1995 WORLD
SUMMIT OF CHILDREN
THE
CHILDREN’S PROPOSAL FOR A PARTNERSHIP
WITH THE
UN COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
This Proposal is the result of the two-year 1995 World Summit of
Children Project which has reached approximately 20,000 children. 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.”
In Geneva, four months after the Summit, a special delegation of
Summit children ages 13-17 from all five UN regions coordinated this Children’s
Proposal for a Partnership with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to
show their readiness and willingness to initiate mutually respectful
partnerships of children and adults to share in the responsibility for
developing a better future for all.
THE CHILDREN’S PROPOSAL FOR
A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UN COMMITTEE ON THE
RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
Introduction
Madam Chairperson,
we are honored to be here today among people who are as passionate as we are
towards children’s rights. We would like to present our proposal for incorporating
children in the work for their well-being through the establishment of
children’s National Councils (NC) and an International Children’s Advisory
Council (ICAC). First of all, we would like to explain the purpose for our
proposal.
Benefits to
Governments
This initiative to form a
partnership between children and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of
the Child (UNCRC) will benefit governments. Through the information the
children will communicate to the UNCRC and their governments, officials will be
able to prioritize their programs for children in a better way so that they
will make more effective use of their funds. In addition, this will lead to the
development of more responsible citizens aware of their rights and
responsibilities who, in turn, will participate with their government to better
their nation.
Benefits to the
Committee on the Rights of the Child
As communication between children
and the UNCRC is established, then the expression of ideas and thoughts will be
in a clear and direct way. By this interaction, the Committee would be closely
linked with children’s perspectives. The Committee would have the possibility
to hear the actual issues that are happening and which, in some cases,
governments are hiding because they know about their existence, but don’t have
the money to fund the solutions. The UNCRC will also have the opportunity to
realize children’s priorities. This means that for once governments would be
accountable to children, as partners of the Committee, in matters of children’s
rights. It also means the Committee would be practicing the principles of child
participation consistent with those in the Convention on the Rights of the
Child. The United Nations is able to sway public opinion and exert power to
protect children like no other non-governmental organization can.
Benefits to
Children
Children are often
subject to manipulation and appropriation of their voices by adults with good
and bad intentions. The UNCRC can create an atmosphere of safety. With no fear
of punishment or persecution for what is said, children can let their truths be
heard.
Plan of Action
Purpose
We propose that a children’s National Council (NC) be established
in every country which will have direct interaction with the UN Committee on
the Rights of the Child. Its aims are:
(A) To give
another view of the country’s problems in order to provide the UNCRC with a
clearer representation of the nation’s children.
(B) To work in
partnership with government, non-governmental organizations and the United
Nations.
(C) To compile
reliable reports about the status of each country’s children using
questionnaires, personal interviews and statistics.
(D) To organize
and distribute questionnaires throughout each nation.
(E) To educate
children about the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UNCRC and to
distribute Committee reports when relevant.
Structure
One or two representatives from each area will be chosen according
to a selection process which will be described further on. These area representatives
will form a children’s National Council (NC). A limit on the number of
representatives is advised to ensure the NC is not too small or too large.
Options for the
Terms of National Council Representatives
These options have
been created to allow flexibility:
(A) The
representatives will serve a one year term. A chairperson will be chosen by the
representatives, who will become the facilitator for the following year.
(B) The
representatives will be elected for a two year term. During the first year,
they will be responsible for collecting information and compiling reports, In
the second year, they will act as advisory members to the newly elected
representatives in order to allow for a smoother running of the NC.
(C) The
representatives will be elected for a two-year term. After the first year, an
election will be held to select a smaller committee of the most capable members
to act as facilitators for the first year NC members. If there are two year
terms, elections could be on a rotation basis.
Process Options
(A) Compulsory
NC meetings could be held twice a year (1) to introduce new representatives
and to inform them about new project developments and recent reports, and (2)
to compile annual national reports using an adapted version of the UNCRC format
for government reports.
(B) When NC
representatives are serving a two year term, there will be one compulsory NC
meeting once a year to introduce members and compile national reports.
Completion of
Reports
At NC meetings a chairperson will
be elected then each representative will give a report on the status of
children in their region. After the regional reports have been presented, the
NC will jointly compile a national report. A selected delegation will meet with
governments and/or submit the annual report to the government. In the year a
government submits a report to the UNCRC, then the NC will compile all the
national annual reports from the previous five years into a summary and submit
the annual reports and the summary to the UNCRC for a clearer view of the
country’s progress.
Selection of
Representatives to the National Council
It is recommended that qualified
candidates for representatives display a rudimentary knowledge of the UN and
the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children interested in becoming a
member of the NC should submit an essay which explains their views and their
opinions on major issues concerning the children of their country. These essays
will be evaluated on a regional level by an NGO organization supporting the NC.
The final step is for the supporting NGOs to interview the best essay writers
and make a final decision about the selection of National Council
Representatives according to which candidates have written the best essays,
have demonstrated leadership in their communities and schools, have a basic
knowledge of the UN and also have the time and interest to carry out the duties
required. This suggested selection process should not be considered finalized
because equal opportunity must be provided for children from all kinds of
backgrounds.
The Partnership
Between the National Council and Supporting NGOs
(A) NGOs supporting the National Council should fulfill certain
requirements:
(1) They must be registered with their national
government as well as the UN.
(2) They will give partial or full financial support
to the NC.
(3) They must promote children’s rights.
(B) NGOs supporting the National Council have certain
responsibilities:
(1) The National Council will have either one
supporting NGO or a cohesive coalition of
supporting NGOs.
(2) The supporting NGO or NGOs will choose the
children for the National Council.
(3) They will organize, with the cooperation of the
child delegates, the place and length of the
National Council sessions.
(4) There must be documentation about the
relationship between the National Council and all
supporting NGOs, governmental
offices/officials and the United Nations.
Funding of the
National Council
(A) The
supporting NGOs will be responsible for at least partially funding the NC.
(B)
Fund-Raising will be
undertaken as well by individual NC delegates in their regions and the National
Council
itself.
(C)
Unconditional donations
will be accepted and acknowledged from individuals, organizations or
governments.
Credibility of
the National Council
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child should formally
recognize the credibility and importance of the National Councils in order to
create a high public opinion of the NC.
The
International Children’s Advisory Committee (ICAC)
ICAC Aims:
(A) The ICAC will compile
reports about emergency situations during the period when a national government
is not reporting to the UNCRC. The emerging reports are to inform the Committee
about a crisis in a country so that it can be addressed before the government
report is due.
(B) If possible,
ICAC members are to attend UNCRC Thematic Discussions.
(C) The ICAC
will monitor National Councils to ensure minorities are included and
represented.
ICAC Member
Selection:
(A) Eleven
members will be selected at annual international World Summit of Children
meetings.
ICAC Structure:
It would consist
of eleven representatives, one from each of the following regions: North and
West Africa, East Africa, Central and South Africa, Middle East Asia, Central
Asia, South Asia, Southeast and Far East Asia, Australasia, Eastern Europe,
Latin America, Western Europe and Others.
ICAC Duties:
(A) ICAC members will
present all documents compiled at the annual World Summit of Children meetings
to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
(B) ICAC will communicate with various NGOs and choose the
national NGOs best capable of organizing the National Councils.
(C)
ICAC members will
report the past year’s activities to the international annual World Summit of
Children meetings and
brief the incoming ICAC members on past activities and policies.
International
Annual World Summit of Children Meetings
Aims of the Summits
:
(A) to create questionnaires
mindful of cultural differences in each country and region to gain information
from the children of the world concerning Convention on the Rights of Child
issues.
(B) to elect the
eleven members of the International Children’s Advisory Committee.
(C) to compile
emergency reports.
(D) to discuss
other business and issues as appropriate and needed.
Conclusion
In building a structure in our
minds for our participation, we came across many challenges. We believe there is
great strength in the honesty of those who can admit their weaknesses. There
are some very difficult issues with which we had to grapple. We do not wish to
create a system that reinforces the imbalance of representation of privileged
groups within the governmental structures. Nor do we wish to create enormous
bureaucracy or divert unnecessary funds. We want accessibility, honesty and
safety in testifying for children and not to recreate the same systems and
hierarchies that have in the past betrayed us as children as well as others. We
want children to feel they have a place, a safe place, where their voices and
experiences have value within the UN- if nowhere else on Earth.