Mexico, 23 - 27 August 2010. The World Youth Conference 2010 is a space where representatives from the government and civil society organizations can come together to identify action priorities regarding the theme of youth, to be addressed in the international development agenda towards 2015 and beyond the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). According to this purpose, the conference looks forward to achieving the following goals: 1. To reach consensus regarding a Declaration issued by governments that identifies action priorities on youth issues and development policies.  This Declaration will be presented at the 65th session period of the United Nations General Assembly . 2. To promot...

28th July 2010,Johannesburg - As many African countries battle to bring down staggering rates of maternal and child mortality, maternal and child health made for a fitting theme at the African Union (AU) Summit this week in Kampala, Uganda.At the summit, African leaders came under fire for failing to live up to the 2001 Abuja Declaration, in which they agreed to commit at least 15 percent of their national budgets to health. To date, only about five countries have done so.Using data from a recent report by Countdown to 2015, a group monitoring maternal and child health, IRIN/PlusNews has mapped the percentage of national budgets allocated to health against mortality rates of children younger...

16th July 2010 - Nothing for children without listening to children. Children themselves are part of the solution not part of the problem. And they proved to have very clear insights of what they want during the Eurochild children’s meeting, which has taken place from 11 to 16 July in Brussels. Three priority areas where identified by the 33 children and young people aged 10 to 18 from nine different countries who, from 11 to 16 July, gathered in Brussels to discuss how children experience poverty and social exclusion. They spoke about possible ways out and what can be done to ensure that children have a stake in their future and can influence decisions affecting them. The three key messa...

9th July 2010, Brussels - The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, is holding from 11 June 2010 to 20 August 2010 consultation on the European Commission's Communication on the Rights of the Child All citizens and organisations are welcome to contribute to this consultation. Contributions are particularly sought from organisations, associations, bodies, institutions, experts, who deal with the protection and the promotion of children's rights at local, regional, national, European or international level.The objective of the Communication on the Rights of the Child (2011-2014) is to further advance the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. This consultation is to give an opportu...

7th July 2010, Africa – The United Nations agency tasked with promoting universal education today warned that a lack of adequate funding is undermining efforts by African countries to have an estimated 32 million children who are currently out of school back into classrooms. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sounded the alarm as leaders from across Africa prepare to attend the World Cup education summit on Sunday, the day of the final football match, in Pretoria, South Africa. The education summit, convened by South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, marks a culmination in efforts led by the 1Goal campaign and football’s world governing body, FIFA...

29th June 2010, Brazzaville – A new child protection framework has been announced by President Denis Sassou Ngesso.  The announcement was made by the Minister of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and Solidarity, Mrs. Emilienne Raoul during celebrations to mark the day of the African Child."The child is a precious being that we must protect. Until today, the Congo did not fully recognize in law the special needs and requirements that must be in place to help build a better future for children,” said Mrs. Raoul. ‘We hope that this framework will help officials, civil society and communities act against child abuse.’Congo Brazzaville is the fifth French speaking African country t...