By Holy See Mission
Statement byH.E.
Archbishop Celestino MigliorePermanent Observer of the Holy See to the U.N.Before the Third Committeeof
the 58TH Session of the General Assembly of the
United
NationsOn
Agenda Item 113:Promotion and Protection of the Rights of ChildrenNew York, 20
October 2003Mr. Chairman,
The UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child entered into force in September 1990. That
same
month, a World Summit for Children was held to adopt the Declaration on
the
Survival, Protection and Development of Children and a decade-long Plan
of
Action for its implementation. When world leaders gathered here in the
Year 2000
to adopt the Millennium Declaration, children were once again at the
center of
concern of this body. In May last year, the XXVII special session of the
General
Assembly on Children adopted the document, “A World Fit for Children”.
All these
endeavors combine to demonstrate the commitment of the international
community
to ensure that every child is able to enjoy a better future.
Unfortunately, as
we know so well, the situation of children in the world is not always
how it
should be. Every day, countless children around the world are exposed to
dangers
and abuse which stunt their growth and development. They suffer
immensely as
casualties of war and violence; as victims of neglect, cruelty, racial
discrimination, sexual and other forms of exploitation; as refugees and
displaced children. They are often marginalized because they are
indigenous,
disabled, orphans or street children. In several countries, they are
also
victims of the scourge of drugs and of natural and man-made disasters.
And if
all these were not enough, millions of children also become victims of
HIV/AIDS,
either through mother-to-child viral transmission or by being orphaned
due to
the AIDS-related premature death of their parents.
In his report on
Implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration (A.58/323),
the
Secretary-General states: “It is unacceptable that, in spite of broad
advances
in children's health in developing regions since 1990, nearly 11 million
children die each year before reaching their fifth birthday, mostly from
easily
preventable or treatable causes”. Infant and child mortality rate could
be
lowered dramatically with means that are already known and readily
available in
the market, but tragically beyond the reach of most of the children in
need.
These are
challenges that the international community must meet, especially within
the
framework of the Millennium Development Goals. Improving child health
and
nutrition is a priority. The international community should work for
optimal
growth and development in childhood, with measures to eradicate hunger,
malnutrition and famine, and thus to spare millions of children from
unnecessary
sufferings in a world that has the means to feed and care for all its
citizens.
In addition, basic education should be made accessible to the millions
of the
world's children who are otherwise bound to illiteracy.
On the other
hand, children should also be encouraged to contribute their own small
efforts
in building a better future for their peers around the world, making use
of
their talents and gifts for their personal growth and for the good of
society.
The Holy See has an international association for children called
Pontifical
Society of the Holy Childhood which was founded in the mid-nineteenth
century.
Its motto is “Let children help children”. For more than a hundred years
now,
the members of this Society have constantly shared their talent, time
and
treasure to help ameliorate the life of other poor children around the
world.
In promoting the
well-being of children, the family, as the fundamental unit of society
and the
natural environment for the growth and development of children, should
be given
all the necessary protection and assistance. It is in the family that
the rights
of children are respected best, in accordance with the principles of
solidarity
and subsidiarity. The concern for the child, while it is a challenge to
society
as a whole, is primarily and more directly a challenge to families. The
Holy See
has always affirmed that parents have the duty and the right to be the
first and
the principal educators of their children. The need for a set of norms
to
protect the various rights of the child is necessary also because of the
lack of
a real family policy that is fully guaranteed by law. Moreover, in the
context
of the upcoming celebration of the tenth anniversary of the
International Year
of the Family, efforts should be intensified to recognize the social
role of the
family which is irreplaceable for the common good. To protect the family
means
to protect the children.
In our day and
age, the recognition of the rights of the child has undoubtedly made
progress.
But the violation of these rights in practice, exemplified by the many
terrible
assaults on their innocence and dignity, remains a cause for distress
and, at
the same time, calls us into action. We must see to it that the welfare
of
children is always given priority during all the stages of their
development,
right from the moment of conception when they become individual human
beings.
The international community should assure the well-being of children
through
political action at the highest level; for, in the end, the attention we
give
now for the well-being of the children is an assurance for the
well-being of
society, now and in the future.
Since children
are in need of almost everything, they can spend a peaceful and joyful
childhood
when they have our solidarity and care. We must not fail them.
Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
Copyright © 2015-2021 The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations