2002　“UN General Assembly Special Session on Children” held

The “UN Special Session on Children” was held at UN Headquarters from May 8 to 10, 2002. A “Special Session” of the United Nations is a session of the General Assembly convened to discuss a specific event or topic, separate from the regular session held in September each year. The UN Special Session on Children was convened to review the progress made in achieving the objectives set forth at the 1990 “ World Summit for Children”, to discuss future actions to address outstanding issues and new challenges, and to develop an action plan for the next ten years. The Special Session was attended by representatives of 187 countries (65 of which were heads of state or government), 250 parliamentarians from 79 countries, and 700 NGOs from 119 countries, and two children gave speeches at the opening ceremony. This is the first time that children have participated in the UN General Assembly. The speeches had a major impact on the adopted document, “A World Fit for Children.” Which established goals in the areas including under-five mortality and maternal mortality; education, including access to schools; and HIV/AIDS, including reducing the proportion of babies and young children infected with HIV.

In addition, 404 children from 153 countries participated in the “Children's Forum” held from May 5 to 7 just prior to the plenary session, and the forum was conducted entirely by children, including the moderator.