Make children's right high on national agenda-UNICEF

Accra, Nov. 19, GNA - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Monday called on governments to place children's right high on national agenda by further strengthening social systems, legal frameworks and securing sufficient budget for their needs. A statement issued in Accra to mark the 18th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) which falls on Tuesday said despite efforts to secure children's efforts, about 27,000 children under the age of five were still dying every day, mainly from preventable causes whiles one person dies of malnutrition every three seconds.

According to the statement, malaria kills a child, especially those under five years every 30 seconds, and more than 15 million children have lost their mothers or both parents to AIDS. It said more than two million children are living with HIV or AIDS in 2006, but only 15 per cent of those who needed antiretroviral drugs received them.

"UNICEF is therefore appealing to societies at large to strive and further expand the child rights movement by continuous awareness raising about what still needs to be done.

"If strengthened and supported by all parts of society, this movement will radically change the world for all new generations to come', it added.

On the anniversary celebration, the statement said the occasion would highlight the important differences the CRC has made to the lives of millions of children and call for further commitment to create a world fit for children.

It said Convention had strengthened and galvanised an already existing drive for universal education, brought about special programmes for vulnerable children and those orphaned by HIV/AIDS as well as other programmes that had created understanding on the importance of education during conflicts and natural disasters. The statement said child mortality had also reduced considerably over the past two decades, saying in 1990, around 13 million children died before their fifth birthday, but the figure dropped to 9.7 million in 2006, almost 25 per cent decline.

It said the Convention had also resulted in positive development in child protection and more attention to issues such as commercial sexual exploitation, abuse, and trafficking and female genital mutilation. The statement said the event, which would be celebrated worldwide would include campaigns to convince governments to establish a children's commissioner to monitor the implementation of the Convention, following the example of other countries. 19 Nov. 07