Fri, November 20, 2009
BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Xinhua News Agency and other leading world media will provide 24-hour global coverage on Nov. 20 of Universal Children's Day to focus on the protection and welfare of children.
The following is a brief introduction to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The United Nations General Assembly on Nov. 20, 1959 adopted a Declaration of the Rights of the Child, a non-binding resolution with 10 principles.
Thirty years later, the UN General Assembly on Nov. 20. 1989 adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) for signature. It became the first legally binding international convention to affirm human rights for all children, set out in 54 articles.
In 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted two Optional Protocols to the Convention -- Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
The 54 provisions of the Convention and its Optional Protocols, articulate the full complement of civil, political, cultural, social and economic rights for all children.
The Convention spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to be protected from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.
The four core principles of the CRC are non-discrimination; the best interest of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child.
The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.
On Sept. 2, 1990, the Convention entered into force after it was ratified by the required number of nations (20).
It has achieved near-universal acceptance, having now been ratified by 193 countries, according to UNICEF.
By July 2009, the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography had been ratified by 128 and 132 countries, respectively.
BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Major media organizations in the world have launched a 24-hour relay broadcast for children's rights on Universal Children's Day, which falls on Friday. The global media campaign, also called the "Global News Day for Children" program, was initiated by Xinhua News Agency and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to highlight the international media's role in helping improve children's living environments and promoting their healthy development.
Starting from 8 a.m. (Beijing time) Friday, Xinhua has been working with all participating media organizations in launching 16hours of Chinese-language coverage and eight hours of English-language coverage of education, culture, globalization, environment protection, disability, sport, charity, conflict, and traditions that are closely connected to children's lives and development. Full story
BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Xinhua News Agency and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Monday unveiled the logo for "Global News Day for Children" and launched an official website for the event.
"Global News Day for Children" is a global media campaign co-sponsored by Xinhua News Agency and the UNICEF, to mark the Universal Children's Day which falls on November 20th. Full story
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday sent a message for the well-being of children across the world as the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Children's Day draw near.
The message, written and signed by the UN secretary-general in English and Chinese, reads:" Children are our future. We must work for health, education, equality and protection for every child in the world."
