Universal Childrens Day "We were all children once.

And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue to be the most universally cherished aspiration of humankind." We the Children: End-decade review of the follow-up to the World Summit for Children Report of the Secretary-General !""#$ %he United &ations' U&$ Universal Children's Day( which was esta)lished in #*+,( is cele)rated on &ovem)er !" each year to promote international to-etherness and awareness amon- children worldwide. U&/CE0( the United &ations Children's 0und( promotes and coordinates this special day( which also wor1s towards improvinchildren's welfare. 2n &ovem)er !"( #*+*( the U& General 3ssem)ly adopted the Declaration of the Ri-hts of the Child and on &ovem)er !"( #*4*( it adopted the Convention on the Ri-hts of the Child. Since #**"( Universal Children's Day also mar1s the anniversary of the date that the U& General 3ssem)ly adopted )oth the declaration and the convention on children's ri-hts. %he aim of Universal Childrens Day is to put pu)lic initiatives and campai-ns in place to rasie awareness of childrens ri-hts worldwide( awareness of their situation in life( pro)lems( wishes( needs and lon-in-s as well as to ena)le e5chan-es and meetin-s )etween them. Despite this worldwide consensus on the importance of our children( 6"7 of the appro5imately ## million child deaths every year are attri)uta)le to si5 potentially preventa)le causes: diarrhoea( malaria( neonatal infection( pneumonia( preterm delivery( or lac1 of o5y-en at )irth. %hese deaths occur mainly in the developin- world. 3n Ethiopian child is 8" times more li1ely to die )y his or her fifth )irthday than a child in Western Europe. 3mon- deaths of children( South-central 3sia has the hi-hest num)er of new)orn deaths( while su)-Saharan 3frica has the hi-hest rates. Etymolo-ically( the term 9child: comes from the ;atin infans which means : the one who does not spea1 9. 0or the Roman( this term desi-nates the child from its )irth( up to the a-e of 6 years. %his notion evolved a lot throu-h centuries and cultures to finally desi-nate human )einfrom )irth until adulthood. <ut this conception of the child was wide and the a-e of the ma=ority varied from a culture to an another. %he Convention on the Ri-hts of the Child of #*4* defines more precisely the term 9child::

[... a child is any human being below the age of eighteen years, unless under the law applicable to the child, ma!ority is attained earlier" %he idea( throu-h this definition and all the te5ts concernin- child welfare( is that the child is a human )ein- with ri-hts and di-nity. What characteri>es the child( it is his youth and vulnera)ility. /ndeed( the child is -rowin-( a future adult( who has no means to protect himself. So( the child has to )e the o)=ect of a particular interest and a specific protection. /n this perspective( te5ts proclaimin- the protection of the child and his ri-hts were adopted. Childrens ri-hts are human ri-hts. %hey protect the child as a human )ein-. 3s human ri-hts( childrens ri-hts are constituted )y fundamental -uarantees and essential human ri-hts: ssential human ri-hts:

Childrens ri-hts reco-ni>e fundamental guarantees to all human beings : the ri-ht to life( the non-discrimination principle( the ri-ht to di-nity throu-h the protection of physical and mental inte-rity protection a-ainst slavery( torture and )ad treatments( etc.$ Childrens ri-hts are civil and political rights( such as the ri-ht to identity( the ri-ht to a nationality( etc. Childrens ri-hts are economic, social and cultural rights( such as the ri-ht to education( the ri-ht to a decent standard of livin-( the ri-ht to health( etc. Childrens ri-hts include individual rights : lthe ri-ht to live with his parents( the ri-ht to education( the ri-ht to )enefit from a protection( etc. Childrens ri-hts include collective rights # ri-hts of refu-ee and disa)led childrens( of minority children or from autochtonous -roups.

Universal Children's Day is part of the wor1 carried out )y U&/CE0( the United &ations Children's 0und. U&/CE0's lo-o consists of an ima-e of a mother and child( a -lo)e( olive )ranches and the word 9U&/CE0:. 3ll parts of the lo-o are in U&'s )lue color( althou-h it may )e presented in white on a )lue )ac1-round.