Since 1954, the Universal Children's Day is held every November 20th, also the date when the UN General Assembly's passed the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, and 30 years later, the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
"Universal Children's Day is more than a day to celebrate children everywhere. It is an annual opportunity to recommit ourselves to protecting the rights of every child," said Anthony Lake, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
According to Lake, the world must confront the uncomfortable truth that around the world, the rights of millions of children are being violated every day.
Lake referred to the current situation of many children in Syria, Yemen and South Sudan, three of the countries battered by bloody conflicts, which seem to have no end.
He also condemned the violence, abuse and exploitation that many children suffer in other regions of the world, where they can not attend school or are subjected to attacks because of their gender, ethnicity, religion or disability.
"How will these children learn to respect the rights of others if their own rights are violated? How will they view the world, and their responsibility to it? ", asked Lake.
"These children are the future leaders of their societies. The future engines of their national economies", said Lake in his statement.
"When we protect their rights, we are not only preventing their suffering. We are protecting our common future.", said Lake.
On occasion of the Universal Children's Day, more than 200 writers from around the world teamed up with UNICEF campaign to promote the well-being of children. The initiative included novelists, playwrights and poets, that contributed tiny stories on the theme "What I want from every child".
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