UNITED
NATIONS
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
News and Highlights from the President
Special
Session on Children began today
8 May 2002
Yesterday, the emergency special session of the General Assembly heard a total of 35 speakers, ending with Spain around 6 pm. The meeting was then recessed for almost two hours to allow the membership time for consultations on the draft resolution. Just before the vote, one member state proposed that the draft resolution be voted paragraph by paragraph, so a total of 25 rounds of voting took place. When it came to the vote on the draft resolution as whole it was adopted with 74 in favour, 4 against and 54 abstentions.
With a delay of almost eight months, the special session on children got under way this morning. The Head of Delegation and First Lady of the Republic of Korea presided over the opening of the 27th Special Session of the General Assembly. After a couple of organizational matters, the Assembly elected by acclamation Dr. Han Seung-soo, the President of the 56th session, as President of the special session. He then delivered his statement in which he said among other things that,
"Looking into the future, we still have a long journey ahead of us. We must be serious and open about the challenges that remain - about the unfinished business of the last decade. And we must ask some searching questions. Why are so many children still out of school? Why have we made so little progress on maternal mortality? In a world of unprecedented wealth, why are so many children still born into abject poverty and deprivation? And why are children still exposed to the horrors of conflict?"
Full
text of the Opening Statement
The President then gave the floor to the Secretary-General who was followed by Ambassador Durrant, the Chair of the Preparatory Committee, who outlined its work. The Special Session then constituted itself whereupon the President listed various entities and representatives which will participate over the next three days.
Then, for the first time ever, two children addressed the plenary of the General Assembly. The many heads of state or government and other representatives first heard Ms. Gabriela Azurduy Arrieta, a 13-year old girl from Bolivia, and then Ms. Audrey Chenynut, a 17-year old girl from Monaco, both chosen by the Children's Forum.
After this, the first
of the 25 member states that are scheduled to speak this morning took
the floor. There are 32 speakers listed for the afternoon meeting which
runs from 3 to 7 pm. In addition, the Executive Director of UNICEF and
the High Commissioner for Refugees was the last two speakers. Each member
state was allocated five minutes.
In the afternoon, Dr. Han met with the First Day of the Arab Republic
of Egypt, H. E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak.
Dr. Han met with the Right Honourable Prime Minister of Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth.
Later in the afternoon, Dr. Han met with the Permanent Observer of Palestine, Ambassador M. Nasser Al-Kidwa, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa, Ambassador Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo, and the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sudan, Ambassador Elfatih Mohamed Ahmed Erwa.
In the evening, Dr.
Han hosted a reception at the United Nations Delegates' Dining Room.