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Wednesday, 1 October 2014 02:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
UNICEF Representative Una McCauley met Minister Hakeem at his ministry with her officials on 30 September to brief him on the forthcoming anniversary celebrations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to be commemorated on 20 November in the US.
She was accompanied by Chief of Child Protection Caroline Bakker and UNICEF Consultant Lakshan Madurasinghe. Ministry Secretary Kamalini De Silva and the Minister’s Coordinating Secretary A.R. Mansoor were also present at the discussion.
Minister Hakeem extended his wishes toward the success of the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most ratified human right treaty in history and it has transformed the way in which children are viewed and treated across the world. Sri Lanka ratified the treaty in 1991.
Around the globe, far fewer children die in the first five years of life than when the CRC was adopted in 1989. Far fewer children are out of school, far fewer are undernourished and far fewer are lacking basic services such as water, sanitation and healthcare.
The CRC has undoubtedly translated into concrete and measurable successes in children’s survival, development and protection in Sri Lanka mainly due to the political will and vision towards children. Whilst UNICEF recognises the significant progress made by the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the Rights of Children across Sri Lanka, many challenges do still remain, such as under-nutrition, quality education and protection of children from violence. And while the CRC has brought great progress for some children, it has not brought progress to all children in Sri Lanka.
