Each 20 November is celebrated as United Nations (UN) World Children’s Day.

The Thammasat University Library owns many books about different aspects of children and childhood.

The UN website notes:

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.

November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Since 1990, World Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children’s rights.

Mothers and fathers, teachers, nurses and doctors, government leaders and civil society activists, religious and community elders, corporate moguls and media professionals, as well as young people and children themselves, can play an important part in making World Children’s Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations.

World Children’s Day offers each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.

World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s annual day of action for children, by children.

From climate change, education and mental health, to ending racism and discrimination, children and young people are raising their voices on the issues that matter to their generation and calling for adults to create a better future.

This World Children’s Day, it’s more important than ever that the world listens to their ideas and demands.

On 20 November, kids are speaking out and reimagining a better future. What will you do?

Explore what’s happening this World Children’s Day and see how you can take part.

Every child is born with the same inalienable right to a healthy start in life, an education, and a safe, secure childhood – all the basic opportunities that translate into a productive and prosperous adulthood. But around the world, millions of children are denied their rights and deprived of everything they need to grow up healthy and strong – because of their place of birth or their family of origin; because of their race, ethnicity, or gender; or because they live in poverty or with a disability.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a “child” as a person below the age of 18, unless the relevant laws recognize an earlier age of majority. This was intentional, as it was hoped that the Convention would provide protection and rights to as large an age-group as possible.

The protection, health, and welfare of children has been a focus of the United Nations since the time of the creation of the Organization in 1945.

The destruction of Europe during World War Two, and the aftermath made the children of Europe vulnerable. The International Children’s Emergency Fund (ICEF) was created by the UN Relief Rehabilitation Administration to help affected children. On 11 December 1946, a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly brought the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) into being.

In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the UN and began a successful global campaign against yaws, a disfiguring disease affecting millions of children, and one that can be cured with penicillin.

Following more than a decade of focus on child health issues, UNICEF expanded its interests to address the needs of the whole child. Thus began an abiding concern with education, starting with support for teacher training and classroom equipment in newly independent countries.

In 1965, the organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for the Promotion of brotherhood among nations.” Today, UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children.

Over the course of more than 75 years, UNICEF has consistently recommitted itself to advancing the rights of every child,  while  adapting its mission to meet the evolving needs of children around the world.

The State of the World’s Children

The State of the World’s Children (SOWC) is an annual report published by the United Nations Children’s Fund, it closely examines a key issue affecting children. This comprehensive report is fortified with pertinent data and statistics.

Each edition of the SOWC examines a key issue affecting children. These have ranged from children with disabilities, conflict and war, child labour, urbanization, early childhood development, and much more, making it the most comprehensive analysis of global trends that impact children. The latest edition, titled The State of the World’s Children 2023: For Every Child, Vaccination, evaluates the urgent measures required to uphold the rights of all children to the protection offered by vaccines.

The topics and recommendations provided in the SOWC also guide UNICEF’s priorities, helping us design, calibrate and implement country programmes effectively and with an eye on the needs of the world’s children. […]

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as UN Human Rights (OHCHR) and other UN agencies, strive to sustain global commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which embodies universal ethical principles and international legal standards of behavior towards children. UNICEF supports programs providing education, counseling, and care to children working in very hazardous or abusive conditions and vigorously advocates against the violation of their rights.

Declaration of the Rights of the Child

In 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which defines children’s rights to protection, education, health care, shelter, and good nutrition.

The Declaration served as a foundational document in the development of international law related to children’s rights. It has influenced national legislation and policies around the world, guiding efforts to protect and promote the rights of children in diverse contexts. It is considered a precursor to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Convention on the Rights of the Child

In 1989, world leaders made a historic commitment to the world’s children by adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention explains who children are, all their rights, and the responsibilities of governments. All the rights are connected, they are all equally important and they cannot be taken away from children. 

The Convention is the most rapidly and widely ratified international human rights treaty in history. The Convention changed the way children are viewed and treated – i.e., as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity. The unprecedented acceptance of the Convention clearly shows a wide global commitment to advancing children’s rights.

Much has been accomplished since the adoption of the Convention, from declining infant mortality to rising school enrolment, but much remains to be done. […]

The Committee on the Rights of the Child

The Committee on the Rights of the Child, established under the Convention, is a body of 18 independent experts that meets regularly to monitor the progress made by states parties in fulfilling their obligations under the Convention and its first two Optional Protocols. It makes recommendations to governments on ways to meet those obligations. The Committee also issues its interpretation of the Convention’s provisions in the form of general comments. […]

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)