o  Since the last decade of the twentieth century, we have witnessed great advances in promoting the rights of children, in terms of building an awareness of and realization of those rights. The 1990 World Summit for Children was the first gathering of world leaders at a forum solely dedicated to children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, CRC, formed a firm foundation for securing children's rights. CRC has gained quasi-universality with 192 state parties that share a commitment to promoting the rights of children through the CRC. 

o  Nonetheless, children still remain the most vulnerable members of our global community. The UN Millennium Declaration recognizes the need to support this most vulnerable segment of society.  Achieving universal education and reducing infant mortality are also crucial parts of the Millennium Development Goals.  The 2002 Special Session of the General Assembly on Children was another opportunity to reaffirm our pledge to children, a pledge to build "A World Fit For Children".

o  No matter how dire the situation in country, we believe that the rights of children must be the foremost priority and that every effort must be made to provide humanitarian assistance to children. The international community should also play its role in supporting children in need all over the world.

o  Violence against children is a serious challenge we should continue to fight. This includes all forms of child abuse such as sexual exploitation and the use of child soldiers. We hope that the UN Study on Violence against Children completed in 2006 will enable us to grasp the reality of the problem and to take more effective measures to tackle it.