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Children: Future Writ Small

Child or children, the words do not appear in the UN Charter. But the preamble, as it begins, sounds like mother and father, ". . . determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." You might say that all UN striving toward peace and equity serves that Charter aspiration, but you might also say that a focus on the future overlooks the present. At official inter-governmental UN, UNICEF was in origin (1946) an accident, living on a little money left over from the big UN recovery programme after World War II: milk and band-aids for a couple of years in war-affected countries. Unimaginable to me at that time would have been what has come to pass, that the idea, the ideals of UNICEF are now treated with some dignity in the General Assembly and even in the Security Council.

Our primal concerns for children have been given form and substance by UNICEF and its many partners in thought and deed, by the 1990 World Summit for Children, and by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The tenth anniversary of this Convention was celebrated by the General Assembly on 11 November 1999. The President of the Assembly set the right tone when he spoke of the deprivations and exploitation of children, most flagrant in war. He recalled that in August 1999, the Security Council, when he (as Namibia) presided, had its first open debate on "children and armed conflict." The Council then adopted resolution 1261 (1999) which "strongly condemns the targeting of children in situations of armed conflict, including killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction and forced displacement, recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in violation of international law . . . and calls on all parties concerned to put an end to such practices." The G.A. President went on to say that the Assembly, having proclaimed the years 2001-2010 as the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for Children (hallelujah!), should actually do something about it. Also addressing the Assembly on 11 November, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette spoke of the near-universal ratification of the Convention (oh tardy USA, come and join the world!) as in itself "a wonderful victory"; although down the years we will be judged not by what we have said but by what we have done.

More cause for rejoicing was the agreement to a Protocol (an add-on) to the Convention which would raise the permissible age for recruitment into armies from 15 to 18 years. While it is governments that will sign on, the Protocol is intended explicitly to apply to all "armed groups" in civil conflict. It says something that it took enormous effort to overcome resistance to this Protocol. NGO's had a lot to do with getting it accepted. Next in negotiation is another Protocol, this one against sexual exploitation of children. While celebrating this Convention, we should be impressed by its implementing Committee as it holds its twenty-third meeting (in January 2000) to review how eight countries are meeting their commitments.

This G.A. (Third Committee) discussed things brought up in the Secretary-General's report on the Child Rights Convention as well as a couple of reports on specific issues (children and war, sex exploitation of children). The G.A. commended ILO for its adoption in June 1999 of a Convention against the worst forms of child labour, strengthening an existing Convention on abolition of child labour. The G.A. also commended the ongoing effort to conclude a Protocol on sexual exploitation; and agreed that, to protect children in war, the time has come to move beyond making rules to taking action.

What has put children on the political agenda at the UN? The Child Rights Convention was ten years (1980-1989) in the making amongst governments, an historic process of education and sensitization. Propitious convergence saw the World Summit for Children (71 heads of State) convened at the UN in September 1990, a meticulously prepared event where goals and actions were agreed. This convergence certainly facilitated the rapid ratification of the Child Rights Convention, and provided a pragmatic parallel to the Convention. It is fitting indeed that, while celebrating ten years of the Convention, the Assembly decided to convene, in 2001, a Special Session for a decennial review of what has been done to meet the Summit Goals, and what lies ahead. The first Prep Com meeting for 2001 was held in February 2000. Dare we hope that children, concern for, will help bring together North and South, east and west, rich and poor?