Governments from Asia Pacific adopt New Delhi Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Children’s Rights
We, the delegations of the governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Niue, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vietnam committed to the promotion of child rights in our South-South cooperation agenda; the development of networks for knowledge exchange, peer learning and coordination with specific attention to the topics of Adolescents, Early Childhood Development, and Urban Settings; and committed to assessing the progress and advances on South-South cooperation among countries of Asia and the Pacific to further fulfill child rights in the best interests of the child at the 2nd High Level Meeting on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in Asia and the Pacific in New Delhi, India from 23 to 25 October 2013:
1. Reaffirm that child rights are fundamental to all cultures and societies and are crucial to children’s growth and upbringing, and that child survival, development, protection, health, education, and participation are vital for economic growth and human development;
2. Restate our commitment to the realization of all rights of all children within our respective national jurisdictions, as expressed in our universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and wide ratification of its two Optional Protocols, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and other relevant international human rights instruments;
3. Are convinced that, despite the great diversity represented by the 32 countries in Asia and the Pacific participating in the High Level Meeting, the people of the region share much in common, have strong mutual interests in socio-economic and human development, and have much to gain from closer cooperation to share good practices and lessons learned in support of the realization of child rights;
4. Believe that South-South Cooperation offers a valuable opportunity for the region, and note with satisfaction the increased collaboration in the years following the 1st High Level Meeting on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in Asia and the Pacific held in Beijing in November 2010, and the progress made by Governments to fully realize child rights, and agree to continue to intensify collaboration and enhance these efforts in the months and years ahead;
5. Acknowledge with gratitude the forum for dialogue and facilitation provided by the host Government of India and the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF);
6. Welcome the active participation of our partner organizations, namely the Asian Development Bank, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific at this meeting and their commitment to continue their cooperation for the promotion of child rights in Asia and the Pacific. (…)
Full text, New Delhi Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in Asia and the Pacific:
http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org
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