20th of November: Universal Children’s Day

20 Nov 2013

In 1954, the 20th of November was established as the Universal Children’s Day by the United Nations General Assembly, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children of the world through activities that promote their well-being. The date 20 November marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989. Furthermore, although the eight objectives of the Millennium Development Goals approved in 2000 are directed towards to all humanity, they make specific reference to childhood. UNICEF reminds us that six out of eight of these goals are directly related to children and that fulfilling the last two will make critical improvements to children’s lives.

In 2012, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, launched the "Global Education First Initiative" to promote quality education throughout the world, since advances in education help reduce infant and maternal mortality, improve health, ensure higher incomes and create more respectful partnerships with the environment. "We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue to be the most universally cherished aspiration of humankind," recalls the Secretary General.

Diagrama Foundation is committed to the wellbeing and improvement in the quality of life of all boys and girls. Thus, it develops programmes, centres and initiatives aimed at vulnerable children through which it offers holistic attention and helps them achieve their full social integration. This work is extended into other countries through European projects for the development of new opportunities for all children, creating a network of organizations and fighting against discrimination together.

For more information about this day, please visit the web pages for the UN, UNICEF, and the “Global Education First Initiative”.