MDG’L 4: Reduction in Child Mortality

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Fwd: [MGCY] UNICEF “Call for Nominations”: Panelists for UNGA High Level Meeting on the 25th Anniversary of the CRC

Subject: [MGCY] UNICEF Call for Nominations: Panelists for UNGA High Level Meeting on the 25th Anniversary of the CRC

Please see important email below.

For further questions please contact Antonia Antonopoulos aantonopoulos@unicef.org

Dear MGCY,

The year 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. On this occasion, the General Assembly will organize a high-level meeting, which will take place in New York on 20 November. Pursuant to resolution A/RES/68/273, the General Assembly requested the President of the General Assembly, with the support of UNICEF, to organize the high-level meeting.

As requested by the resolution, the President of the General Assembly will communicate the names of the panelists and the theme for the event by mid-July. For this reason, UNICEF is seeking nominations for 3 speakers:

– A representative from the NGO community

– A youth representative

– A child representative

Criteria for each of these speaking roles and information about the panel is outlined below.
We invite your network or organization to submit up to 3 nominations per category listed above.

Please read this entire e-mail if you intend to participate as the process has a few steps and specific requirements.

Deadline for nominations: Tuesday, 15 July

Travel funding
Funding for travel for the 3 participants as well as one chaperone each for the child and youth representative will be provided by UNICEF.

Visa arrangements
The Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA) or UNICEF will provide an invitation letter for selected speakers. However, speakers will be responsible for obtaining their own travel visas. Your organization or network should be able to facilitate visa and travel arrangements for the child and youth representatives.

Nomination Process

For this nomination process, UNICEF has requested 5 child-focused international NGOs (ChildFund Alliance, Plan International, Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages, and World Vision) and Child Rights Connect (formerly the NGO Group on the CRC, a network of 82 national, regional and international NGOs and networks with reach in almost every country worldwide), to reach out to regional and country-level networks. These 6 organizations will review all nominations based on the criteria outlined below; identify a short list of candidates; and present a recommended list of candidates and alternates to UNICEF.

The final recommended speakers will be selected by the OPGA in consultation with UNICEF. The selection process aims for gender, geographic and thematic balance, as well as for racial and ethnic diversity. We encourage nominations from representatives of developing countries, indigenous groups, persons with disabilities, and under-represented regions or groups.

Fluency in one of the six official languages used at the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish) is desirable.

Demonstrated experience using innovative means to promote the CRC is desirable.

Instructions for submitting nominations to UNICEF
UNICEF has created an online nomination form for each of the 3 nomination categories; links are provided below. We invite your network or organization to submit 3 nominations per category.

Before submitting a nominee, please consider whether:

· The nominee is comfortable with public speaking
· The nominee has not already spoken at one of the previous PGA events on the post-2015 agenda.

To submit nominations for the 3 categories of speakers, complete the appropriate on-line forms using the links below:

Panelist #1: NGO Representative

SUBMIT A NOMINATION USING THIS NGO REP ONLINE FORM

Selection Criteria:

· President or CEO of an NGO or NGO network
· NGO/NGO network:

o has consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN or collaborates with UNICEF

o has a history of commitment to working on child rights (e.g. participation in the development or adoption of the CRC, or participation in the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children, 2002)

o has broad substantive expertise and/or field experience in implementation of the CRC or the Declaration andA World Fit for Children Plan of Action (GA Res S-27/2 of 11 October 2002)

o represents broad constituency, and operates at the local, national or international levels

Panelist #2: Child Representative

SUBMIT A NOMINATION USING THIS CHILD REP ONLINE FORM

Selection Criteria:

· Affiliation with a child rights or child-focused organization or network with the ability to speak on behalf of such a group is desirable.
· Nominee is actively engaged with other children in groups that support peer-to-peer learning about child rights (e.g. experience participating in child rights trainings or related activities at community level).
· Nominee has a passion for a particular child rights issue.
- · Age range: 12-15 years old
- · From a developing country

Panelist #3: Youth Representative

SUBMIT A NOMINATION USING THIS YOUTH REP ONLINE FORM

Selection Criteria:

· Affiliation with a child rights, child-focused organization or network with the ability to speak on behalf of a group as a passionate and articulate speaker is desirable.
- · Participation in the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children 2002 is an asset
- · Has experience leading child rights activities at the community level
- · Is actively engaged in a youth group that supports peer-to-peer learning on child rights
- · A passion for a particular child rights issue
- · Priority to a candidate from traditionally marginalized groups, who can help us ensure geographic and gender balance
- · Age range:15-24 years
- · From a developing country

The Panel:

Twenty-five years ago, on 20 November 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the most comprehensive human rights treaty and legal instrument for the promotion and protection of children’s rights: the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). With this, the international community made a commitment to all children: that it would do everything in its power to protect and promote their rights – to survive and thrive, to learn and grow, to make their voices heard and to reach their full potential without discrimination.

In light of the 25^th anniversary of the CRC and the discussions on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, this is a critical moment to bridge implementation gaps and make the vision of the CRC a reality for all children, as well as to highlight innovative approaches that can transform the lives and realize the rights of all children, everywhere. As the international community enters the next 25 years of the CRC with growing and widening disparities within societies, and pressing global challenges driven by climate change, food and water insecurity, changing population dynamics, and social conflict, business as usual is not enough to make the vision of the CRC a reality for all children.

Followed by the morning opening session of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the 25^th anniversary of the CRC, the interactive panel discussion in the afternoon will:

1) take stock of the progress that has been achieved for children since 1989;

2) identify main challenges in realizing the rights of the child including discrimination and inequalities in the progress made; and

3) look to the future from different perspectives, including children, governments and civil society, and consider the best ways to address these challenges as the international community moves into the next 25 years of the CRC.

Sofía García García
Advocacy Advisor, Post-2015 Agenda
Liaison & Advocacy
SOS Children’s Villages International
777 UN Plaza, Ste 3E
New York, NY 10017.

USA
Tel.: +1 917 3764288
www.sos-childrensvillages.org

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