Islamabad (Web Desk/Agencies): World Children's Day is being observed today (Wednesday) across the globe including Pakistan.
This year the theme of the day is "Listen to the future. Stand up for children's rights".
The day serves as a call to action for schools, communities, and institutions to engage with and support children and encouraging the world to actively listen to children’s hopes, dreams, and visions for the future, promoting children’s right to participation.
In a message on World Children’s Day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the rights, well-being, and development of our children, who were the architects of their future and the most valuable asset of the nation.
He also urged parents, educators, civil society, and policymakers to work together to create a society where every child felt loved, valued, and safe.
“On this World Children’s Day, let us renew our pledge to put children first in our national priorities, ensuring a future where they can thrive with dignity, equality, and hope,” PM Shehbaz said.
According to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Children’s Day is a day for children, by children.
UNICEF says that children and young people have the same general human rights as adults and also specific rights that recognize their special needs.
World Children's Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children's Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.
November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UNGA adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Since 1990, World Children's Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children's rights.
"Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights," the UN body said.
