Tepoztlan, Mexico EC2000/Huehuecoyotl
Feb. 23-26, 1995 Oklahoma City, USA Voices of the Next Generation
Mar. 11/12, 25/25,
1995 Tobu, Japan Federation of World
Youth-Nagano
March 11-16, 1995 Toronto, Canada Toronto French School/PEACEWAYS
March 15-18, 1995 Ulan-Ude, Russia Assoc. of Organizers of Children’s Movement
March 24-27, 1995 Islamabad, Pakistan Society for Protection of Child Rights
April 7-11, 1995 Yaba, Nigeria Academic Associates
April 17-22, 1995 Santa Barbara, USA EC2000
April 23-28, 1995 Accra, Ghana Children for a Brighter Future/Life-Link
April 25-27, 1995 Yerevan, Armenia UNICEF
May 4-7, 1995 Ohrid, Macedonia Save the Children-Macedonia
May 13, 1995 Montreal, Canada Young Amazons
May 16-18, 1995 Brasilia, Brazil Brazilian Youth Committee for UN
May 18 & 25,
1995 Amman, Jordan Children’s Org. for
Rights & Environment
May 19-21, 1995 Denver. USA Gove Middle School
May 31-June 5,
1995 Guadalajara, Mexico Centro de Ingeniera
Ambiental
June 7, 1995 Taipei, Taiwan Child Welfare League/Chinese Children’s Fund
1995 WORLD SUMMIT OF CHILDREN
VISION STATEMENT
The statement below is the result of the
two-year 1995 World Summit of Children Project which has reached approximately
20,000 children in 57 countries. Through partnerships of children and adults a
180 page guidebook educating about UN documents and structure was prepared and
used at 27 preparatory meetings worldwide at which delegates were selected to
attend the International Summit held in Redwood City near San Francisco during
the June 1995 UN50 Charter celebration. The International Summit was one of
several concurrent Summits interconnecting throughout the world. The Summit delegates wrote,
“Because we, the children of the Earth,
are now approximately one third of the world’s population and are quickly
approaching one half of the world’s people, we are entitled to a voice in the
governance of our world. The destiny of tomorrow lies in what we do today. We
sincerely hope that a partnership between children and adults will create a
world of mutual understanding and respect.”
Children representing 36 countries
coordinated this Vision Statement to show their readiness and willingness to
initiate mutually respectful partnerships with world leaders to share in the
responsibility for developing a better future for all.
We, the young peoples of
the Earth, envision a
world united by love and
justice. A sharing of
our voices and actions
shall lead us to peace,
prosperity and
preservation of this planet. We
ask that the people of
the world work with us
in global partnership to
fulfill the
responsibilities towards
the future of this world.
1995 World Summit of Children Project
PROPOSAL FOR A YOUNG GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Coordinating Team
International Summit Delegates
Aram Ananian Armenia
Yaa
Boadi-Aboagye Ghana
Maria
Cerdas Costa Rica
Michaela
Conteh Sierra Leone
Andrej
Dethloff Poland
Agnieszka
Grabda Poland
Qusai
Hammouri Jordan
Anneliese
Heij Namibia
Umi-Aisha
Kabba Sierra Leone
John
Keefe USA
Shaban
Khalid Pakistan
Steve
Kochanowski USA
A.
Satish Kumar India
Meg
Lippincott USA
Nikolay
Makarov Russia
R.
Manickavelan India
Manfred
Marshall Costa Rica
Radu
Mihalca Romania
Gascia
Ouzounian Canada
Gifty
Poku Ghana
Angela
Pratico USA
Milan Prochazka Czech Republic
Julia
A. Raddocchia USA
Parul
Shah Canada
Abigail
Torres Philippines
Tammy
Williams Australia
Youth Advisors
Katarzyna
Maslowska Poland
Victor
Mokhosoev Russia
Piotr
Plachtanski Poland
Ivana
Serafimova Macedonia
(all five UN regions represented)
A DESCRIPTION OF THE COORDINATING PROCESS
OF THE
PROPOSAL FOR A YOUNG GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The delegates to the International Summit of the 1995
World Summit of Children Project gathered
together from June 17 to June 28 to plan ways that they as children
could partner with adults to support UN ideals and become active in global
affairs. One of the goals to fulfill during this time period was to coordinate
a proposal as to how children can assist and strengthen the UN through their
participation in a Young General Assembly (YGA). Ideas for this proposal had
already been discussed at 27 Summit PrepComs (preparatory meetings) all over
the world. Approximately one third of the International Summit delegates chose
to work on the YGA Proposal.
The YGA Team’s first meeting was dedicated to hearing all proposals
from the individual PrepComs and selecting topics for sub-committees such as
finance, the qualifications of a YGA ambassador, the power and authority of the
YGA and its structure. A goal was established by the group to refine, discuss
and debate each topic sub-committee’s proposal and combine them, with the
agreement of all the delegates, into one document.
The question of having a regional level in the YGA structure
started a debate within the entire YGA Team. Those who were in favor of having
a regional level argued three points: firstly, the regional level presented a
stepping stone between the national and international levels; secondly, the
regional level would focus on regional problems freeing the international YGA
to focus on global problems; and, lastly, the fine details had already been set
for this structure. Those who opposed the need for a regional level presented
these arguments in rebuttal: firstly, it was argued that a regional level would
prove to be too costly for those nations who had difficulty in sending
delegates to the International Summit; secondly, working within the already
established five UN regions seemed irrelevant to the issues that need to be
covered by the YGA.
The YGA structure sub-committee debated this issue for several days
without reaching a solution. The frustration of not having accomplished the
task at hand sparked a compromise. This compromise used the regional level as
optional. The regional meetings would be held prior to the international
meeting. However, there was a misunderstanding that the documents had to be
formulated by the next day. Therefore, several delegates decided to print a
hard copy of the first proposal which stated there was definitely a regional
level, neglecting to acknowledge the compromise. The remainder of the delegates
were furious that the document printed did not have the consent of all the
delegates in the YGA group. They felt there was a violation of the set goal.
Only two days remained and much was left to be done. It was decided
that a reassessment of the goal and of the requirements was needed. This
occurred through an open discussion with all the delegates from all the
sub-committees. The rough drafts from each of the topic sub-committees were
presented and the structure group adopted the proposed compromise. The
delegates decided to set aside all anger and focus on the goal with a “fresh
look.” Every section that was of concern was discussed and voted upon.. For
example, the exclusion of young people with criminal records from the YGA
disturbed several individuals from the sub-committee deciding the
qualifications of a YGA ambassador. It was therefore put to the floor for
discussion. It was determined that the qualifications for ambassadors
would be left to each nation to decide for itself. Those issues that were not
presented by the topic sub-committee as a concern, but were of concern to any
other delegate from any other sub-committee, were discussed separately.
All members of the YGA Team had faith in each other. Therefore,
only those issues that presented problems were discussed. The document was read
in its entirety so that each delegate was aware of its contents and consensus
was reached. Many problems were encountered in creating the Proposal for a
United Young General Assembly. However, many of them were targeted towards the
short time available to complete the goal. Nevertheless, the International
Summit delegates managed to conquer all problems with the same kind of
understanding and cooperation that will make the Young General Assembly a
successful part of the United Nations.
Written by Parul
Shah assisted by Gascia Ouzounian, Wingee Sin and Kingston Wu
THE PROPOSAL FOR A YOUNG GENERAL ASSEMBLY
PREAMBLE
We, representing the young peoples of the world, are determined to
end all child abuse and neglect, to reaffirm the faith of young peoples in the
provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to provide an
ongoing voice for the children of the world within the United Nations system.
To attain these goals, we seek to establish a partnership between
the young peoples of the world and the United Nations organization by proposing
that a Young General Assembly (YGA) be established as a committee of the
General Assembly.
.....................................................................
(The full Proposal for a Young General Assembly can be found
in the First Floor YGA Records Office)
..................................................................................
1995 World Summit of Children Project
PROPOSAL
FOR HEAR THE CHILDREN DAY
Coordinating Team
Summit Delegates
Akeem
Akinola Nigeria
Andreana
Benitez Philippines
Sonia
Diaz Mexico
Mariana
Eghrari Brazil
Gregorio
Fabian Mexico
Paul
Garcia USA
Misuzu
Hattori Japan
Tamila
Karpik Ukraine
Cara
Khan Canada
Heli
Korpimaki Finland
Nancy
Lee Republic
of China on Taiwan
Dominic
Leslie England
Rafah
Mango Jordan
Siri
Dhayal Martinez Mexico
Adeola
Odeku Nigeria
Rashmi
Ramakrishnan India
Abdul
S. Salia Sierra Leone
Julie
Schreiner USA
Yoshiyasu
Shimizu Japan
Ruba
Sonbol Saudi Arabia
Chizuru
Tamura Japan
Sage
Teton USA
Carlos
de la Torre Mexico
(all five UN regions represented)
A DESCRIPTION OF THE COORDINATING PROCESS
OF THE
PROPOSAL FOR HEAR THE CHILDREN DAY
At the International Summit of the 1995 World Summit of Children
Project the children had the task of coordinating three documents already begun
by children at twenty-seven preparatory meetings held throughout the world
during 1994 and 1995. These documents are aimed at creating a working
partnership between children and the United Nations. The three documents are
the Proposal for Hear the Children Day, the Proposal for a United Nations Young
General Assembly and an International Keeping the Promise Report. All the Summit delegates divided themselves into three groups; one for each document. Each group
had representatives from each of the five UN regions. This is a description of
how the Proposal for Hear the Children Day was prepared.
At the first meeting of the Hear the Children Day Team, the group
spent an hour figuring out what to name the international day for children.
Members started by gathering words that could describe the purpose of the day.
During this whole hour the group could only think of a few words because during
the first two days of the Summit everyone was not very focused on their task.
However, everyone did contribute ideas. For two days the Team worked on
figuring out a name and finally it was decided that each person should describe
what they felt about the day and from each description everyone brainstormed
titles. From all the words gathered, the best title was “Hear the Children
Day.”
The group met all together to create the title, but when the
writing of the Proposal began, the Team was divided into three smaller groups.
One of the sub-groups was to describe the purpose of the event. The second was
to describe the importance of having the UN participate and support this event.
The third group was to tell what activities would be held on this day and their
meaning. These smaller groups worked more quickly because it is easier to work
in smaller groups. Each smaller group had about eight participants. In these
groups everybody was united and came to hold the same point of view, or almost
the same. If anyone didn’t understand what was going on, group members would
stop and explain what was being discussed. If people were shy or didn’t want to
talk, everyone would encourage them to talk and express their ideas or ask for
their opinions.
When each smaller group finished their written section, it was
passed on to another group so other ideas could be added or anything they
didn’t agree with or like could be corrected. This was beneficial because each
Proposal section was worked on by everyone on the Team and the effort was a
united one.
When all the corrections were finished, a group of volunteers spent
the whole night typing the work into the computer. This demonstrated a strong
spirit of cooperation and showed that sacrificing sleep to achieve a goal is
rewarding. The Hear the Children Day Team appreciated the efforts of the
volunteers very much.
After the Proposal was written the Team began to make drawings of a
flag or logo. The Team members worked on this for a day, but then all the
participants of the Summit were asked to make drawings. There were so many good
ideas that one final drawing was never selected. All in all, the Hear the
Children Day Team worked well together and did not have any problems in
achieving their goal.
Written by Mariana
Alvarenga Eghrari assisted by Wingee Sin and Kingston Wu
1995 WORLD SUMMIT OF CHILDREN
PROPOSAL FOR HEAR THE CHILDREN DAY
PREAMBLE
We,
the young peoples of the Earth, propose that the third Tuesday of every
September be known worldwide as “Hear the Children Day.” On this day we would
like to be given the opportunity to voice our opinions and ideas. We feel that
by doing so we will promote common interest in the needs of children and remove
barriers between ages.
Hear the
Children Day will enhance the already established International Day of Peace by
bringing a focus on children everywhere who want to live a peaceful future.
.....................................................................
(The full Proposal for Hear the Children Day can be found in
the Third Floor Hear the Children Day of Peace Resource Room)
..................................................................................
1995 World Summit of Children Project
INTERNATIONAL
KEEPING THE PROMISE REPORT
Coordinating Team
Summit Delegates
Celery
Aganon Philippines
Ronke
Ampiah Ghana
Mattia
Confaloniere Italy
Anna-Luoise
Crago Canada
Linda
Fanis USA
Marina
Filipovska Macedonia
David
Gittins USA
Kari
Gregorio Canada
Imad
Jibril Palestine
Hala
Kanadilo Jordan
Kevin
Liu Republic
of China on Taiwan
Taffy
Makaya Zimbabwe
Sima
Mango Jordan
Lushendren
Pather South Africa
Liana
Sanamian Armenia
Preetha
Subramanian India
Luca
Travaini Italy
Marco
Vitali Italy
Natasha
Voskanyants Russia
Katya
Yazikova Russia
Youth Advisors
Saimah
Ali Pakistan
Francesca
dell’Acqua Italy
Emmanuel
S. Kamara Sierra Leone
Pablo
Ordonez Mexico
(all five UN regions represented)
A DESCRIPTION OF THE COORDINATING PROCESS
OF THE
INTERNATIONAL KEEPING THE PROMISE REPORT
The International Keeping the Promise (IKTP) Report was divided
into the same eight main topics used by governments to officially report to the
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child about their progress in implementing
the Convention on the Rights of the Child in their nation. The IKTP Team
members consisted of representatives from each of the five UN regions. At the
first Team meeting it was decided to break into smaller groups so each group
could work on one of the eight topics. The Team members grouped themselves
according to the topic with which they felt they could be most helpful. Because
of some of the similarities of topics, some topic groups worked on more than
one section.
After a period of working in topic groups, all the Team members
came together to talk about their progress and problems. It was difficult for
each group to blend all the specific national issues into general statements
which reflected an international viewpoint. Team members expressed regret that
specific issues would not be highlighted, but at the same time they realized
that there were so many serious situations involving children of different
countries that they could not all be covered in one report.
On the second day, there was only a short working session. A few of
the topic groups had a hard time getting started. The Report was greater
challenge than originally believed. Yet, by the time this session was over,
every group had made a good start on their section. Also, by the end of this
session the Team members felt as though they were more at ease with each other
and could speak more openly. The working atmosphere became informal and
enjoyable, yet, at the same time, the task at hand made progress.
By the third day, the spirit of cooperation between the group
members grew and they began to view each other as members of a unified team.
Some one suggested that the working sessions begin with a check-in, a process
whereby each person present in the circle expresses in sequence his or her
feelings about a designated question. This helped to develop a deeper level of
trust and bonding between the IKTP Team members. It was decided to take the
time to engage in informal games which would bring out different sides of each
personality. These activities helped the Team members to become a closely-knit
circle of friends and a difficult task became easier. The Team decided to
continue such activities at the beginning of each working session. It helped to
clear the air and bring a united focus to the Report. This was a very special
time for everyone.
On the fourth working day the Team decided on the format that each
section was to use so the Report would be uniform. In retrospect, it would have
made the work easier if the format for each section had been decided upon
first. However, a format was agreed upon and the sections rewritten
accordingly. Some of the topic groups were ready to begin typing their sections
on the computer. One computer file was opened and the sections were typed into
it as each section was completed.
After the eight sections were completed, the whole Team began to
write the Preamble and the Conclusion together. After the check-in procedure,
the Preamble was completed first by a brainstorming session during which all
words and phrases were written on the chalkboard because it is hard to remember
a creative phrase that comes to mind quickly. From the material written on the
chalkboard sentences were developed and then linked until the Team felt it had
stated everything it wanted to say. The Conclusion was written in the same
manner. A few of the computer literate Team members volunteered to assemble the
Report as a whole. Four Team members stayed up all night to proof-read and
print out the complete Report. There was considerable difficulty with the
computer because the memory was overloaded. Sections were lost and had to be
typed in again.
At its last session, the Team spent a long time congratulating
themselves on a difficult job well done.. A pizza party was planned as a
good-bye celebration.
Written by Linda
Fanis assisted by Wingee Sin and Kingston Wu
1995 WORLD SUMMIT OF CHILDREN
INTERNATIONAL KEEPING THE PROMISE REPORT
PREAMBLE:
Out of fear over what we see happening on a
day to day basis, we, the young people of the Earth, call for a global
partnership between children and adults, and leaders and citizens. As the
complexity and severity of the world’s situation becomes more evident, our
future looks uncertain and cloudy. Only through our united efforts we can
progress toward solutions that can ensure a promising future. This Report is a
compilation of views, visions and proposals by delegates representing children
of the world.
.....................................................................
(The full International Keeping the Promise Report can be
found in the First Floor
Young General Assembly Committees Office)
..................................................................................
1995 World Summit of Children Project
STATEMENT
OF SUPPORT
Through the two-year 1995 World Summit of Children Project, which
has reached approximately 20,000 children worldwide, many adults became aware
of the significance of the Summit goals. As they met at PrepComs and initiated
the projects they designed at PrepComs, adults saw how deeply children want the
responsibility of taking part in the decisions affecting their lives. They saw
the determination with which the children overcame odds and made positive
changes come to life. They also saw how many other adults do not take children
seriously and will not listen to them in earnest. This Statement is an appeal
from the Summit adults to all adults to support and encourage children who want
to take on a higher level of responsibility and participation in
decision-making on all levels.
Support Team
Ellen Brogren, U.S.A. Alexander Pop, Romania
Mahrou Eghrari, Brazil Rodica Pop, Romania
Ana de Facio, Costa Rica Jan Pritts, U.S.A.
Gwen Gordon, U.S.A. Maria Elizondo, Costa Rica
Patrick Hinchey, Canada Bill Rettie, Japan
Haifa
Khater, Palestine R. Galina Rogaleva, Russia
Tuula Korpimaki, Finland Helen Samuels, Mexico
Josefa Luciano, Philippines Bibi Small, United Kingdom
Nina Meyerhof, U.S.A. John Teton, U.S.A.
Nicole Milner, U.S.A. Glenna Voegle, U.S.A.
Louise Park-Ahonen, Finland Lesley Williams, Australia
1995 WORLD SUMMIT OF CHILDREN
STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
We, the concerned
adults of the 1995 World Summit of Children, coming from different countries
all over the world, fully support empowering children to actively participate
in helping to solve the problems of humankind.
The proposals that
the children have drawn up form a concrete move towards alleviating the
problems that children are facing today: poverty, hunger, abuse and violation
of rights. The world of the twenty-first century needs to harness the energy,
imagination, leadership and creativity of children who now make up almost one
half of the world’s population.
The time has come
when adults must accept that children have great wisdom to offer the world.
We not only
endorse the documents of the young Summit delegates, but also urge world
governments to adopt and support:
1. the creation
of the Young General Assembly within the UN structure,
2. the
establishment of Hear the Children Day to coincide with the UN International
Day of Peace
3. the
implementation of the International Keeping the Promise Report recommendations,
and
4. the Vision
Statement of the young people.
Finally, we believe we must listen to our
children NOW !!!
Doing so will bring about humanity’s
greatest spiritual aspiration-
a new world linked in Peace, Freedom and
Harmony !
Completed 21 June 1995 at Mt. Alverno Conference Center, Redwood City, U.S.A.