'A World Fit For Children' Background References:
- 'A World Fit For Children' http://www.peace.ca/AWorldFitForChildren.pdf
- Children's Forum Message http://www.peace.ca/ChildrensForumMessage.htm
- UN Declaration on a Culture of Peace A/53/243 - http://www.peace.ca/downloads/a-53-243-eng.pdf
in association with Manifesto 2000 http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_manifesto2000.htm
(peace education action references)
- authority for peace education from commitments made by Canada to the United
Nations http://www.peace.ca/unesco1974recommendation.htm
and
http://www.peace.ca/unesco1994declaration.htm
and http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001066/106627e.pdf
and
http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/15_62.pdf
- United Nations Non Governmental Organizations Resolution (education action
references) http://www.peace.ca/UNngoresolution.pdf
- Canadian Peace Education Conference Proceedings and Outcomes http://www.peace.ca/conference2002summary.htm
- Canada's
National Plan of Action for Children, May 2004
Example Proposal for discussion:
a) With the support of peace educators, non governmental organizations, and
governmental organizations,
b) facilitate the work leading up to annual conferences across the country,
c) all taking place at the same time around International Children's Day
November 20,
d) for the next 15 or more years,
e) with the purpose to develop a shared Vision and Action Plan to cultivate
"A World Fit For Children",
f) at home and abroad,
g) and enable the resulting action,
h) all driven by children, youth and students.
Rationale:
- to live up to the spirit of the Children's Forum Message, and our own proposed
Vision and Action Plan for peace education in Canada, a National
Action Plan for Children should be developed by Children;
- we (Canadian adults generally, and peace educators specifically) should be
responsive to their needs, and enable and empower them;
- this is a perfect opportunity ("teachable moment") for service
learning and cooperative learning, along with many other key principles of peace
education;
- we know that children want peace education, and this will naturally come out
of this process;
- this gives us (Canadians, adults and children) an opportunity to "get our
act together", and then offer our hands in friendship to other countries;
- this is a formula (chemistry) that will be a catalyst for mobilizing all
Canadians of all ages and backgrounds (governments, NGOs, school boards, unions,
parents, service clubs, business, aboriginal organizations, minority groups,
etc.);
- schools will be on the front line of the campaign (colleges and universities
also; various boys and girls clubs could also pick up the challenge; people and
schools do not have to participate if they do not wish, but one can imagine that
it will pick up momentum);
- each class in each school can decide what they would like to do to cultivate
"A World Fit For Children" (one can imagine that the younger grades
will be relatively simplistic; the older grades more sophisticated; and there
are no wrong answers);
- funding for the annual conferences and certain resources could be provided by
national, provincial and local governments, and other donors;
- funding for class initiatives could be raised by the classes (and need not be
expensive - information is the main resource);
- human resources could be volunteer as much as possible (a large cadre of
volunteers would help facilitate and ease the burden on teachers; many of these
volunteers might come from retirees and university/higher grade students; one
can imagine that workshops for teachers and volunteers would be required - all
opportunities for peace education);
- start with modest expectations and one can imagine it will evolve in
fascinating ways;
- this is decentralized, innovative and visionary (it could be attractive to
governments and schools for a number of reasons).
Tabled for your consideration and suggestions. Everyone is invited
("challenged") to put your ideas on the table and lets see if we can
weave them into something formidable.
==================================================
NPA Update The Office of Senator Landon Pearson Newsletter No.
1 · July 2003
source http://sen.parl.gc.ca/lpearson/specialsession/reports/NPA-update1.pdf
Opening Message
This is the first in a series of NPA Updates to report progress with respect to
the preparation of Canada's National Plan of Action (NPA) for children. During
the last months, civil society, children and government departments have both
consulted and been consulted on key priorities for the NPA. With consultative
activities concluded as of the end of June 2003, we are now into the challenging
task of drafting the NPA. This work is made easier by the rich information that
was collected during consultations. The outline of the NPA is now available for
information on my website. By the end of the summer, the NPA will be finalized
and in December 2003 the Government of Canada will submit it to the United
Nations.
We would like to express our appreciation and thanks to the hundreds of
individuals and organizations around the country who have worked so hard to
assist us in developing Canada's NPA. Now we'll have to maintain the momentum
through communications and networking. To keep you informed, we regularly update
my website located at www.sen.parl.gc.ca/lpearson
. It now includes reports from many of the partner events that were organized by
civil society organizations.
Most sincerely,
Senator Landon Pearson
BROAD-BASED CONSULTATIONS
Halifax dialogue brings consultations to a close
Adults and children from the Atlantic Provinces came together in Halifax, on
June 23-24, to participate in a lively discussion on Canada's NPA for children.
The meeting was the last of the four regional dialogues that have informed the
development of Canada's NPA. Previous regional dialogues took place for central
Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut) in Ottawa (March 30-31); for western Canada
(Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon) in Vancouver (May 8-9); and for the Prairie
provinces (Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwest Territories) in Winnipeg (May
25-26).
Participants in the meeting included representatives of national and regional
organizations, parents, young people and government representatives from New
Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In
addition to a number of young people, the participants came from organizations
that included the Heartwood Institute in Bridgewater, PEI's Early Childhood
Development Association, the Mi'Kmaq First Nations Healing Society, SpeciaLink
in Sydney, United Way of Halifax, the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission and
the Office of the Child & Youth Advocate from Newfoundland. There was also a
Deputy Chief of Police and a high school relations officer.
>From December 2002 until the end of June 2003, the Government of Canada has
sought input into the NPA through a variety of consultative activities. These
consultations have helped identify key priorities for action on behalf of
children, strategies for getting there and emerging issues of concern.
Consultative activities have been broad and inclusive, and attempted to hear
from as many different Canadians as possible.
Overall, the consultative process has included a number of distinct and
interrelated activities including:
1.. 1. Correspondence by Senator Pearson soliciting the views of civil
society
2.. 2. The regional dialogues organized by Health Canada and HRDC
3.. 3. Partner events and expert roundtables organized both by civil
society organizations and Senator Pearson's office
4.. 4. Government of Canada internal consultations as well as
Parliamentary discussions
5.. 5. Correspondence with provincial and territorial governments by
Senator Pearson
6.. 6. Focus groups
7.. 7. Literature review to analyze scientific research related to
children over the past ten years
Beyond this, the consultation process has also included discussions with child
experts and specific stakeholder groups including single mothers, street youth,
youth in care, and school children, and roundtable discussion on specialized
topics including child rights in Canadian foreign policy; commercial sexual
exploitation of children and youth; war-affected children; and child labour and
other international protection issues.
ACTION PLAN
Four cornerstones of NPA will be health, education, child protection and social
engagement
Canada's NPA will focus on four themes, which will comprise the Plan of Action
(see draft below), as well as a declaration, review of progress and lessons
learned. The Plan of Action will also have a section on mobilizing resources and
another on follow-up actions. Overall, the guiding principles of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child, specifically best interests of the child,
non-discrimination, participation, and survival and development provide the
framework for Canada's actions concerning children, including adolescents.
The four sections of Canada's plan of action are:
1.. . Promoting healthy lives, including combating HIV/AIDS
2.. . Promoting quality education
3.. . Protecting against abuse, exploitation, violence and neglect
4.. . Enabling social engagement and collaboration
The themes of the action plan are based on what Canadians have said during
consultations, and on Canada's domestic and international commitments to
children - specifically on the National Children's Agenda and A World Fit for
Children. Originally proposed in March 2003, the four themes have been subject
to much review and clarification during the consultation activities including
the regional dialogues. Based on this input, the themes may be revised in the
coming months.
LETTERS TO SENATOR PEARSON
Ensuring rights and well being of children are key priorities for Canadians
In December 2002 and January 2003, Senator Pearson wrote to hundreds of
organizations and individuals across Canada, inviting them to imagine the Canada
and the world they would like to see for children in the year 2015. The open
letter was also distributed amongst networks and included on her website. The
letters received reflect the diverse realities of Canadian children and give
voice to thousands including civil society organizations (national and
provincial), community-based groups, schools and universities and individuals
(including parents and children). In two or three pages groups and individuals,
including children and young people, have presented their concerns for children
with clarity and insight and have offered constructive ideas about how to create
both a Canada and a world fit for children. The majority of responses represent
the collective voices of cross-country networks and consortiums currently
engaged on issues related to children's rights and well being. The deadline for
response was June 30, 2003.
For more information:
1.. . To learn about some of the priorities put forward for consideration
in the NPA, you can read reports of some of the consultative activities at www.sen.parl.gc.ca/lpearson/specialsession
FEATURE
Involving children in National Plans of Action
In August 2002, five young people who had been members of the Government of
Canada's delegation to the UN Special Session on Children (UNSSC) met in Ottawa.
The meeting was held to discuss next steps required in seeing how the
commitments made at the UNSSC could be fulfilled by Canada and specifically,
ways of ensuring that Canadian young people would play a meaningful role in the
process. The young people agreed that the establishment of a resource team would
be very important to facilitate and organize the involvement of more young
people in the initial planning stages for the NPA. As a result, the Child
Engagement Experts Resource Team (CEERT) was created in order to educate, enable
and ensure involvement by young people not only in developing Canada's NPA but
also in its implementation and monitoring.
CEERT envisages creating a long lasting sustainable network of young people to
continue promoting their participation. The full list of participants in CEERT
was confirmed by October 2002, and includes Aboriginal young people, children in
care and young people with disabilities. The young people range in age from 14
to 18 years of age. On February 10, the young people in CEERT presented their
recommendations to the consultative committee. CEERT selected the young people
who attended the regional roundtables, defining the selection criteria and
reviewing applications. During the first meeting, the young people asked if Save
the Children Canada would be willing to accept the role of coordinator. Of
significant note has been CEERT's ability to bring young people, NGOs and
government together to discuss the NPA. CEERT was created and designed by young
people.
Source: NPA Briefing No. 1, May 2003 by Save the Children Canada
WEBSITE RELAUNCHED
Stay informed and up-to-date by reading Senator Landon Pearson's website on
Canada's National Plan of Action. It includes the latest information such as
documentation from consultations activities and an outline of the NPA, and
background information such as the Discussion Guide.
1.. o Visit the website at www.sen.parl.gc.ca/lpearson/specialsession/index.htm
2.. o Add a link from to our website from your website
3.. o Add our website to your list of favorites by book marking our
website
Cover photo: © UNICEF/HQ02-0148/Susan Markisz.
The NPA Updates are published occasionally by the Office of Senator Landon
Pearson in the follow-up to the Special Session on Children. Archives can be
read at www.sen.parl.gc.ca/lpearson/specialsession/update.htm
. This electronic newsletter is available in both English and French.
Office of Senator Landon Pearson
The Senate of Canada. 210 East Block, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A4
Tel: 1 800 267-7362 or (613) 947-7134; Fax: (613) 947-7136; Email: pearsl@sen.parl.gc.ca
=========================================
source http://sen.parl.gc.ca/lpearson/specialsession/french/NPA-OutlineEN-July15.pdf
A WORLD FIT FOR CHILDREN: CANADA'S PLAN
DRAFT OUTLINE
July 15, 2003
Messages from Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Senator Landon Pearson, Minister of
Health Anne McLellan, and Minister of Human Resources Development Jane Stewart
Children's Foreword
I. DECLARATION
?? Canada's international commitments, from the adoption of the UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child to the UN Special Session on Children, May 2002
?? Canada's domestic commitments
?? Principles and objectives guiding the NPA process
II. REVIEW OF PROGRESS AND LESSONS LEARNED
?? 1990 to 2002: Progress since the 1990 World Summit
?? Children in Canada today
III. PLAN OF ACTION
A. Creating a world fit for children
. Goals and measures outlined in A World Fit for Children, contextualized for
domestic situation
. Assumptions, principles in Canadian context
. Process to develop Canada's National Plan of Action, with emphasis on
partnerships and participation
B. Goals, strategies and actions for Canadians to work towards together
[note: including domestic and international sections under each theme]
1. Promoting healthy lives, including combating HIV/AIDS [domestic and
international]
Statement of overall issue or challenge, supported by consultations, research,
work to date
General health/Priorities in Canadian context
. Statement of intent including current and upcoming initiatives
. Strategies and actions
. Time bound and measurable goals
Combatting HIV/AIDS
. Statement of intent including current and upcoming initiatives
. Strategies and actions
. Time bound and measurable goals
2. Providing Quality Education [domestic and international]
Statement of overall issue or challenge, supported by consultations, research,
work to
date, including statement re: life stages
Priorities in Canadian context
. Statement of intent including current and upcoming initiatives
. Strategies and actions
. Time bound and measurable goals
3. Protection against abuse, exploitation, violence and neglect [domestic and
international]
Statement of overall issue or challenge, supported by consultations, research,
work to date
General protection
. Statement of intent including current and upcoming initiatives
. Strategies and actions
. Time bound and measurable goals
Protection from armed conflict
. Statement of intent including current and upcoming initiatives
. Strategies and actions
. Time bound and measurable goals
Combating child labour
. Statement of intent including current and upcoming initiatives
. Strategies and actions
. Time bound and measurable goals
Elimination of trafficking and sexual exploitation of children
. Statement of intent including current and upcoming initiatives
. Strategies and actions
. Time bound and measurable goals
Other Priorities in Canadian context
. Statement of intent including current and upcoming initiatives
. Strategies and actions
. Time bound and measurable goals
4. Enabling Social Engagement and Collaboration [domestic and international]
Statement of overall issue or challenge, supported by consultations, research,
work to date
Priorities in Canadian context
. Statement of intent including current and upcoming initiatives
. Strategies and actions
. Time bound and measurable goals
C. Macro goals (including mobilization of resources)
1. General Overview of NPA goals
2. Government of Canada contribution to achieving NPA goals
D. Follow-up actions and monitoring
. Mobilizing, monitoring, and reporting
. Dates of reassessment
. A challenge to Canada to implement the NPA
The Office of the Honourable Landon Pearson
The Senate of Canada
Room 210, East Block
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4
Tel: (613) 947-7134 or 1 800 267-7362
Fax: (613) 947-7136
Email: pearsl@sen.parl.gc.ca