{"id":42687,"date":"2017-11-21T20:13:47","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T20:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/?p=42687"},"modified":"2018-04-22T11:47:58","modified_gmt":"2018-04-22T15:47:58","slug":"dont-let-adults-off-hook-keep-raising-voices-kids-take-un-world-childrens-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2017\/11\/dont-let-adults-off-hook-keep-raising-voices-kids-take-un-world-childrens-day\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Don\u2019t let adults off the hook, keep raising your voices;\u2019 Kids \u2018take over\u2019 UN for World Children\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s official, kids have taken over\u2026 at least for today \u2013 World Children\u2019s Day \u2013 celebrated annually on 20 November, which this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the\u00a0Convention on the Rights of the Child<\/a>, and also saw young people take over roles in government, media, and even at the United Nations, to raise awareness about issues important to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my job to meet with some of the most powerful and important people in the world,\u201d\u00a0Secretary-General<\/a>\u00a0Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said at a dedicated event at UN Headquarters in New York in a room packed to the rafters with children, teachers, government delegates and a host of others, including the Director-General of the UN Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF<\/a>), Anthony Lake.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresidents and Prime Ministers\u2026 scientists\u2026 military leaders\u2026 scholars and academics\u2026 captains of industry and business. But none of these people are as important \u2013 or as inspiring \u2013 as the\u00a0the children I meet<\/a>,\u201d Mr. Guterres said.<\/p>\n

He painted a picture of millions of girls and boys in danger, fleeing deadly conflicts, and going hungry, elaborating on how they are separated from their parents or making long, dangerous journeys to find safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a global community, we cannot continue failing these children,\u201d he asserted. \u201cSo here is my commitment to you: I will spare no effort to make sure that the United Nations is working every day, every hour, every minute, for your best interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a world that can so often seem to be a hopeless place, we need children\u2019s hope, more than ever,\u201d Mr. Guterres affirmed.<\/p>\n

Keeping adults \u2018on the hook\u2019<\/em><\/h5>\n
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Special Event to mark World Children\u2019s Day 2017 with Zari (Afghanistan 6 y\/o … character from Sesame Street) and Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF, to the left. UN Photo\/Manuel Elias<\/p><\/div>\n

Mr. Lake spoke with special guest Zari, the muppet who stars in\u00a0Baghch-e-Simsim<\/em>, or \u2018Sesame Garden,\u2019 the Afghanistan version of\u00a0Sesame Street<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In a country where only about one-third of girls attend school, they discussed how she is setting an example and inspiring girls to dream big and imagine a future they may not have thought possible. \u201cI love going to school and learning!\u201d she exclaimed.<\/p>\n

As children emcees Jaden Michael and Isabela Moner took over the podium, they introduced two youth from Syria, with many high-fives in the mix.<\/p>\n

After fleeing Syria, 12-year-old Basel\u2019s family sheltered in Jordan where his father worked two jobs from 6:00 am until midnight every day. Eleven-year-old Nance was four when she walked from Damascus to Jordan.<\/p>\n

Now in Canada, Basel has made friends at school and \u201ceven learned to love the snow!\u201d Nance lives in the United States where she hopes to become an optometrist, saying \u201cIf I become an eye doctor, I can travel back to Syria and other places to help people around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Emmanuel Elisha Ford (Guyana – 15 y\/o) addresses the audience to mark World Children\u2019s Day 2017. UN Photo\/Manuel Elias<\/p><\/div>\n

Emmanuel Elisha Ford took a special seat in the front, drawing attention to the challenges faced by 93 million children globally, noting how they vary from person, to place, to circumstance, to disability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to being born blind, I face some mobilities challenges,\u201d he began, saying that despite sometimes needing a wheelchair, he dreams of becoming a meteorologist, calling for \u201caction to change this uneven playing field.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Dafne Keen (Spain – 12 y\/o) and Graciela Eisie Ouakabo (CAR 16 y\/o) address the audience to mark World Children\u2019s Day 2017. UN Photo\/Manuel Elias.<\/p><\/div>\n

Twelve-year-old actor Dafne Keen took the podium where she translated from French, what Central African Graciela-Elsie Ouakabo said, explaining that after Graciela\u2019s mother died while Graciela was a baby, and her father killed by Seleka rebels, she was captured by anti-Balaka while fleeing her town. The two warring militias have sparked a dire humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR).<\/p>\n

\u201cThey kept me for over two years. I was a cook. And they also trained me to fight, which I hated,\u201d Graciela said emotionally. Now, she lives with her grandfather in Bangui, the capital of CAR, back at school and helping other children who have been abused \u201cbecause I know what it\u2019s like to be alone. To be hurt. And to lose my childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Khyata Chauhan speaks at World\u2019s Children\u2019s Day at the UN in New York. UN News\/ Elizabeth Scaffidi<\/p><\/div>\n

When Khyata Chauhan stepped up to the microphone, she elaborated how males in India have a higher value than females.<\/p>\n

\u201cA child is praised for being a boy, but suppressed for being a girl. Our religious beliefs make girls goddesses \u2013 yet we fail to recognize her as a human being\u2026girls are considered a liability,\u201d she asserted, sharing her wish that every child has an education.<\/p>\n

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Cooper Megown is flanked emcees Jaden Michael and Isabela Moner as sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey stand in the back right. UN News\/ Elizabeth Scaffidi<\/p><\/div>\n

As the event wound down, eight-year-old Cooper Megown stood next to the emcees and signed the event, including the introduction of sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey, who opened for \u2018Queen Bey\u2019 \u2013 megastar Beyonc\u00e9 \u2013 in leading all the children in song that culminated in choruses of\u00a0For every child<\/em>\u00a0in English, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish and French.<\/p>\n

In closing, Emcee Jaden said to all the children: \u201cDon\u2019t let the adults off the hook\u2026 continue raising your voices.\u201d<\/p>\n

A standing ovation at the UN is not an everyday occurrence\u2026 but today\u2019s was a most auspicious one.<\/p>\n

Children in the spotlight<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\t\t