President,
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) attributes the utmost importance to the Special Session on Children and its outcomes.
Children and young people around the world are the keys to our future. We believe in the important role that the United Nations system can play in safeguarding the interests of children everywhere.
Personally I am proud, as a Vice President of the IFRC and President of the Canadian Red Cross, that I have this opportunity to present our message to the United Nations General Assembly. Especially since this follows an IFRC presentation to the UN Commission on Human Rights, which was made by my colleague Ms. Judy Fairholm, who is the Coordinator of our the Canadian Red Cross programme on violence and child abuse titled RespectEd.
Our message is straightforward. It begins and ends with the unnecessary violence that is targeted at young people. The harsh fact is that in many countries the rights of children are regularly being violated, either directly or indirectly.
The starting point for this work seems to be slipping back every day. Our children are now living in a world where violence is commonplace, and is seen as a normal process for solving problems. A world where abuse through crime, trafficking, prostitution, ignorance, and poverty are regularly condemned, but without any real action taken to confront it.
The dramatic and catastrophic effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on children are both under-estimated and under-addressed by a number of governments, the media, and many relevant organisations. These effects have been identified for sometime; however, numerous governments have yet to incorporate this dimension into their national policies.
This past September 2004, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies in Africa held their sixth Pan-African Conference in Algiers. At that meeting it was noted that the number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS continues to grow. It is predicted that this number will reach 18 million by the year 2010.
The key objectives listed in the Plan of Action adopted at that conference are of fundamental importance. The most significant objectives within this context are as follows:
1. The need for a serious commitment on the part of governments to fight the stigma and discrimination associated both with HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS orphaned children.
2. The importance of a commitment to fight the pandemic through education.
3. The need for a commitment to provide psychosocial support for affected children, families and communities.
These commitments apply to all countries, not simply those involved in the Pan-African Conference. Governments should try to integrate them into all levels of policy. It is equally important that governments involve the most vulnerable in the design and implementation of such policies. We believe that this is an essential contributing factor to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
There are still many countries and organisations, which have yet to introduce special policies to address the unique needs of these children. The IFRC strongly believes that policies should be created to help HIV/AIDS orphaned children thrive and by enabling them to become productive and contributing members of society.
Apart from being in the best interest of children, the creation of these policies is also in the best interest of communities and nations alike. Only through a policy-based approach will countries be able to emerge from the devastation being caused by HIV/AIDS.
President,
Our statement is a call for more action and support for the role that our National Societies play as auxiliaries to governments. In this respect, we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge governments and donors, which have recognised the special efforts of our programmes to assist children.
One such example is a programme funded by the governments of Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands. This programme, located in southern Africa, is aimed at improving the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS affected orphans.
Another example is a programme being run by the Zimbabwe Red Cross. It is entitled "training for life," and it gives particular attention to training children who are the heads of families. These harsh facts must be recognised, and programmes such as these should be put in place to deal realistically and sensitively with the consequences of this crisis.
In addition, it is important that we learn from the ways resilient communities overcome these challenges, even when in the most difficult and seemingly insurmountable situations. The lessons learned from such situations can be applied elsewhere, even to less dramatic situations. Learning is sharing, and this is one of the contributions, which our network can impart. We have a depth that reaches broad areas and levels, spanning from our work with this General Assembly, to the most remote field stations.
This is why we at the Canadian Red Cross are so committed to working through the IFRC and our network to share the lessons we learned with others, and to also benefit from their experiences. Our anti-violence and abuse prevention programme for children, RespectEd is one which we feel has a lot of important information that we can share. We believe in the common goal of creating "A world fit for children".
President,
We would like to change the current philosophy that applies to the rights of the child. It is our hope that ongoing debates will contribute to this, and we will bring forward this message to all relevant conference.
For now, we call upon all state parties to the Convention of the Rights of the Child: to comply with the principles outlined in the convention. We believe that its implementation is supported by one of the most effective and responsible treaty bodies in the international system. Its objectives are of noble consequence, and will lead to the furtherance of the principles outlined during the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children.
Our other message is that all of us should increasingly try to integrate children in the design and implementation of programmes and policies, which are of relevance to them. This is an issue which we believe is noteworthy, and which we are including in our work. We look forward to working with the UN, and other relevant bodies and organizations to this effect.
The IFRC is presently analysing our relationship with other international organizations. We are giving priority to those structured in ways, which promote the cooperation of the national level of their organization, with our National Societies. Such is our relationship with UNICEF, a primary and very valued partner in many activities and particularly in this area. This is an important process which will facilitate our work, and the achievement of MDG 8, concerning the improvement of partnerships for development.
It is also our intention to keep all member states fully informed of our work, since it can corroborate their own work to alleviate the plight and suffering of vulnerable people, and especially children.
President,
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate recipients of the UNDP Youth Poverty Eradication Awards, namely Samuel Magassosso from Mozambique, Edith Castillo Néúñez from Panama, Bessie Maruia from Papua New Guinea, Mirzokhaydar Isoev from Tajikistan, and Bader Zama'rah from the occupied Palestinian Territory. Their work shows the spirit of young people and their ability to achieve great things in this world.
In 1983, John Whitehead wrote, "Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see." This statement, made over 20 years ago continues to be a poignant reminder of our obligation to leave a valuable legacy to the following generations. It is our hope that the tools outlined in the Special Session will send a stronger message to the future.
A message of safety, stability and overall well-being.