Public Statement

Statement by ChildFund Alliance Secretary General Meg Gardinier

New York, NY (November 20, 2019) - “As we mark the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), there is no better time than now to listen to and engage children. 

By many measures, the lives of children today are dramatically better than 30 years ago when the UN General Assembly adopted the CRC, the most ratified treaty in history. In the three decades since, hundreds of millions of children have been vaccinated, eaten healthier foods, benefitted from education, and grown up in safer living environments.

There are also more laws and policies recognizing the rights of children than ever before, particularly in areas where children are especially vulnerable, including labor exploitation, corporal punishment, alternative care, and forced and early marriage.

Mr. President, Executive Director Fore, and Distinguished Members of the Board: On behalf of the members of ChildFund Alliance and Joining Forces, I wish to thank ED Fore for her keynote at our Child Rights Now launch on June 26. Our event highlighted the progress made since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child—as well as the work that remains to ensure no child is left behind. We are grateful for ED Fore’s supportive remarks and for UNICEF’s ongoing work to make ending violence against children a top priority.