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Page 11Participation in the Special Session as a Process				page 12Chapter 2: The International Save the Children Alliance Task Group on Participation 								page 14Pre-TGP								page 14Review of the work of the TGP						page 15Major Milestones							page 30Documents Received from the TGP					page 31Chapter 3: Children and Young People's Participation in Countries and in RegionsAfrica 									page 33East Asia and the Pacific							page 44South Asia								page 60The Americas 								page 77Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East					page 84Chapter 4: Lessons Learned 						page 96For children and young people who participated at any level or who want to learn from this experience 								page 97For facilitators of children and young people's participation 		page 101For The International Save the Children Alliance & individual Save the Children Head Offices							page 103For in-country Save the Childrens, NGOs, Children's Organisations, civil society groups 							page 106 For UNICEF and participating International Organisations 		page 109AppendicesSupplementary information from Central America				page 111Supplementary information from South America					page 119TGP Reports, Global Reports and New York PrepCom Documents			page 153List of regional reports, by region							page 155Participation in the Special Session preparatory events				page 158Table from Dr. Joachim Theiss paper						page 159Executive Summary"Creating a Process Fit for Children" is an evaluation of Save the Childrens support to children and young peoples participation in the national, regional and international preparations for the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children. The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the effectiveness of Save the Children's efforts to ensure meaningful childrens participation in the build-up to the Special Session (from January 2000 to August 2001).  Chapter 1 of the evaluation looks at the overall process of childrens participation over this period which aimed at ensuring a wide-ranging engagement by children and young people at every level.  It emphasizes that the International Save the Children Alliance was committed to developing this overall process of childrens participation rather than simply working towards a single high profile event.  This chapter examines how this task was addressed.Chapter 2 of the evaluation provides an overview of the work done by Save the Children's Task Group on Participation (TGP).  This group co-ordinated Save the Children's work at the global level.  It looks at events before the establishment of the TGP and the major milestones that followed its creation.  It assesses the success of the group in providing a clear organizational focus for this work.  Chapter 3 of the evaluation examines the work done at both country and regional levels in supporting childrens participation.   The information for this chapter was drawn from country and regional level evaluations, as well as from interviews and questionnaires filled out by a both children and adults.  There was also feedback from people who were not involved in the Special Session on Children but who are committed to furthering childrens participation.The report concludes with an analysis of the lessons learned during this process.  It begins by highlighting a number of key lessons for children and young people who want to learn from this experience how to enhance their own participation.  This includes lessons about representation and being selected by peers; the importance of adequate preparation; the need for good follow-up both in-country and internationally and, finally, ways in which experiences such as the Special Session can be built upon in adult life.The next section is addressed to facilitators of children and young people's participation. It considers what can be learned from facilitating the participation of large groups of children and young people in such events.  This includes the request from children and young people that many more of their peers should be involved in similar processes.  It also identifies the vital role of facilitators as the main point of reference for children following an event.  They are the ones that the young people are most likely to contact for follow-up and the facilitators can play a role in helping to establish in-country enabling adult environments.For the International Save the Children Alliance and individual Save the Children members, the next section highlights the selection process of children and young people as the key starting point for any new process of participation as well as the need for the best practice lessons to be institutionalized within the organization.  Child protection, which was so important to the process, needs to continue to be a high priority. The following section is addressed to Save the Children country programs, NGOs and civil society groups.  It looks at what the national coalitions that came together to support children's participation can learn from the process (e.g. about the selection of young participants and child protection policies).  This includes the message that childrens participation in civil society strengthens all civil society.  There are also broader lessons to be learned about creating an enabling environment for childrens participation in civil society and the importance of the training of staff and field workers in skills to facilitate this.  The final section is directed at UNICEF and other UN and INGO partners and considers how they could develop their role in the future.This evaluation has helped Save the Children to learn more about childrens expectations of our organization and how we can improve our work with them.  Save the Children hopes that it will also provide insights to other organizations on how they might go about developing their own work in supporting childrens participation. Abbreviations and Acronyms Throughout this evaluation a number of short forms for words are used.  This list will explain what they mean.  Civil Society Organisations				CSOGlobal Movement for Children			GMfCThe International Save the Children		the AllianceAllianceNational Plan of Action				NPANon Government Organisations			NGOOrganisation of African Unity 			OAUPreparatory Committee Meeting			PrepComSave the Children					SCTask Group on Participation	 		TGPUnited Nations Special Session on Children	UNSSOC and SSOC Introduction to the Evaluation The International Save the Children Alliance Task Group on Participation [hereafter referred to as the TGP] has consistently promoted the importance of evaluating children's and young peoples participation.  For this reason it agreed in 2001 that Save the Children should commission an overall evaluation of the Special Session process. This was originally planned to include the UN General Assembly's Special Session on Children itself, initially planned for September 19th, 2001.  The purpose of the proposed evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of childrens participation in all aspects of the process leading up to the Special Session, and in the Special Session itself. Following the events of September 11th and the postponement of the Special Session on Children [the SSoC], the TGP decided not to wait for the Special Session itself to take place. It decided to commission an evaluation of the process of children and young people's participation that had occurred over the previous 15 months or more before memories began to fade and key personnel had moved on. A specific focus of the evaluation would be to see how well the TGP, regional Save the Children teams and country teams had managed the process of supporting children and young people's participation. Michael Etherton, a freelance consultant on children's participation, who had previously worked for both Oxfam and Save the Children UK, was commissioned to carry out this evaluation. A further, external supplementary evaluation has been undertaken after the postponed Special Session had taken place in order to complete the evaluation process.Parameters for the EvaluationThe parameters for assessing the work done by adults and children in preparing for the SSoC are contained in a number of key policy documents of the International Save the Children Alliance. The following is a summary of the main parameters that have informed this process.Whatever is done, by adults or by children themselves, should be done in the best interests of the child.Children's participation in policy and decision-making processes should be linked to their rights as set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, children's right to participate is not constrained by a lack of knowledge of the Convention [CRC]. Many children and young people from every walk of life regard their right to information and to participation in decision-making as their inalienable right, whatever their knowledge of the articles of the CRC.Childrens participation should be meaningful, ethical and a high quality process. Children's and young people's participation in formal meetings should be measured against such "Best Practice".other agencies, especially in countries of the developing world, have also developed skills and "Best Practice" guidelines in children's participation in civil society that include their participation in high profile national and international meetings. Children's participation in the SSoC should also be measured against these wider criteria. Criteria for this evaluation of children and young people's participation in the preparations for the SSoC should not include corporate branding or marketing objectives for UNICEF or for the various members of the International Save the Children Alliance.The Methodology for the Evaluation The Evaluator was himself involved at a regional level with what was then called the UNSSOC until he left both South Asia and Save the Children UK at the beginning of April 2001. He was subsequently involved in advising on children's participation in a number of countries in West and Southern Africa. Since being commissioned by the Save the Children to do this evaluation, he has used his visits to countries to meet people and discuss with them children's participation for the Special Session.The Evaluator developed a structured questionnaire in order to get a wide representation of views about what had happened up to September 11th 2001. Together with the TGP, 3 questionnaires were developed: a long adult questionnaire, and two U18 questionnaires, a long version and a short version. The latter was primarily for those young people who had participated in preparatory events within their various countries. However, with hindsight, seeking information and opinions by way of a long and complicated questionnaire was a mistake. Many fewer responses were received than had been hoped for, although those that were received proved to be full of insights that have guided the Evaluators understanding. A table of the source of completed questionnaires that were returned is included in the Appendix.A number of documents, reports and papers relating to events connected with the Special Session preparations were also collected, in particular those relating to children and young people's participation in the process. These have been extremely useful. Many of them are important documents on participation. Their distribution is often very limited and ad hoc through no fault of the authors and compilers of those reports. The limited aspect of the distribution is geographical i.e. they are not available outside of the countries in which they were produced. The ad hoc nature of the distribution is such that they go to a relatively random group of people, some of whom put them on shelves and do not read them. Many of these documents deserve a much wider circulation: to other countries and to activists and young people who would act upon the information in them. The reports have also included evaluations done independently by country coalitions on children's participation within those countries. Many of these reports would,  be of great interest to other countries where the coalitions around children's participation have encountered similar problems and sometimes come up with quite different strategies. This evaluation report has therefore been written with a view to enabling readers to work out for themselves if a particular report or document would be useful to coalitions in their own countries. The evaluation report has also been written for all the young people who completed questionnaires and sent them back, or with whom the Evaluator had conversations. Some of them have had important things to say: original and insightful comments on issues adults perhaps think about, but have never found such an effective way of saying. These have generally been quoted in full in order to avoid taking phrases and sentences out of their context.The Evaluators personal commitment in undertaking this evaluation, apart from fulfilling the commission of the TGP, was to extend the children and young people's participatory process into the conduct of the evaluation itself. This would include asking children and young people who had been involved about their ideas and opinions concerning children and young-peoples participation, it would also investigate what hopes they had for the outcome of that commitment. However, the evaluation would also seek to find ways in which children and young people would be able to determine what it was they themselves wanted from an evaluation of their participation in the Special Session. They would help to frame the evaluation's purpose.  They would also need to determine what support they needed from adults in carrying it out at the various levels.  It is hoped to report on this aspect of the evaluation separatelyIt should be noted that all views expressed in this evaluation are those of the Evaluator.  Publication of this evaluation should not be read as implying agreement with, or consent to, these views by Save the Children or any of its member organisations.Experience has shown, in Asia, in Africa, and in Europe, that children recognise that rights for children are not contained in "wish-lists" but in a fairer sharing of the resources that are around. Both adolescents and pre-adolescents can and will pursue an ever more sophisticated analysis, given the tools to do so. They are keen to confront moral and ethical dilemmas. They are also able - it seems effortlessly - to extend this concept of fairer sharing from the community level, where it firsts finds expression, to national and regional levels. Finally, they extend their understanding of equity into their views on globalisation. Michael EthertonAcknowledgementsI was greatly assisted by Michelle Morris, Sarah Stevenson and Bill Bell of the Task Group on Participation in collecting material and providing advice, particularly in the early stages of the evaluation. However, all that I have written by way of reportage and analysis is entirely my own.I would also like to thank all those children, young people and adults who filled in the questionnaire or gave other feedback to me.  I have also had a number of conversations, informal discussions and telephone interviews with adults and young people.  I hope I have accurately reflected all your comments and ideas.Michael Etherton Devon, July, 2002Chapter 1The Process of Children's and Young People's Participation Children know about their problems and their dreams better than anyone.  So, if only children themselves can participate fully in childrens affairs, those commitments made on paper shall becomea reality in practical life.Response to U18 questionnaire, boy 17 years oldThese statements sum up the main achievements of the Special Session on Children. They show the incredible distance travelled, globally and within countries, in the past two years in the participation of children and young people in policy and decision-making that affects their lives. In January 2000 the concept of children's participation in civil society was an isolated phenomenon in different parts of the world. There were various initiatives, at a local level, to draw children into an independent and active engagement with adult decision-making processes. These initiatives were being promoted by local NGOs, by Children's Organisations [COs], and by individuals or small groups in the country programmes of Save the Children and other INGOs. Even though a number of these initiatives had been successful beyond anyone's imagining there was no coherent understanding at a corporate or international level of the full implications of children's participation in deciding about their lives and their futures. However, in January 2000 the International Save the Children Alliance decided, at a corporate level, to support UNICEF in enabling children themselves to participate in the proposed UN General Assembly meeting on children being planned for September 2001.  This deliberate attempt to make sure that children and young people were an active part of the meeting had not happened 11 years earlier at the World Summit for children. Even in January 2000, however, there was no clear vision of what their participation would look like at the Special Session.In January 2002, with the postponed Special Session still to take place, there could be no doubt that children and young people would have a significant impact on the UN event. This was because in all the preparatory events in which they had participated, children had surpassed themselves and earned their place at the top table.Participation in the Special Session as a Process The cumulative process of children and young people's participation in the Special Session process is significant. It is important because of the groundbreaking nature of the work that was undertaken over the 15 months up to September 2001. Insights from some early initiatives led to changes in what came next. It was a process of experiential learning. By 2000 some Save the Children organisations had already moved beyond a tokenistic form of children's participation in adult events. They were keen to help children and young people develop a more comprehensive and holistic approach to their participation in civil society. What was therefore aimed at was not a few favoured young people being selected to go to New York but a wide-ranging engagement by children around the world in various activities that would feed into the Special Session and influence its outcome. It was also hoped that it would also raise awareness among adults and children about the importance of the latter being involved in making decisions that affected their lives.The international dimension to this process, in the International Save the Children Alliance, was driven forward by senior policy-makers in the Save the Children member organisations; and by a combination of policy staff and experienced practitioners from those organisations who came together in the Task Group on Participation. In addition to Save the Children there were, however, a number of other international stakeholders: UNICEF, who had been instructed by the Secretary General to manage the overall Special Session process and the preparations; Save the Children's many in-country NGO Partner Organisations; In-country Children's Organisations e.g. ENDA; The NGO Committee on UNICEF which was organising the NGO logistics for the Special SessionOther international non-government organisations [INGOs] who are increasingly working for children's and young peoples participation:Plan InternationalWorld Vision InternationalInternational Planned Parenthood FederationWorld Association of Girl Guides and ScoutsIn this situation, the TGP perceived its role to be one of direct co-ordination with these international stakeholders and, through Save the Children in-country offices, with local and national partner organisations, including children's organisations. In other words, as well as co-ordinating international collaboration in supporting children's participation in the process, there was an equally significant role for the TGP in motivating and mobilising all the national and regional stakeholders.Significantly, whatever was done could only have been done with the committed help of the various Save the Children programmes within countries: with national and international staff and with their project partners. Some of these programmes were very actively engaged in supporting children's participation in civil society and furthering child rights together with children. Other programmes were not; and some were even critical of focusing on child rights and children's participation, instead of providing for children's basic needs. Some of the Save the Children organisations, within regions, had regional offices. These too had to be drawn into the process of enabling children to participate in regional events that, hopefully, would make the Special Session more than yet another example of high profile and expensive rhetoric.Finally, the children and young people had to be seen more as stakeholders in the process and not simply as pawns to be moved about on the chequer board, by adults in an adult process.Chapter 2The Task Group on Participation and Planning for Children's Involvement in the Special SessionThis chapter considers the role of the Task Group on Participation [the TGP] in supporting childrens participation in the preparatory process for the Special Session. It begins by looking at what happened before the establishment of the TGP in October 2000.Pre-TGP: January - October 2000By the summer of 2000 the Head Offices, as well as the regional and country programmes, of some of the Save the Children member organisations were preparing to engage with how they were going to support children and young people in preparing for the Special Session on Children.  This was in response to an International Save the Children Alliance commitment made by Mike Aaronson [CEO of Save the Children UK] at a consultation with Civil Society organised by UNICEF in January 2000.  At that meeting, called to discuss civil society involvement in the Special Session process, he had claimed this 'lead role' for Save the Children even though other agencies had also been interested. This section of the report deals with some of the critical issues that challenged, first, the Alliance [and SC UK in particular, which had been designated as the lead agency within the Alliance on the Special Session] and then, from November 2000, the Alliance Task Group on Participation [TGP] in delivering on this commitment. A question that has been raised during this evaluation has been why there was a gap between January 2000, when Save the Children was formally committed itself to children's participation in the proposed Special Session on Children, and September that year, when the Kathmandu Alliance global meeting took place. Save the Children UK was designated as the lead agency for this event and was expected to define the task for the Alliance. However, even by the First Prepcom, in May 2000, it was still difficult to decide what was appropriate with regards to children's participation in both the preparations and the actual New York event, without more information about the character and scale of the forthcoming process.  Corporately, it is clear that Save the Children did not know precisely what its commitment entailed. Who were the "children" supposed to be? How would they be "selected"? What would they "do"? For example, it seems that in some minds there was an assumption that only those young people already well into their teens would be capable of coming to New York and doing something during the period of the Special Session. Even as late as October 2000, when UNICEF New York organised a conference in London of agencies participating in the preparations for the Special Session, the focus was on adolescent participation. There was also some ambiguity about Save the Children's status vis--vis this commitment. PLAN International also had wanted to be UNICEF's partner organisation responsible for children's participation in the Special Session. UNICEF was, naturally and rightly, keen for as many INGOs to participate in the preparations as possible. Was Save the Childrens role to lead, facilitate or inspire others to support childrens participation?? These issues were discussed at the Alliance  Kathmandu Meeting in September 2000 (see below). At this meeting concerns were raised by some of the participants that the New York event might actually undermine the on-going work to support children to participate independently and significantly in civil society that was already underway in a number of regions in the world. There was considerable anxiety about which children might be selected to attend meetings and that what they would do at such meetings would be tokenistic. It was also argued that it might also undermine the broader work on child rights over the past five years, particularly in the ways in which this work was being integrated into core programme areas of Save the Children.The contradictory pressures that existed within and outside of Save the Children [both in Save the Children UK and the Alliance] during these months in 2000 was greatly eased with the appointment of an Alliance Co-ordinator for Children's Participation in the Special Session - Clare Feinstein - and the creation of an Alliance Task Group on Participation, the TGP. These happened in October and November 2000 respectively.  Review of the work of the TGPThe most significant aspect of the TGP's performance over the 14 months of preparations [November 2000 - December 2001] has been the Group's ability continually to overcome the problems and become an increasingly efficient, focused and principled executive unit of the Alliance. Not all problems were solved over this period. Some remained throughout the process; and are perhaps inherent in the specific social and political context of children's role within society at this time.While adopting a broadly chronological approach to the work of the TGP various issues are discussed here which were important issues at that time, these include:The relationship of international processes and events to the ways in which children and young people already participate in their own civil societies.[Kathmandu Meeting, September 2000]	The relationships with UNICEF at the international, regional and country levels.[Second PrepCom, New York, January 2001]	The imbalances in Alliance collaboration, among member Save the Children organisations and within their respective hierarchies.[Third PrepCom, New York, June 2001]	The insistence of logistics and resource constraints vs. principled practice in children's participation.[Planning the Postponed Special Session]	The difficulties in trying to widen the young constituency of children and young people through media involvement and through electronic interaction.[Child Friendly Documents; the Internet; list serv; child journalists]The paradox at the heart of the Special SessionThe relationship of international processes and events to the ways in which children and young people already participate in their own civil societies.As planning began to get underway, an immediate concern was the relationship of the forthcoming UN international event to the way children and young people, in mid-2000, already participated in civil society within their communities and countries. Views on this varied greatly, in part depending upon an organisations previous experience in this area.A number of the programmes of some of the Save the Children's organisations include NGO partners who are in the forefront of children's participation in civil society. However, other programmes of other the Children organisations - and indeed some programmes of apparently more experienced organisations - had little idea about how to go about children's involvement in decision making. Many of the staff and field workers felt that it was exploitative of children and were actually opposed to it. Reading Joachim Theis' exhaustive typology of children's participation in Asia [to be found in the Appendices], people working in some of the other regions may be amazed at the range and extent of children's participation in active decision-making in some countries in Asia. Others may feel that perhaps children in their country have gone much further in ordering their difficult and disadvantaged lives. However, Theis might not have written his theoretical paper on children's rights and children's participation, had it not been for the impetus that Save the Children's role in the Special Session process has given to children's participation. Save the Children staff in other parts of the world would probably now be less aware of the global extent of children's participation.The role the Save the Children Alliance has played since the middle of 2000 in enabling children to participate in the preparations for the Special Session has generated a great deal of thought and reassessment about the future role of children and young people in claiming their own rights. This re-thinking has not only gone on in the Save the Children organisations themselves but also in other NGOs, in the UN and in bilateral funding agencies. But in September 2000, when a small group of Alliance staff from around the world gathered in Kathmandu, there was a sharp divide over the merits and demerits of Save the Children becoming involved in the UN Special Session on children. Bill Bell (representing the lead agency, Save the Children UK) told the participants at this meeting that its purpose was to:Share information on children's participation and to review good practice, particularly in what can be achieved at international meetings.Share ideas about what is going on at national, regional and global levels for the Special Session with respect to child participation.Stimulate creative thinking from Alliance members on encouraging children's participation in the Special Session processes.Agree ways in which the Alliance might approach this task.The concerns of the 20 participants showed a level of scepticism about the SSOC - as it was then referred to - as well as the usefulness of children's participation in the process. This was because a number of the participants were already involved with their partner agencies in enabling children to engage with adult decision making. They regarded their work as progressive, as already having an impact, and they felt the children with whom they worked had gone beyond tokenistic participation in high profile media events. The long list of key questions actually centres around this difficult question of linking the country level process into the global process without undermining the country level process. In fact, the first of the questions asks just that.The meeting spent the next couple of days seriously addressing this difficult question of how the work of the International Save the Children Alliance could root children's participation in the Special Session in (1) country initiatives and (2) principled practice. The aim, objective and strategies that the participants suggested very much prefigured what eventually the Alliance TGP - not yet formed - saw as their task.  The final point from the conclusion to the report of the meeting anticipates the achievement of the TGP one year later, at the beginning of September 2001, with all plans in place for the Special Session:Save the Children will be working to ensure that children's participation at the Special Session itself is meaningful, well-supported and associated with good preparation and well-planned follow-up.Much of the discussion in Kathmandu was focused on the actual event being planned - the Special Session itself. A year later, at the beginning of September 2001, the efficiency, clarity and focus that the TGP had achieved was primarily focused on the New York event. This was an event that much larger events were abruptly about to cancel. It seems evident that at the apex of the Alliance - at the level of its member organisations - the commitment was to the New York event. In a number of countries, however, and in different regions, the commitment was to children's participation more broadly. More precisely, the commitment was to children's participation in civil society processes. Articles 12, 13 & 15 of the CRC were interpreted to mean this. In agreeing to participation in the SSOC, not all of Save the Children organisations were perhaps committed to this wider purpose. Although I imagine that this tension between the executives of some of the Save the Childrens and their staff in the field have not gone away, nevertheless, the TGP managed to succeed and operate successfully within the very eye of the contradiction.  At a more practical level, resourcing to support the Alliance's work gradually increased over the autumn of 2000.  Shortly before the Kathmandu meeting, Michelle Morris had been appointed as the overall Special Session Co-ordinator for the Alliance and took a particular concern in supporting the work on childrens participation, however, she was not specifically dedicated to this task. Sometime after the meeting, as noted above, the Alliance Co-ordinator for Children's Participation, Clare Feinstein, was appointed and based in the offices of Save the Children Netherlands. The Alliance then set up the Task Group on Participation in November 2000 and set to work. Nevertheless, this was 10 months after the decision had been taken in New York that the Alliance would commit itself to ensuring children and young people's participation at the Special Session. The relationships with UNICEF at the international, regional and country levels [Second PrepCom, New York, January 2001]The relationship with UNICEF regarding childrens participation in the Special Session process appears to have been complex. Save the Children organisations in South Asia were  part of a successful collaboration with the Regional Office of UNICEF for South Asia, in the Change Makers initiative. However, in other parts of the world and at different levels in the organisation, there appears to have been much less satisfaction. For example, there is some overt criticism of UNICEF in print, most notably around the Cairo Pan African Forum: Clearly, the arrival of almost double the number of expected children suggests a communication gap within the UNICEF system. UNICEF-ESARO communicated with other UNICEF regions in Africa through regional focal points (protocols hindered direct country access)In Cairo itself, there were many UNICEF people responsible for different aspects of the arrangements for both the children's meeting and the PAF. It was rarely clear who was responsible for what, and the scope for confusion was enormous.There is also criticism around logistics.  However, this criticism is countered by praise: Many of the potential problems at the preparatory workshop were avoided by the excellent input from one UNICEF individual - Ms Heba Abdellatif - who acted as a focal point for most of the grief and was more often than not able to mobilise solutions.Other than this report, there is no sustained criticism of UNICEF in the Save the Children documentation - for example, in the PrepCom Reports and the minutes of the TGP meetings. There are comments about the need to extend ethical and principled practice concerning children and young people's participation to UNICEF Offices around the world. However, these comments tend to be couched obliquely or in quite moderate language. Be proactive, in liaison or at least consultation with UNICEF, on the following guidelines - Guide for Chaperones / Accompanying Adults (to include child protection issues), Guide for Adults at the 3rd PrepCom, Briefing for Caucus Facilitators at 3rd PrepCom (to include proposal of children and young people as co-facilitators of caucuses).ACTION: CF to liase with UNICEF on production of these guidelines and to ensure TGP input into themSimilarly, criticism of Save the Children is not evident in the limited documentation available from UNICEF although it is known, for example, that UNICEF was unhappy with some aspects of childrens participation at the second Prepcom in January 2001. However, praise - or at least acknowledgement of the work done - also appears to be missing. In the UNICEF Cairo Report, Save the Children and its extensive contribution to enabling children to participate in that important continental meeting is simply ignored - completely. Conversely, however, UNICEF in East Asia and the Pacific might suggest that its role in children's participation in the region is also being ignored. Apart from the brief note on Victor Karunan's input into the Lao PDR Regional Children & Young People's Forum 2, there is no mention in any of the children and young people's deliberations of any role for UNICEF. Children comment on what governments can and should do; on what NGOs can and should do; and on what children can and should do. There is no mention of what UNICEF [and the UN generally] can and should do.  My sense is that during the Special Session process, each hierarchy tried to manage the other hierarchy. This is both management up and management down. When individuals in one of the organisations find they are blocked or contradicted or opposed by their roughly equal counterpart in the other organisation, the solution may be to try to get one's own manager to put pressure at a higher level in the other hierarchy. Blocked in Save the Children, for example, by one's colleagues or managers, but in agreement with UNICEF, one suggests that pressure might be brought to bear by UNICEF on one's own organisation. This will obviously not find its way into print even in internal documents. But it might explain somewhat the discrepancy between the criticism of UNICEF have encountered in verbal communication, and the lack of anything remotely similar in the documents.The question of ethical practice, which does occur in some of the documentation, is predicated upon both UNICEF's and some of the Save the Children member organisations' strong commitment to child rights and the CRC. The relationship of child rights and the CRC to the Special Session is, a battle that UNICEF had to fight with the incoming US Administration in 2001. It also remains an issue between some of the Save the Childrens. Using Articles 12, 13 & 15 of the CRC to support a strong case for children's participation appears to have been seen at a corporate level in different ways. On the one hand it was seen by some as advancing child rights. On the other hand, others saw it as a distraction or something that might set back the emphasis on Child Rights generally within individual organisations. It is necessary to set this tension within the Alliance globally against the overwhelming commitment of children and young people themselves to active and meaningful participation. This evaluation has found in all the evidence, both written and oral, that children and young people want to participate on their own terms in every kind of forum that takes decisions that affect their lives.Feedback from the 50 children participating in the preparatory meeting arranged by the TGP immediately before the second PrepCom in January 2001, brought a number of issues sharply into focus for both UNICEF and the Alliance TGP:The issue of who were "children" and who were "youth", i.e. the Under 18, and the Over 18. The Youth Caucus, established at the 1st PrepCom in June 2000 and continued at the 2nd PrepCom, had people as old as 25 years participating in it. Accounts of what took place when the U18s at the TGP's preparatory meeting met up with the other participants in the Youth Caucus suggest a complex ideological debate that reflected strong differences of opinion about both specific issues and the framework of childrens participation.The issue of "roles and responsibilities" among UNICEF, the Alliance and other agencies involved in children's participation in the process needed clarification. The first point of "Lesson Learn from the 2nd PrepCom" in the minutes of the TGP Meeting in Toronto after the second PrepCom reflect this urgency:Need to clearly define Roles and Responsibilities (R & R) of the Alliance regarding children and young people's participation and the SSOC, what we expect from others, what we do not take responsibility for.The need for a wider consultation with children around the world on the Outcome Document which then became a significant priority by the TGP and resulted in a report presented at the 3rd PrepCom.Adequate and balanced representation from the regions around the world needed to be addressed. Ravi Karkara in his short report following the PrepCom suggests the need to have "more regional representations; maybe in the form of quotas." The inadequate representation of children from the Asia regions sharply focused minds regionally, particularly in Save the Children's regional offices.However, significantly, the issue raised that all participation at meetings in New York would inevitably be tokenistic was challenged by the collective independence of the young people at the preparatory meeting:The myth that children's participation in large meetings is nothing but tokenism was broken at the 2nd PrepCom. By mid March 2001 more regional meetings for children were being organised by Save the Children offices in the different regions. All of these would be linked in one way or another into the SSoC process. All would link to UNICEF's sponsorship of high level Ministerial Meetings in preparation for the SSOC. And, thanks to the efforts of all concerned, by the time of the 3rd PrepCom in New York in June all these would have happened.The imbalances in Alliance collaboration, among member Save the Children and within their respective hierarchies.[Third PrepCom, New York, June 2001]The 3rd PrepCom followed in June in New York. This time more than 150 children and young people gathered for the Preparatory Workshop for the 3rd PrepCom, prior to their involvement in, and engagement with, the PrepCom itself. Save the Children worked closely with U18  Participation Task Force of the NGO Committee on UNICEF  to plan this event. The responses of the young people to this workshop are more focused and more detailed than after the second PrepCom. A number of responses are quoted in the TGP's evaluation of the whole event. One response to the workshop - as opposed to the PrepCom that followed - referred positively to the inputs by guest speakers:The talk with Carol Bellamy [Executive Director of UNICEF], it sorted out a lot of misunderstood stuff - a great idea to have her; Carol Bellamy and Dan Seymour [from Save the Childrens New York office] were highlights; it was useful and I enjoyed the use of guest speakers - representing other organisations - who have an experience of a particular issue; some of the explanations the Canadian delegate made I found interesting.The responses of the young people who were selected by their peers to undertake certain tasks during the PrepCom itself are also quoted in the evaluation. What comes through from these responses, and from the responses on the U18 questionnaires for this evaluation, is a frustration with the adult processes, especially around the 'nit-picking' over the wording of the draft Outcome Document. The evaluation looked forward to the preparations, in the regions, for the Special Session itself and to the Children's Forum that came immediately before. One young respondent very perceptively commented:We should have regional evaluation of what happens with the children, what they are doing and how they can contribute in relation to monitoring the Outcome Document. It is too late to wait until September [2001].In fact, the wait would be until May 2002. There is, from all the responses, a very clear sense of the opportunities that the Children's Forum is seen to present to young people. There are also disappointments that are likely to come in its wake. There is an anxious concern to learn from the PrepComs and the Special Session and to sort things out before leaving New York and returning to their individual countries:We should build up relationship with government delegations at the UNSS to follow up when going back; it is important for child delegates to meet before leaving the UNSS to sum up. To know what the next steps are, find ways to take things forward, and to ensure information sharing by e-mail after the UNSS.One of the young participants suggested:We should keep communication after the PrepCom not to repeat mistakes; and prepare brief reports to share with other children in our country.These echo two points, already noted above, in the work within countries:There needs to be an enabling environment within the communities and the countries that encourages children to participate. [See Andhra Pradesh in India in connection with the GMfC and the NPAs.] Children and young people need an opportunity immediately after an event to come together, debrief with each other and plan follow up. [See the comment made by Carie T. Francisco in her Report on the SSOC process in the Philippines.]A significant issue concerns the inconsistencies in the various Alliance member organisations in creating an enabling environment for childrens participation within different countries. These inconsistencies may be related to differences between Save the Children organisations in their approach to children's participation in their own programmes; or there may be tensions around children's participation within one member organisation, between, for example, its corporate policy and its programme base. Or between regions there may be quite different emphases. Alliance collaboration in the TGP by contrast was an exemplar: practical, inclusive, but nonetheless resolutely committed to principle and 'best practice' in children's participation. This resulted in a strong and effective enabling environment in New York at the PrepComs. Ironically, this international conferencing environment became a microcosm, with significant human, emotional and material resources made available for a short time and in a small space. The macrocosm is the myriad of local communities - where these resources for achieving an enabling environment were absent or very scarce. Furthermore, the adult agencies who are enabling players in children's eyes in New York - or Budapest, or Kathmandu or Vientiane - may not be the same enabling organisations back in the child or young person's own countries. One of the lesson learned from the SSOC process is that without these resources continuing to be available within Save the Childrens programmes, harassed and over-worked field staff, struggling to catch up with their agency's corporate demands on them from Head Office, will be apologising to young people. And failing to support their continuing participation in civil society.The TGP was very conscious of this broader picture. In the Norway meeting in July 2001 the members highlighted their concern to introduce, at the Children's Forum, the "next generation of questions about participation"; and there is a great deal of time devoted to thinking about the follow up to the Special Session, to the Global Movement for Children and to children and young people's involvement in the development of National Plans of Action for Children. This is also contained in a separate paper produced: Conceptual Framework for Children's Participation beyond the Special Session.The quality of the work done at that meeting reflected in the comprehensive record of it that the team produced. This summed up the intense combination of analysis and forward planning, done over 3 days in the cottage in the Norwegian mountains. This meeting probably lies at the centre of the SSOC process in which the TGP was engaged. The record of it encapsulates the focus and drive the team had developed in the run-up to the original date of the Special Session.. After reviewing the 3rd PrepCom, the meeting considered the whole concept of the Children's Forum and mapped out the detail planning needed. This was followed by a consideration of the Special Session itself and U18s' roles in that and in the NGO-sponsored programme of activities for U18 delegates. The team also covered issues of handling the media and supporting child journalists. Finally they focused on what would happen after the Special Session.By July 2001, the Children's Forum had become a key focus and mechanism by which it was hoped the children and young people would engage with the issues being discussed in the UN about the future for children. The premise on which the agenda was based was promoting the best interest of the children. There had been a -Qualitative difference in process from the 2nd and 3rd PrepComs. In September we will be dealing with a much larger group of children but our aim is to make the Forum a meaningful and participatory event. The Outcomes for Children that the TGP hoped that the Children's Forum would achieve are worth quoting in full: Personal (learning new skills, positive experiences, experiences which help support follow up processes) Recreation as a rightTheir proposals have an impact (in caucuses, documents, future work attitudinal changes in adults)Building networks of relationshipsInterchange among themselves in different ways (issues, experiences, etc)Their voices and contributions are listened to, they feel respected and involved - linked to decisions taken by decision-makersFor an evaluation these would be excellent criteria to judge the success of not just the Children's Forum but the whole process of their childrens participation in the Special Session. Certainly, those questionnaires that were completed and returned by young people who were at the 3rd PrepCom have reflected these objectives, from their individual points of view, for their pending involvement in the Special Session.The outcomes for children are reflected in a - much longer - set of outcomes for Save the Children. This section deals sensitively with Save the Childrens corporate objectives that have been hovering above the involvement in the Special Session since the Programme Forum first agreed to link with UNICEF. But there is also a strong drive for inclusion: of people with disabilities; of conflicting views among young people. There is also a frank acknowledgement of the efforts and competencies that exist in other organisations involved in the process. The agenda for the Children's Forum is flexibly drafted to allow for children to decide the content but detailed and comprehensive when it comes to organising groups and processes, nonetheless. The NGO-sponsored programme for U18s is dealt with in a similarly scrupulous manner. For the follow up, there is discussion about the evaluation of the process; the documentation of the process; applying the lesson learned / maintaining the momentum; and linking the work to Objective 4 of the Alliance's 5 year Plan.The Alliance's Objective 4 - and the future of the Task Group on Participation - depend on the corporate commitment of individual member organisations to participation. This, in turn, will require a commitment on the part of country programmes to enable both their senior management staff as well as the field workers to become skilled in facilitating children's participation. This will then contribute to establishing the enabling environment which the Alliance TGP strove to create in New York. The insistence of logistics and resource management vs. principled practice in children's participation.[Planning the Postponed Special Session]As Clare Feinstein was about to board a plane for New York on September 11th she knew that there had been a high level of preparation and planning for childrens involvement in the Childrens Forum and Special Session. She suggests that the TGP worked well because of the followingIt brought together some of Save the Children's participation competencies in a small group. The smallness of the group, together with the expertise it represented, contributed significantly to a collective sense of purpose.The group worked from people's strengths; but, at the same time, there was definitely a place for people to learn as well. For example, Clare Feinstein considers Andrew Johnson's experience in advocacy and communications was a significant contribution to the group.There was a prior commitment on everyone's part to clear principles of children and young people's participation, against which each stage of the process during the preparations would have to be assessed.There was a mutual respect for each other. This developed into a camaraderie and friendship. "People pulled together and supported each other." On the way to the Norway TGP meeting, Alana Kapell had the seed of an idea about how a Children's Forum at the Special Session could work. The meeting then gave her space to develop it together with the rest of the group.The group had a collective ability to think outside the box.The TGP respected the importance of country and regional work, by establishing regional contact points and attempting all the while to share information out to the countries and individuals working on the various aspects of the preparations.Save the Children was the only INGO that had (1) full-time co-ordinators solely assigned to children and young people's participation; (2) a supervising committee; and (3) an extensive regionally-based network of "focal points". As a result, the TGP was a "doing" group rather than merely a co-ordinating group. For example, the TGP suggested the importance of using Young Facilitators in the Childrens Forum and had the networks, contacts and money to actually ensure it happened.Complementary to the generative networks in the regions was the presence in New York of the TGP's Andrew Johnson [SC New York Office] In addition, after July, Sarah Stevenson from Save the Children Canada was funded to go to New York once a week and was able to participate in weekly planning meetings with UNICEF and the U18PTF.Clare Feinstein herself was organised, strategic and had a vision about what was needed at any given moment. What she - and the TGP together with the regional networks  contributed to the process with was a framework for children's participation that went beyond Save the Children. It was principled, demonstrably effective and resonated within participating countries. On September 11th that framework was set to deliver a powerful demonstration of young people's abilities and their commitment to engage responsibly in policy-making around their rights.  The cancellation of the Special Session after the events of September 11th was, for the young people and adults alike, an extraordinary let-down. The attack on the World Trade Centre happened a day before children were due to depart for New York. Some young participants were actually pulled out of departure lounges in their country's airport. There was, in the aftermath and questions hanging over the whole enterprise: For Sarah Stevenson this included - What would now happen vis--vis funding and the people involved - not only in Save the Children, but also in UNICEF and the Canadian Government with whom SC Canada was working so closely?. On September 20 & 21, Bill Bell, Clare Feinstein and Michelle Morris met in Amsterdam, to consider what lead the TGP and the Alliance could give to Save the Children country programmes. Although the report from that meeting talks about responding to the postponement, the emphasis had clearly shifted to country-based activities that could now occur in advance, instead of after, the Special Session. There was still an emphasis on involvement with the draft Outcome Document, but again with greater in-country lobbying of governments about Save the Children's position on the still disputed sections. Regional commitments, from the regional Ministerial conferences, as well as the development of NPAs also took on an added significance. Save the Children should commission a short guide to the Plan of Action for NGOs and civil society, "in order to explain the process for its implementation".  The three TGP members then did a comprehensive review of various Special session-related publications, the status of child-friendly versions of them, the development of guidelines on best practice, some media follow-up with the child journalists, and policy level papers on participation. There was a discussion on need for the translation of all or many of these. Two evaluations would now be considered: an interim internal evaluation [this one] and then an overall Alliance-SSOC evaluation after the Special Session.  It was recognised that arrangements and logistics in New York for the reconvened Special Session, if and when it was reconvened, would need to include tightened security. The meeting ended with a forward look not only to the Special Session but also to other conferences already scheduled [the Yokohama Sexual Exploitation Conference in December 2001; and UNICEF's proposed Bangkok's Global Conference on Participation in 2003] or needing to be planned.The subsequent - and scheduled - meeting of the full TGP in the Netherlands in October 2001 went into all of these issues in much more detail that had been possible or useful a month earlier, immediately after the shock of events. There was now much more emphasis on the publications, the child-friendly documents and the generic guidelines. There was an important issue about the child friendly Outcome Document prepared by Save the Children: it was noted that UNICEF might need to sign off on it if it was to become an official document of the SSoC proceedings. "This means that textual changes will be made to the Save the Children model (perhaps also design changes?)." The TGP asked itself how far it was prepared to go to accept changes. The TGP's agreed position is significant:TGP prefers an official document which is widely recognised, widely disseminated, translated into many languages and read and understood by many children to a document bearing only the SC logo which does not have official recognition.The discussion on the Children's Forum  assuming it would if it happen- was taken up in large part with questions of security for the children. A number of sensible decisions were reached, based on various "What if?" scenarios.A very good paper on the Children's Forum in the reconvened Special Session was produced by the TGP toward the end of the year. It is to be included in another paper which UNICEF produced as a draft: "Road to the Special Session on Children": An Overview and Lessons Learned on the Planning Process of the Children's Forum and Child Participation in the special Session on Children as was scheduled for September 2001. The Children's Forum Programme draft contains a reworking of the of some of the earlier material, but now expressed in a much simpler and clearer way: The design of the process and the agenda was based on:Promoting the best interests of childrenEnsuring a meaningful and participatory eventProviding children with a genuine opportunity to participate in their own way and on their own termsA process of discovery (personal and collective) which enables the assimilation of information (hear, see, do, discovery)In some ways this seems to be the statement that encapsulates the achievement of the TGP in managing the whole SSoC process, and not just the Children's Forum. It is a process that proved itself to be child-focused, child friendly and enabling. The TGP has managed to strike a balance in high profile international events between logistical demands and the empowerment of children.The difficulties in trying to widen the young constituency of children and young people through media involvement and through electronic interaction.[Child Friendly Documents; the Internet; list serv; child journalists]Michael Hoechsmann, of the Young People's Press, wrote a short and insightful evaluation of the Youth Journalism Project at the Third Prepcom for the TGP. Although he felt supported by Ramon Meneses {Save the Children Norway] and Alero Harrison [Save the Children UK], he did not feel that he was able to get young journalists' material from the preliminary Workshop and the Third Prepcom itself published in the mainstream adult press. Nor did his training and mentoring of young journalists work out as planned:The workshop that was planned was scheduled at a time and in a place that was difficult for the youth to access. Rather than deliver one in-depth workshop I ended up giving three mini ones (plus subsequent mentoring with several youth throughout the week). Out of the eleven youth present, only three followed through.He praises On the Record [the NGO Committee on UNICEFs newsletter], but felt that to some extent "it undermined my project". He makes a number of suggestions for the Special Session itself and the Children's Forum; and ends with a nice compliment:Final comment: I have met some remarkable people this week, both youth and adults. The work you folks are doing is very impressive. My hat goes off to you all.Claire O'Kane comments in her completed questionnaire how successful the young journalists were in the Change Makers project in Kathmandu, South Asia; and many of the young people made positive references to young journalists. Similarly, young people from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan sent a video tape they had made and edited of the Budapest Young People's Meeting prior to the Berlin Ministerial Conference for Europe and Central Asia. There are a number of other examples of the use of film, videotape and print, and broadcasting through the adult media by young people at the country level. The other very significant area of communications is the Internet and email, either to send information, receive information or communicate interactively with one another. From the responses to the questionnaires by the children and young people these appeared to be developing an enormous gulf developing between those young people who had some facility in an international language and who also had access to computers and the Internet. and those who did not.Children and young people's independent participation in young journalism, broadcasting and documentary video-making is a new and important area of youth-led lobbying and advocacy. Children and young people's involvement in using the internet within countries and across national borders - not only to send and receive information but also to maintain contacts - is another emerging and equally important issue. The preparations for the SSoC gave some impetus to the development in both areas; but children and young people's involvement in new kinds of communication before, during and after high profile events needs a separate and different kind of evaluation. In the first instance, it needs young journalists to be involved in the evaluation, not only as respondents but also in designing the evaluation. Secondly, it needs to "think out of the box" and set up ways to access for a wide readership all the exciting, but unnoticed developments in children's and young people's creativity in communication technologies in various  perhaps surprising -  e.g. Kyrgyzstan. The evaluation also needs to assess children and young people's communication needs after the main event: how they can communicate the experience to their constituencies back home as well as can be in touch with each other to keep the friendship alive. This also means addressing the extremely important question of how the most disadvantaged children, with very few opportunities to keep in touch with each other, can be helped to do so - in innovative and sustainable ways.The paradox at the heart of the Special SessionThere was a paradox within the actual process of preparations for the Special Session on Children. It gave a huge impetus to children's participation in countries around the globe but, at the same time, the actual event eventually seemed to become to some extent irrelevant to that process.  After the postponement of the SSoC there was deep distress among those involved who were thwarted in their expectation of forging new child-focussed policies in governments around the world. But even if the SSoC had not reconvened in New York [as it did] the energy and commitment that the preparations had generated continued to spread out among the children and adults who had been involved. Children's participation in civil society is now seen to be much bigger than their participation in the Special Session in New York. But that event was needed as a focus in order to bring this about. This is probably the case among those who would have gone to New York. It is definitely the case among the many children who attended local or national processes relating to the draft Outcome Document, the GMfC, or the development of NPAs. The Special Session on Children, through all the preparatory enthusiasm and expectation for the future, has already furthered children's participation at the grassroots. The focus for more resources now has to be the countries and the regions around the world.What will really affect their enthusiasm and lead to frustration and disappointment is if Save the Children says "Okay, we've done participation. Now let's get back to ". The evidence that keeps appearing in this evaluation is that children feel that it is their right to participate in decision-making, but that it will not happen without an enabling environment. Concerned and committed adults are convinced that the enabling environment for children's participation will not happen without adequate and timely resources. Major milestones in the process of enabling children to participate in the preparations for the Special Session:Month/YearEvent2000JanuaryAt a UNICEF-organised Civil Society consultation meeting in New York, SC-UK's CEO agrees that Save the Children will take responsibility for leading support for children and young people's participation in the UN SSOCMay/JuneSSOC Preparatory Committee [PrepCom] 1 in New York: minimal inputs by children and young people & none by SC-sponsored children and young people.AugustWinnipeg Conference on War-Affected Children includes a significant contribution by childrenSeptemberAlliance Kathmandu Meeting: small meeting with limited representation; but significant criteria established for SC-initiated children and young people's participation in national, regional and international events.OctoberHendon Hall Meeting in London, UK involving UNICEF, Save the Children, Peace Child, Plan, WAGGS, and others.5th Ministerial Meeting on Children and Social Policy in the Americas, Jamaica with 120 Under 18s participating Clare Feinstein appointed as the Alliance Children And Young People's Participation Co-ordinatorNovemberAlliance Task Group on Participation for SSoC set up [TGP]NGO Committee on UNICEF Youth Participation Task Force (YPTF) established with Save the Children and World Vision as co-chairsCanadian Government convened meeting in New York on childrens participation in the Special Session processDecemberChild Right's Caucus Consultation Meeting with UNICEF on the draft Outcome Document-      Planning for Alliance/UNICEF support to Regional Inter-ministerial Meetings begins in several regions-      SC UK internal Regional Planning Meetings [RPMs] discussed  SC's lead role on children and young people's participation + country and regional initiatives.2001January1st TGP meeting in London26-27 Jan: 'Second PrepCom Preparatory Workshop for Children and Young People in New York organised by SC, with the assistance of the YPTF of the NGO Committee on UNICEF.-      28 Jan - 2 Feb: PrepCom 2 in New YorkFebruary-      YPTF becomes Under 18 Participation Task Force [U18PTF]March16-18 March: TGP Meeting in Toronto to review childrens participation in PrepCom 2 and plan for PrepCom 3    TGP organises global consultation with children on the draft Outcome DocumentApril-        Partners Meeting in London agreed that the Alliance & UNICEF would organise the U18 Preparatory Meeting for PrepCom 3-      Children and Young People's Regional Meetings in Africa, East Asia and Europe in preparation for official Inter-ministerial meetings [in Kenya; Thailand & Hungary respectively]-         TGP prepares first version of the 'child-friendly' draft 'Outcome Document'May-      Children and Young People's Regional Meeting in South Asia with the U18 Change Makers, Corporates and Government Ministers, in Nepal-       EAP MINCON in Beijing with childrens participationEurope and Central Asia Ministerial Meeting, Berlin with childrens participationJune-         9-10: U18 Preparatory Workshop for PrepCom 3 in New York-         11-15 PrepCom 3 in New YorkJuly-         19-21: Alliance TGP Meeting in Norway-          East Asia & Pacific: Children & Young People's Forum II in Lao PDRAugust-          Detailed preparations for Children's Forum underway-          Preparations for SSoC Participation, NGO Side Events, etc underwaySeptember-         11th: Terrorist Attack on USA; SSoC postponed-         20-21: TGP 'Responding to Postponement' Meeting, Amsterdam October-         26-28: Alliance TGP Meeting, Amsterdam agrees revised strategy to maintain momentum following postponement of the SsoCDocuments Received from the Alliance TGPChildren and Young People's Participation in the 2001 Special Session on Children: Report of the Meeting on the Role of The International Save the Children Alliance, Kathmandu, 11 - 13 September 2000, Save the ChildrenTerms of Reference: Alliance Task Group on Participation, Alliance, 2001.[First Meeting of the TGP - still to come]     Report on Pre-2nd PrepCom Workshop for Children and Young People, [Organised by the International Save the Children Alliance and held in the offices of the US Fund for UNICEF] New York, 26-27 January 2001, TGP Summaries of Lessons Learned: children and young people's participation at the 2nd PrepCom, [Internal Brief - Not For External Circulation]Lessons learnt from the 2nd PrepCom, Ravi Karkara, Facilitation and Gender Consultant Meeting of the Alliance Task Group on Participation (TGP): Summary of Main Decisions and Action Plan, 16-17 March 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation Special Session on Children: After the 2nd PrepCom - The Next Steps: Suggestions, 12th March, 2001, TGP EVALUATION: Children and young people's participation at the preparatory workshop for the 3rd PrepCom 9-10th of June and 3rd PrepCom 11-15th of June 2001, New York; Proposals For The UN Special Session, [no date] TGP Meetings with Save the Children - children: Comments, suggestions, proposals, etc., regarding the 3rd PrepCom and the Preparations for the UNSS, 14-15 June, New York, TGPMeeting in Norway: Summary of Main Discussions and Decisions, 19-21 July 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation (TGP) Meeting of Young Government Delegates: 3rd PrepCom, June 14 2.00-3.00 p.m. New York Evaluation of Youth Journalism Project at the Third Prepcom, Michael Hoechsmann [Young People's Press], June 20, 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on Children 'Responding to the Postponement' Meeting, Amsterdam, 20-21 September 2001, TGP [Clare Feinstein, Bill Bell, Michelle Morris]Meeting in Netherlands: Summary of Main Discussions and Decisions, 26-28 October 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation (TGP) [DRAFT 1] "Road to the Special Session on Children": An Overview and Lessons Learned on the Planning Process of the Children's Forum and Child Participation in the special Session on Children as was scheduled for September 2001, 5th October, UNICEF [DRAFT] Children's Forum: Programme, [TGP - to be included in "Road to the Special Session"] , Alliance Task Group on ParticipationChapter 3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Children and Young People's Participation in the Special SessionProcess in Countries and RegionsAfrica Basis for this evaluation of children's & young people's participation in the Special Session preparations in AfricaThe Africa section of the evaluation is based onReports of the OAU-UNICEF Pan-African Forum on the Future of Africa's Children, including Lee Kirkham's Report on Children's Participation in the Nairobi Regional Meeting and the Cairo Pan-African Forum; An informal evaluation of children and young people's participation in Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa: Lesotho has, in fact, been extremely active in securing children and young people's participation in a wide range of national, regional, continental and international events including preparation for the Special Session;A series of visits by the evaluator to countries in Africa over the past 11 months to train Save the Children UK staff in facilitating children and young people's participation in civil society, A few, but very informative, completed U18 & Adult Questionnaires; and some telephone conversations with adults involved in the SSOC preparations;My wide experience over many years of various countries in Africa.This assessment of the regional process in Africa is structured under the following headings:Lack of children and young people's active and independent participation in civil society Participation has focused on international conferencing: OAU-UNICEF Pan-African Forum in CairoSave the Children's role in Selection and Preparation for active participation in high profile events UNICEF's emphasis on the importance of the African Common Position: 'Africa Fit for Children'Lack of adequate follow-up and continuing connectivity for conference participantsSignificance of children and young people's participation for various African countriesNational Plans of Action: the need for new partnerships for children and young peopleIs African ready for children's participation in social change?Lack of children and young people's active and independent participation in civil society In comparison with the growing number of children's organisations in South Asia and Latin America, under 18 year-olds [U18s] in Africa have so far made very little impact on civil society, particularly at the sub-national level. Part of the reason for this is because children's active and independent participation in civil society is a novel concept in most African countries. The concept of children's participation is still thought of as poor children standing up in front of "Big People" and making a speech about their suffering and their needs. These speeches are usually warmly received by the politicians and then photographs are taken by the press and television of the politicians congratulating the children. Usually nothing happens after that. On the other hand, children of the international business and political classes do not normally suffer material deprivation. Their material needs are usually met. It would not naturally occur to them that very poor children need to lobby those adults in power - their parents' class - in order to claim their basic rights and needs.  Between the tokenism of poor children 'participating' at high profile events and a perceived irrelevance of young people's participation in civil society by privileged children, children's participation in civil society has made little headway so far.However, there are exceptions. A 15 year old Ethiopian boy attended an SSOC National Meeting in Addis Ababa as a representative of street/working children He writes:When I was participating in that event I thought that the participants were street/working children like me. But in the meeting I found out that most of them were from Addis Ababa, the capital city, well dressed, high family status and most of them came in the meetings with deluxe automobiles. [This] has offended me. Because of this their needs were [not] our needs and different. However, it was found out in the discussion that the issues that I mentioned was among the top priority issues. Therefore this made me happy at the end of the day. His colleague who commented on that same national Special Session event and who was also selected from a street/working children's sports club, stressed the importance of giving children the opportunity to discuss their key issues:Children have forwarded their priority needs. Adults should give attention to it. This type of meeting should be conducted at all level of the government structures (i.e. up to village level) There are also exceptional African countries, in which children's participation in civil society is perhaps even becoming the norm. Lesotho, landlocked and surrounded by South Africa, has developed a comprehensive programme of drawing children in to adult civil society as active players, through the work of Save the Children [UK & Sweden] and a Basotho NGO Coalition around Child Rights and children's participation. There is some evidence emerging from around the world that shows that children's active and independent participation in civil society acts as an incentive to adults to encourage even more active engagement. This would certainly seem to be the case with Lesotho where the engagement by children around the Special Session preparations has lead to young people's highly representative participation in the national reform of Child Law. Mapule Maema comments on participation as an on-going process:Children were unaware about the process of  UNSSOC. But when it was introduced to them, children and young people were motivated to know about an event that has direct impact on their lives. A lot of interest was even generated to those children who did not know anything about their rights. People in high profile positions are slowly appreciating child participation. Currently there is a child legislation review process, and there is a committee comprised of children only that has been set up. Recently the committee suggested a "Bash" entertainment with music and dancing, while doing that messages on UNSSOC and the Child Legislation Reform Process ..Apart from the above, there is genuine acknowledgement that children have to be part of the decision-making process. The different processes such as Poverty Reduction Strategy, Vision 2020, ensure that children have an input. There's a greater awareness now.The two young people who completed, in some detail, the full-length U18 questionnaire corroborate this. The cumulative impression the reader gets from their comments is of an engagement in a process that significantly develops, over the months, into good representation and imaginative feedback to their growing young constituency. They record an increasingly significant engagement with adult policy-makers in their country, at various decision-making levels; and they are increasingly hard-headed about what their participation in international conferencing will achieve. For example, the 17 year old Basotho boy maintains that there was a low level of children and young people's participation in the Third Prepcom itself. Some of this was good:World leaders were in the position to get information from the horse's mouthBut some was not so good:Children were used as sources of informationIt made them feel underminedand [they] were not involved in the decision-making.However, he maintains that children and young people's participation made an impact:Most of the adults wanted to be in the meetings where children were involved because of  the children's activeness.The evaluator had the privilege of meeting with some of the young Basotho who had participated in the various events over the past year and a half. These events were a Children's Event in the Parliament; the CRC Reporting process in Geneva; the Nairobi Regional Meeting; the Cairo Pan African Forum; the Third PrepCom and the Law Reform Round Table. Their understanding of the wider purpose of children's participation and their inclusion of many other children in the participation processes that were underway was striking.Participation has focused on international conferencing: OAU-UNICEF Pan African Forum on the Future of Children It is significant that in Africa, where children and young people's participation in civil society and in decision-making that affects their lives is a much more recent concept, the emphasis on their participation in international conferencing has been high. In particular, children and young people became participants at what would previously have been adults-only meetings on childrens issues. To prepare them for these meetings there were various children and young people-only meetings or workshops at which the young participants have got to know each other and then worked out what they were going to say in the adult meetings. It seems clear that the Pan Africa Forum in Africa in Cairo in May 2001 drove African children's participation in the whole SSoC process. The internal UNICEF report on the Pan African Forum has a short section on children's participation. The writer comments:Children and young people from across Africa were present at the PAF. Such participation is a relatively new phenomenon in Africa. There have been few opportunities for children and young people to participate and present their views, and their active involvement in the PAF reflected their eagerness.The writer obviously has some doubts about the validity of children's participation in high profile conferencing: The participation of young people is clearly valuable. But raises a number of questions.Although children's participation is now at an early stage, in future are we in danger of developing a cadre of 'professional children' (and youth) who attend such conferences? Might we be removing them from meaningful interaction with their constituencies and creating tensions and jealousies?Coaching children is necessaryHow do we deal with the political demands of older children?Are we encouraging the appropriation of youth and children's energies by governments, perhaps through the organisation of 'children's parliaments', or of a parallel political hierarchy of young people mirroring the state hierarchy?These concerns demonstrate a view of participation that is primarily concerned with children and young people 'conferencing'. They are not the sorts of questions that now get asked about children's participation in Indian civil society or Brazilian civil society. The Selection and Preparation of Children and Young PeopleIn the Save the Children report on the Pan African Forum, which involved young people in its compilation, there is clearly concern for the high profile, conference-driven nature of young people's participation. Before leaving for Cairo, there were expectations of some 35 child participants with almost no representation from North Africa [only Egypt had indicated interest in sending children]. In the event, more than 60 children arrived in Cairo for the meetingsAlthough none was expected from elsewhere in North Africa other than Egypt itself, children and minders came from Algeria, Tunisia and Sudan. They all stated they had only heard of the meetings on Monday 21 May, mere days before the meetings were due to begin. The Algerian child and minder only knew of the children's meeting and on arrival in Cairo knew nothing of the PAF itself.While many of the children had indeed emerged as delegates through some national process, the group of children at the Cairo meeting were often unrepresentative of children from their respective countries. The bias towards urban children and the elite was noticeable. One minder brought her own three children, in addition to the national children's delegates, and these were funded by UNICEF. The Egyptian delegates were drawn from good Cairo schools.  There was relatively little concern for the kind of issue that dominated discussions on the SSOC at the time of the Alliance Kathmandu Meeting on children's participation. As noted earlier the discussion there tended to focus on how participation in the New York meeting would contradict and perhaps even undermine the burgeoning activism of children [10-18 year olds] in for example Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Adults at this meeting who were involved with Children's Organisations [COs] felt that the most important kind of participation by children in the Special Session would be on a large scale in their own countries prior to, and at the time of, those meetings. This would have much more impact on decision-makers than two or three children going to New York. By contrast, for many adults the sole reason for childrens participation in any preparatory event appeared to be was to move up the UN conferencing ladder.Without other distractions, many of the adults passed the time lobbying the children and putting pressure on them to vote within their language groups for the positions of children's representatives at the PAFChildren were made to feel that they had to be elected to be one of the special delegates to present at the PAF, or be deemed to be a failure. However, some children did participate in events in their own country that did not include selection to a high level meeting abroad. For example, in Uganda, Save the Children and UNICEF launched "A World Fit for Children" by Ugandan school children, aged 9 years to 14 years, who came together in various venues for a day of  "drama, songs and speeches" that helped launched the booklet. Some of the young children were concerned that there was no attempt to reach out-of-school children:More children could have been invited especially from rural areas to create more awareness about children's rights.One boy was inspired by the occasion:Yes, the training helped me to be the master of the ceremony for the occasion the whole day.I saw other children participating fully without any fear.For me it was my first time to see children organising themselves with the help of some adults on a big meeting like that one of launching the World Fit for Children's booklet.  None of the children who participated and filled in the short questionnaire went on to any other SSoC meeting; and none of them expected to. But most of them expressed a hope that they would be able to continue participating in child rights activities.But most of the SSoC activities at a local or national level involved selection to a higher level of meeting, usually outside of the country and usually before very senior politicians.Lee Kirkham feels that children who attended the Nairobi NGO/CSO Eastern and Southern Africa regional meeting made a more coherent and representative contribution at the Preparatory Meeting in Cairo and in the Pan African Forum itself. The young participants from Lesotho, who went both to Nairobi and Cairo, corroborate this: participation by children and young people at the national or regional level definitely improved their participation at the Cairo event.The young people who participated in various evaluations of the Cairo children and young people's Preparatory Meeting and the Pan African Forum comment on the role of the First Ladies, particularly at the Preparatory Meeting. Security requirements relating to the First Ladies' official visit to the children's meeting cost the children and young people a precious half-day of work. Official Reports on the Pan African Forum also comment on the ambiguous implications of the phenomenon of "First Lady" engagement with children's issues.  Lee Kirkham concluded, that despite serious inadequacies in the process, children made an impact at the Pan African Forum My personal view was that the children's ultimate contribution was impressive but I was appalled by the process underlying it all..Personally, I would not involve children directly in international fora - it is tokenistic and unrepresentative. We need alternative ways to [enable them to] participate.[Save the Children needs to] Reflect long and hard on what we mean by children's participation and establish some clear standards to ensure that we have a meaningful concept to take forward. These standards needs to be shared and accepted by leading children's organisations before being promoted more widelyUNICEF's emphasis on the importance of the African Common Position: 'Africa Fit for Children'The UNICEF Report states that the major achievement of the Pan African Forum was the adoption of the African Common Position, 'Africa Fit for Children' This is a good and strong document. It was prepared jointly by the OAU and UNICEF, with inputs from a range of stakeholders. This participation is important and sets good precedent. The fact that the ACP has been endorsed by both governments and CSOs is very significant: it represents a collaborative approach that holds out much promise for the future.There are high expectations, within UNICEF in Africa, for the African Common Position:The ACP is also a commitment for Africa itself. The OAU will bring it to the Lusaka OAU Summit. Now, OAU has an instrument that will remain of value for a decade if not more. The ACP will acquire a life of its own. It can be used by stakeholders to call governments to account. In addition, the OAU is now committed to play a leading role in promoting the children's agenda in Africa, with a particular role in monitoring the performance of governments. The OAU will raise the issue of child rights periodically and will also become a forum for discussion itself. There is no endorsement, elsewhere in the Report, that children and young people should be active players in this monitoring process, or even in civil society, as they are in many other parts of the world. African CSOs, as referred to here, are adult CSOs. The collaborative approach appears to be among adults. However, children and young people see things differently, even in Africa. From all the responses to the questionnaires from around the world, not one young person thinks that children's participation should not happen. No one respondent feels that there should be no young participants at meetings where decisions are taken concerning them. This is also true for Africa. Every child who attended the Cairo Pan African Forum thought that they had a right to be there. A number of them even felt this right as children's representatives, rather than as individuals.Perhaps international conferencing is needed as a catalyst for the realisation of children's participation rights as expressed in Articles 12, 13 & 15 of the CRC. Even when best practice is not followed, and adults unwittingly make a mess of the arrangements or even try to undermine the process of children's engagement with the event, the young people usually manage to achieve an impact. The experience of participation in the PAF itself was characterised by constant changes to the programme, last minute demands for children's contributions to sessions not planned earlier, the grouping of children away from the main body of delegates, the lack of access to translation and microphone equipment, and the dominance of the First Ladies in the forum. National delegations continued to put pressure on the children to perform and chided those who had not succeeded in being elected to speak as representatives of the children. Despite all this, the children succeeded in delivering their input to the discussions in a co-ordinated and impressive way. Lack of adequate follow-up and continuing connectivity for conference participantsThe completed questionnaires received from children and young people show a positive attitude to follow up. The participants from Lesotho who attended either the Pan African Forum in Cairo or the Third Prepcom in New York indicated that they actively reported back to their informal networks in Lesotho, either in face-to-face meetings or in various broadcast media. They did not, however, keep in touch with their colleagues from other countries with whom they had participated in the international events. The reason, according to one girl was that she did not have access to email ".which was the easiest and fastest." Lehlohonolo contacted other children and adults "by telephone". One girl feels that children themselves should be responsible for follow-up: I think children must be given an opportunity to have skills on leadership. This I say in regard of having facilitators of tomorrow who in cases will encourage more children. In response to this, children have to be accountable and determined to turn everything they say into reality.However, from discussions with various adults and children in different countries an  ex-child combatant's accompanying adult  it seems that there has been no follow-up and nothing further was received. Although I do not have any substantial evidence, I would suspect that those children or young people who do not have access to a computer and the Internet have lost contact with their fellow participants, both adults and children. This would be in line with the disappointment felt in most other parts of the world - except by those who have access to electronic communication. I refer to this issue, with a recommendation, in Lessons to be Learned.  Of course, most poor children around the world do not have such access unless they are closely linked up with a Children's Organisation or an adult NGO or CSO.Asked at the end of the Pan African Forum what they were going to do with the information they had gained when they got back to their countries, most young people expressed great enthusiasm for spreading the news across Africa. They were going to tell their friends, compatriots and all the children in their countries all that was discussed and what was happening to children across the continent. The following are a few of the 24 comments that children and young people made in the evaluation immediately after the Pan African Forum:"I will try and implement it at school and at home and tell my friends about it and ask them to pass the information to their friends""Have a press conference and meet with children and young people to develop a programme of activities for a world fit for children""Share it with my institution (children's parliament) and identify activities to sensitise others""Immediately, I shall take it back to the children who I represent and to adults" But whether they managed to do this remains in doubt. Given the unsatisfactory process of their selection and preparation of many of the participants, it is clear that there is no enabling social or institutional context in which they could do all or any of the feedback they intended to do. Some may have tried; but they would have found the adult world that arranged their participation in Cairo preoccupied now. The adult context may now be overwhelming and disempowering. This is not the case, obviously, with some of the countries, where there is a strong enabling environment. Lesotho, of course; and some of the Francophone countries in West Africa. Follow up and continuity have emerged as a key issue that needs to be tackled in the future. This includes both technical issues around electronic communication and the social and institutional context in which children and young people can easily make links with other young people.The views of NGOs & CSOs within NigeriaSo far, the experiences of those adults and children who were actually involved in participating in the preparations for the SSoC have been the focus of concern. But what about those who should have known about SSoC but did not? In late March 2002 the issue of children's participation in the preparatory processes for the Special Session was raised by the Evaluator with a number CSO leaders and leading Nigerian NGOs whose focus is on children's rights and needs. There was some vague knowledge of the "SSOC" - almost entirely centred on attending a meeting and filling in a form as a part of UNICEF's "Say 'Yes' to Children" campaign. UNICEF maintains that there was considerable involvement of CSOs in the preparations for the Pan African Forum. However, in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, a number of key national CSOs and NGOs involved with children appear not to have been actively drawn into the process, even as adults. They had no idea what the Special Session was meant to achieve, especially for their young Nigerian beneficiaries in their projects. They did not know which children or young people, if any, would be part of the New York event in six weeks time. Even these Nigerian organisations find the concept of children being involved in civil society strange, especially children below 14 years old. However, they all thought that the idea was exciting: a logical next step in their work.Save the Children had only recently established an Office in Nigeria [Save the Children UK, in Kaduna, in the North] and was not in any position to work with UNICEF and other agencies to help achieve meaningful participation by children and young people at a national level. What was interesting was that there was a certain amount of puzzlement and regret that Nigerian civil society had largely remained ignorant of the significance of the SSOC process for Child Rights and children's participation, and that they had not played their rightful part, nationally, in the process.Part of the problem may be that there is no umbrella Nigerian NGO/CSO Child Rights coalition. The formation of such a coalition or apex organisation, without any outside prompting or intervention, is probably the next step in the development of adult civil society activism. It is ironical that the emergence of children's groups, club, organisations could indeed trigger this. This is certainly the evidence from Leostho.National Plans of Action: the need for new partnerships for children and young peopleFrom the September 2000 Kathmandu Meeting, Save the Children's commitment to participation in the Special Session was also a commitment to a continuing engagement of children and young people in their societies after the New York meeting. Initially, at the beginning of 2001, the focus for continuity in the process was the Global Movement for Children [GMfC]. Adults became increasingly aware, around the world, of more and more children participating in various ways in civil society. Since the Third Prepcom in July 2001, the National Plans of Action [NPAs] have been another focus of continuing participation by children after the Special Session.  Assuming that the Special Session has been a success for children and young people in terms of their participation in it, the question we need to ask is: What impact will it have subsequently around the world? The best indicator for determining the answer will be the way in which children and young people become involved in the accomplishment of the National Plan of Action in their country, or state, or province. Their involvement in turn depends on the development of an enabling environment in their countries for continuing participation. This enabling environment will be created by adults and children working together in NGOs, in civil society organisations and in community-based organisations. If it is left to the politicians and adults in the formal institutions of the state, poor and disadvantaged children will not be given an active and negotiating role with them.This indicates the importance of an active civil society within the country. Disadvantaged groups within communities need to be active right down to the grassroots. For children living in poverty or socially excluded their critical level of participation in the first instance is often the lowest level of the state's authority: for example, district councils or village development committees. However, participation at this level, at least within democracies, is necessary but insufficient to achieve lasting change. Children and young people need to make vertical as well as horizontal links within civil society.  Is African ready for children's participation in social change?Very few younger children have participated in the preparations for the Special Session in Africa. Those who have become most involved have been adolescents and older teenagers. UNICEF reported "most were in their teens"; but also raised the issue of the political aspirations of "youth", who were generally over 18 years old, and "children" who were under 18 years.Almost all the responses by the teenagers in this evaluation praised the teenagers collectively for their participation, for being able to speak out in front of adults and to be heard by the adult decision-makers. Most called for continuing and ever-widening participation of children in governmental processes in their countries. However, from the experience of training workshops done with young people in different countries, it seems that adolescents envisage extending participation to other teenagers, rather than to younger children, such as the 9 - 12 year olds, let alone to children younger than 9. The teenagers are as amazed as the adults when these 9-12 year olds become as vigorously outspoken and analytical as their older siblings. The latter may take a bit longer to develop confidence; and they need to work together in a different way that is more creative and imagistic than purely verbal. However, given the right kind of facilitation, their communication skills soon become as linguistically sophisticated as their older peers.Save the Children has found it necessary to be pro-active in encouraging adults to develop skills of facilitating the participation of younger children. Many adults in Africa who are active in civil society and prepared to embark on young people's participation in civil society, often think this only applies to teenagers - and to older teenagers especially. However, once they have acquired skills of facilitating the active and independent participation of much younger children, these same adults become excited by the possibilities for positive changes in the lives of all kinds of children, rich and poor alike. For instance, younger children all around the world speak out fearlessly against physical violence. This is just one of many ways in which the active participation of younger children gives support to Women's Movements in their respective countries. These younger children then receive support from their mothers acting collectively, following their children's increasingly articulate lead.From direct experience of children's increasing participation in civil society, alongside sympathetic adults, it seems possible that most countries in Africa are more than ready for children and young people to become more engaged in developing their present and future roles in those countries. From the responses of both adults and children to the latter's participation in the various preparatory events leading up to the Special Session, African young people have the right and deserve to be heard by adults who are taking decisions affecting their lives and have been making an important and useful contribution.In  2001 Africa was clearly behind the curve in terms of poor and disadvantaged children's active and independent participation in their societies. Countries in Latin America, in Europe, in North America, in South Asia and in East Asia already had children setting up their own organisations, starting to organise themselves collectively, and developing skills of representation. There were some isolated examples of this in Africa - most notably Lesotho - but on the whole, the active participation of children in the preparations for the UN General Assembly's Special Session was seen by most adults as an irritating and unnecessary "add-on". Children could go to these meetings, but adults would be there to tell them what to do.The process has been a shock to many adults, undoubtedly. However, many other adults have found the whole process very exciting and they have eagerly engaged with it. Many countries in Africa will find that children and young people's participation will reinvigorate adult civil society in a number of unexpected ways. Come the review in 2015 of progress made, it may well be that National Plans of Action have moved further and faster in a number of African countries than in many other parts of the world. East Asia and the PacificThis section of the evaluation is based upon some excellent documentation, as well as conversations [telephone, email and face-to-face] through which information and insights into children's participation in the SSoC process over the past 15 months was gathered. In fact, the process in the region itself is particularly well documented. Excellent independent evaluations have been conducted, for example in the Philippines and for the regional events; and this is perhaps the reason why so few responses were received from countries in this region to the U18 and Adult questionnaires. Everyone had said all they wanted to say, elsewhere.The following are the papers that have informed this report:Regional Papers:Action Paper: Children's / Youth Voices in the UN General Assembly Special Session Processes, as of 12 March 2001 [Regional Youth For a Coordinating Committee, 25/03/02]Children and Young People Forum 1, East Asia Pacific Region, For the MINCOM in Beijing, May 2001, Jomtien, April 22 - 26, 2001  [Save the Children, et al.]The Jomtien NGO Regional Forum: Developing the Future with Children: Presentation papers for the 5th East Asia and Pacific Ministerial Consultation, Beijing, China 14-16 May 2001East Asia Pacific Children and Young People's Regional Forum II: Developing the Future with Children, 23-26 July 2001, Vientiane, Lao PDR [Save the Children, et al.]Email from Jay Wisecarver, Re: Alliance SSOC Evaluation, 12 March 2002Promoting Children's Participation and Children's Civil Rights in Asia and the Pacific, [DRAFT] Joachim Theis, [Save the Children, Dec. 2001]Set of analytical slides from Joachim Theis on Child Rights and Children's Participation [Save the Children Sweden, April 2002]Vietnam:   --  no title --   [Internal documentation on plans for children & young people's participation in the SSOC (no title and no date)]The Philippines:Lessons on Child Participation in the Pre-UNSSOC Processes: The Philippine Experience;  Documentation Report: Validation and Enrichment Workshop on Survey Results and Creative Brainstorming on Packaging Final Output [c. Lakan/2001-2002]UNSSOC Documentation Workshop Report, December 15-16, 2001, [SC UK Carie T. Francisco, 31 Jan, 2002]In addition, I have made use of the following conversations:Discussion with John Parry-Williams on Kathmandu Meeting Sept.2000; and on a comparison between children and young people's participation in South Asia and East Asia Pacific. [7 April, 2002]  I propose to report under the following headings:Promoting Child rights: The International Save the Children Alliance Co-ordination Committee & co-operation with UNICEF and other agenciesChildren's Participation and Child Rights: theory and practiceGovernments and Civil Society in the RegionSelection, Preparation, Accompaniment and Follow-upThe Philippine Experience of the SSOCNPAs and children and young people's Participation post-the SSOCPromoting Child Rights: The International Save the Children Alliance Co-ordination Committee & co-operation with UNICEF and other agenciesIn East Asia and the Pacific, co-ordination of the process of enabling children and young people to participate in the Special Session by Save the Children proved to be very effective. This was done through a Regional Youth Fora Co-ordinating Committee, composed of -a youth who was participant in the children's panel at the 4th EAP Ministerial consultation, and representatives from the National Council for Child and Youth Development in Thailand, PLAN International, Save the Children, UNICEF and World Vision International.  Relatively early on there was a proposal for three Regional Youth Forums: in April 2001; in July 2001; after the Special Session, to review the whole process. The first preparatory Regional Youth Forum focused on young people's inputs into the 5th Ministerial Consultation on Shaping the Future Agenda for Children. The second preparatory Regional Youth Forum focused more directly on the inputs by children and young people into the Special Session itself. Comprehensive participation was proposed; however, it was envisaged that more countries would participate in the second Regional Youth Forum in Vientiane: The drive is to link existing work and networks and expand their discussions to include this once in 10 years opportunity to influence policy work at the national, regional and global levels.There was a very clear conference structure already in place, and these would shape the activities of the Regional Youth Forums:For regional children / youth voices to be heard here and globally, there are at least 2 important events in the Special Session Process: the 5th EAP Ministerial Consultation in Beijing and the Global Youth Participation in UNSSOC. As with most processes it is recognised that the earlier the input, the more likely it is to have a chance of affecting the process and outcomes.In a sense, this process of youth affecting governments' policies was already underway:In 1998 at the East Asia and Pacific (hence, EAP) 4th Ministerial Consultation, youth were provided [with] an opportunity to be heard for the first time - a panel of youth made a presentation which was prepared in a 3 day Youth Forum just prior to the event. The youth panel received a very positive response from the government delegations and had an impact on the final Declaration.There are comprehensive and useful Reports from the two meetings. The report from the second Forum identifies broad goals and a structure that reflects the process of children and young people's participation that was already underway:Children & Young People's Forum II: Broad Goals:Follow up on the ministerial consultation resultsPrepare messages for the Children and Young People of the region to the UNSSOC in SeptemberSelect delegates for the Special SessionPrepare suggestions on how to plan and organise the follow up after the Special Session.Children's ideas about why there needed to be a Second Forum were affirmed -and supplemented by a discussion of the forum's goals and expected outputs. Ultimately, this forum is part of a series and, tentatively, culminating on a Forum III after the UNSSOC.There were reports from other meetings; from the UNICEF SEAPRO's Children's Voices: Regional Child Survey (by Victor Karunan); from the 5th MINCON in Beijing. This was followed by the development of the children and young people's response to (1) the Beijing Declaration; and (2) the "unsettled issues" in the draft of the SSOC Outcome Document: A World Fit For Children.A box in the report, for example, comments on abortion:The issue of abortion was one of the more difficult issues for the participants to agree about. The children and young people's opinions varied, influenced by culture, tradition, values, as well as religion. The group decided that the issues related to abortion are indeed challenging. These issues need more time and more efforts to clarify them and they would need to be done in the future.This gives an insight into what might be described as the responsible atmosphere of the meeting. This is reinforced later in the meeting when the participants selected their representatives to go to the Special Session in New York. Neither the Korean representative nor one Thailand participants participated in the selection process since they were already included in their Government's delegations; and the Malaysian and Cambodian delegates also excluded themselves because they already reached their 18th birthday. After selecting those to go to New York, the participants looked forward to the Third Regional Young People's Forum. At the end of the meeting, the young participants gave a positive and enthusiastic evaluation."I felt very honoured to be with the delegates from other countries.""I loved making friends and learning about issues facing children in other countries.""I'm happy to hear from the experience of other participants in forums such as the MinCon.""I'm glad to learn some new languages and I'm so pleased that the adults here are very nice to us compared to the adults in our country.""It was exciting to learn new games.""I'm happy to learn new things from other countries that I could bring to my country.""I feel that my understanding of the CRC has deepened.""We're happy to see everyone act like a real family.""We thank our adult friends who have been very caring and helpful.""Life is very long so I'm sure we will meet again." These comments seem to reflect an appreciation of the immediate experience: personal growth, friendship and inclusion. Was there a deeper recognition, among the participants, of the regionally arranged participation process, closely co-ordinated by INGOs, UNICEF and governments? When considering the inclusion of children in MinCon, governments cooperated; they were not really part of the original plans for the event.  The para-statal, All China Womens Federation, did provide the support to the processes in China, as did the Committee for the Protection and Care of Children in Vietnam.  The East Asian and Pacific process clearly demonstrates best practice by adults in enabling children and young people to participate effectively in international conferencing involving highly placed policy makers.Children's Participation and Child Rights: theory and practiceThere has been a considerable amount of theorising about children's participation in the region. Adults and children have achieved substantial insights in the Philippines, for example, into the criteria for 'Best Practice' in children's participation. This is not just best practice in conferencing, but more generally in active and independent engagement by children and young people in civil society. This is discussed below in more detail.A country like Myanmar, on the other hand, has no tradition of children's and young people's participation at all. A Paper entitled "Responses to Questions for Reflections for Child-focused Agencies" that accompanied the completed questionnaires by children and young people in Myanmar comments that the concept of the child's right to participate, is "very new to the adults and children we work with." But we are just beginning to initiate this process, hoping that our strengths would grow in promoting children participation and if it becomes a real strength there may not be any limits to this growth.The Save the Children adults in Myanmar argue that it is necessary to work with the adult community. This echoes comments made repeatedly by Claire O'Kane in the South Asia context: parents, teachers, employers, officials, NGO leaders all need to become part of the enabling environment for supporting participation by children and young people in their own affairs. The paper describes in significant detail how selection of children from Myanmar was done for the Youth Forum 1 in Jomtien. It apologises for the imperfections in the process of selection, but argues for a useful pragmatism that says 'you have to start somewhere'. The experience of the children's participation in the forum highlighted that children can contribute their own ideas and views about the matters affecting them if given encouragement and opportunities. For children, the experience of participation is empowering and builds up their self-confidence and capacities. Regionally substantial work in analysing the inter-relationship of Child Rights and children's participation has been done by Jay Wisecarver and Joachim Theis - which John Parry-Williams has contributed to, from his experience of children's participation in civil society in South Asia. In the past these people have been together in the Save the Children's Alliance Regional Office in Bangkok. In addition, Victor Karunan, previously a driving force in this office and now in the Regional Office of UNICEF in Bangkok, has been very much involved in developing the theory into practice within the parameters of the SSOC preparations.In the draft of what may become a seminal paper, Joachim Theis first summarises what has happened vis--vis children's participation in East Asia. He then attempts a definition of child participation: This paper is primarily concerned with child participation as a way for children to take an active part in realising their own rights.  The CRC affirms children as rights holders.  The CRC is also the first human rights convention to grant children certain civil rights.  Child participation recognises children as rights holders, develops childrens competencies, defines childrens best interests, and demands accountability for childrens rights. Theis's definition of children's civil rights is important for his analysis:Childrens civil rights Right to access to informationRight to freedom of expressionRight to freedom of associationRight to freedom of thought, conscience and religion Education for personal fulfilment and responsible citizenshipPlay and participation in cultural and artistic lifeLinking children's participation to child rights as embodied in the CRC in such an explicit way is a significant feature of children's participation in this region. Adults in the Philippines who are activists in children's participation go even further:Children's participation in realising their rights should arise from their understanding of their own rights and their role in holding duty-bearers (government-signatories to the UN CRC, parents / caregivers, other adults) accountable for their responsibility. For SC-UK this means:Developing children's awareness of their rights, their capacity to analyse their situation and how their rights are being realised (or not realised), and to identify who are accountable / responsible for its realisation at the local, national and global levelDeveloping children's sense of their responsibility as rights-holders to push for the realisation of their rights as individuals and as a group at local, national and global levelAs one of the duty-bearers of children's rights, SC-UK is responsible to mobilise other duty bearers to realise children's rights at the local, national and global levels. These ideas have been further developed by Joachim Theis in a series of statements that conceptually develop the relationship between children's participation and the CRC and the concept of rights-holders and duty-bearers. It would be at least partly true to say that the child rights analysis has been extended to children's participation as a result of the activities of NGOs [including INGOs] and UNICEF in preparation for the Special Session. Rather than theory leading to practice, this was practice [of children and young people's participation] leading to theory. There is some criticism that there may be too much theorising in East Asia [by both UNICEF and Save the Children] around the importance of the CRC as the basis for children and young people's participation. It is suggested that the insistence on learning about their rights may inhibit children taking initiatives on their own, outside of a legal or theoretical framework, to engage with civil society. By contrast, in South Asia - in Nepal, Bangladesh and India especially - children's autonomy is considered important. There are many instances of children defining their rights - and, indeed, their responsibilities - differently from the commentaries and training packages on the CRC produced by Save the Children and UNICEF.In South Asia, as in Latin America, some NGOs and Children's Organisations even questioned Save the Children's co-ordinating role in securing children's participation in SSoC. Children's participation in civil society, and in international conferencing was already so advanced that it was felt that the local organisations would be able to manage their participation in the Special Session on their own and in their own way.  This is in marked contrast to the co-ordination of children's participation in the SSoC and the detailed structuring of the process by the Alliance in East Asia and the Pacific.Governments and Civil Society in the RegionSouth East Asia, East Asia and the Pacific is a very large and diverse region, in terms of geography, demography, economics and culture. It contains the biggest country in the world, demographically; and the second largest economy in the world, Japan. Children and young people's participation in Japan should perhaps be compared with the USA or the European Union rather than with the rest of the region. In terms of children's rights - and in terms of their participation in civil society to realise those rights - it may be important to note that regimes and their economic importance in the region vary enormously. There is still Communist Party rule in China, Vietnam, Lao PDR and North Korea. There is a non-democratic junta in Myanmar. The Asian "tiger economies" of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are still coping with the economic set-back of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. And there is a group of both large and very small countries that are struggling economically and politically, even though they have democratic governments more or less. A number of countries in the region, whether they be market-oriented or communist-ruled, have accepted their responsibilities for ensuring adequate service provision of health and education for all their populations, even though, for the time being, they may lack the funds to pay for them. Some of the countries in South East Asia do not, like countries in South Asia, actively encourage NGOs, civil society and the private sector to colonise the space that their successive governments have built into the system of education and health-care provision and social safety-nets. Thus, when governments at various levels are convinced by new initiatives to improve the services and service delivery in a cost-effective way, they tend to adopt them. Noticeable changes take place.It is interesting to note the issues that children raised at the Regional Children and Young People's Forums, particularly in response to the Beijing Declaration. Thus, under Education their collective response is:Improvement of school facilities specially in rural areasChild oriented teachers training and support to teachers to achieve thisChild rights oriented education systems and curriculum should be pursuedChildren want to learn about their rights and have fun as well.One might compare children and young people's prioritisation of what they see as their key issues in the different regions. What is interesting is why there are differences. On the whole, governments who ignore their poorest and most disadvantaged people, and drive their children further into suffering and poverty, will find young people generally reacting strongly to this sense of discrimination in their society. On the other hand, governments who evidently try to make a fairer redistribution of resources will find their young populations more concerned with other areas of discrimination and exploitation that governments can respond to. Experience has shown, in Asia, in Africa, and in Europe, that children recognise that rights for children are not contained in "wish-lists" but in a fairer sharing of the resources that are around. Both adolescents and pre-adolescents can and will pursue an ever more sophisticated analysis, given the tools to do so. They are keen to confront moral and ethical dilemmas. They are also able - it seems effortlessly - to extend this concept of fairer sharing from the community level, where it firsts finds expression, to national and regional levels. Finally, they extend their understanding of equity into their views on globalisation. There are a number of references to this in the various reports and completed questionnaires. Childrens response to the Beijing Declaration included the following:Inclusions of children and young people in debates on globalisation:Children do not want to be left out in discussions about globalisation. This involves reducing the bad impact of globalisation as well as clarifying the responsibilities of the rich nations and the roles of the poor countries.Selection, Preparation, Accompaniment and Follow-upJay Wisecarver who was closely involved in the co-ordination process provided detailed responses on the process in the region. He noted that selection:.depended upon the country.  In some countries, a national, participatory process was held.  In some countries, attempts were made at same, but it ended up with more of the normal than at-risk children and young people. In a few countries, children were selected by NGOs or NGOs and governments.At the regional level just over half of the young participants involved in the process were girls; exactly half at the international level (i.e. New York). Approximately 5% were under 15 at the regional level, which then rose to 15% at the international level. There was an urban bias at the regional level that rose to 70% at the international level. Very few children with disabilities participated at the regional level and it declined further in New York. On levels of participation by children and young people who might be disadvantaged in one way or another, Jay comments:Girls  some of the cultural overlays had some of the girls speaking out less than the boysDisability related  translation was from sign into local language into English and reverseNon-English/English speakers  English speakers tended to take over as the process sometimes moved quickly.  Slowing down was hard.Different nationalities  although partly personality-based, differences in politeness (taking turns, talking out, assertiveness) was hard to balance in sessions.The three key lessons that were learned: 1.  Participation takes time2.  Dont let the ideal be the enemy of the good (do it even if conditions are not perfect/ideal.) 3.  It IS worth it in impact, though it may take time to show resultsThe following need to be done differently in the future:Better (more focused) communication  the system took too long to establish itself.Make the effort truly a priority early.  The actual idea of the SSoC came about in UN in Dec 1999.  Im sure there were indicators prior to that, who was asleep at the wheel?Suggest starting to get ready for the Ministerial Consultations in 2004(?) now!!!!Dont let it die!!!!!  GMfC is the opportunity to take it forward, so must continue to support it.  Jay rates the impact on the children and on the adults as very significant, at all levels: local, national, regional and international. As far as governments were concerned, the response was positive -"..except [for] a bit of flak for not toeing the party line"; but the response of staff and parents was very encouraging. His comments about the Prepcom and the Beijing MINCON indicate a considerable success. The children and young people were included on the first day of the latter. The best achievements were:They were there!People listened	They were there and adults listened! The main obstacles were - "Formal procedures of the UN system.  The usual garbage with younger and older communications." With regards to the role of Save the Children [Alliance and individual agencies; TGP]:Information / Guidelines  ok, but a bit over the top at times.  Always late!Financial Resources- More, sooner.  If not more, then a clear commitment early in the process!The main obstacles- Money!!!  Time!!!  Needed longer time frame to do the planning and the work!To improve partnerships: More lead time for planning and prep.  Better idea of financial commitment earlier.What could Save the Children have done better?- More money, faster!!!!  Everyone knew the commitment was made by Feb 2000, but not much action and no real financial commitment until over a year later! Shorter evaluation questionnaires!How should SC maintain the momentum?- Keep supporting the process!  Get better at and stay committed to keeping CYP voices being heard in regional and international arenas!Support GMfC activity and help country programs see the links to on-going work.  Help them bridge the work  conceptually and in reality.The comment that we should not wait for the ideal conditions but just get on with enabling children to participate would seem to reassert the importance of creating space and opportunities for children and young people to engage with civil society. On the other hand, he indicates that the achievements of children and young people from EAP in the international events were the result of the money, the quality time and considerable effort invested to ensure that their participation was done properly. Only selective information is available concerning the national events that contributed to the larger process. Thailand and the Philippines have an active NGO and CSO sector that enables young people to participate in civil society. Malaysia, Indonesia and China held national events before April. Vietnam held a national event in August, In September, Myanmar held a Global Movement for Children Fair. Completed questionnaires were received from China, Cambodia and Myanmar. In Cambodia, the young woman [aged 20 from CAMP: Child Assistance for Mobilisation and Participation] has been involved in campaigning with and for children in Cambodia. Adults, she says, should "also keep the idea that young people develop themselves very quick wh[en] they are given opportunities." The 18 year old Cambodian boy attended the Regional Youth Forum I in Jomtien and responded positively and significantly to the experience. In response to the question on follow-up, he relied:Follow up for me is very crucial activities because I want to know that the commitment of the delegations is true or not.The issue of follow up is raised much more significantly in the Philippines and is discussed below.Follow-up was done well in Myanmar:The children have shared their experiences with different groups of children after their return, including children at the institutions, at their schools, and for the volunteers, children they are working with. A panel discussion for the participants was arranged at a volunteer get-together after a children's fair was organised in Yangon by SC UK, UNICEF and other NGOs to coincide with the Special Session to be held in September 2001. The discussion stimulated a lot of interest from the volunteers and the others who made various kinds of contribution to the fair.The young people, however, were all anxious to extend the process of children and young people's participation in decision-making to many more children. This unequivocally extends into a concern that adults take children and young people seriously and act on children and young people's concerns and strategies for change: Governments, UN and NGOs should ask children for their ideas, views and suggestions, take children seriously and listen to them in carrying out the activities in the agenda.Another boy from Myanmar echoes this:Adults should ensure children and young people's participation at school or organise children to encourage their participation.To make children's future better, adults should not just do everything themselves but involve children and promote their right to have a say, make decisions and act. What is most needed right now is not SPEAKING "I respect the rights of children" but really FEELING and BELIEVING from the heart that "I will do whatever it takes to ensure that voices of children is heard in the society". Participation of Children is very much in its early stages to what we most need is to make the public aware of what child's rights are and what CRC is. Also, there should be more children members in such organisations like Save the Children.The young person was obviously deeply disappointed that Save the Children was not able to be more help in getting him to Beijing and subsequently to the Youth Forum 2 Meeting in Vientiane, because he comments on it twice in his questionnaire. Whatever the reasons were for his disappointment, he seems to rise above it in all his other responses. He has a very clear view of what the process of children and young people's participation is about. In response to the question about the ways in which children and young people can be involved in taking forward the agenda from the Special Session, and holding their government to commitments made he writes:Children know about their problems and their dreams better than anyone. So if only children themselves can participate fully in children's affairs, those commitments made on paper shall become a reality in practical life.Because he has some ability in English, the young person is able to remain in touch with the adults and young people he interacted with through mail, email and telephone. The other two respondents felt severely disadvantaged by needing everything translated into Burmese, including the child-friendly version of A World Fit for Children. This was a problem for more than a few participants.  The Indonesians especially as Bahasa takes significantly longer to translate.  The young person, however, was able to engage much more directly in exchanges with other regional participants in Jomtien:During the meeting, I learned from other participants many things that I had never learned before. Actually, this kind of knowledge opened my eyes and ears. My view on life improved a lot after the meeting, I believe.A young girl from China was able to attend the National Forum in Beijing, the two Regional children and young people's Forums, the 5th MINCON and the Third Prepcom in New York. The best thing about these events for her were:The new friends (both young people and adults) I met, the new thoughts in my head and the new way of dealing things.Around the world most of the young respondents to the questionnaire rate new friends and new learning very high. The young girl makes a critical comment concerning the child friendly version of the Outcome Document: she observed that native English speakers thought that it did not reflect the official one properly and they preferred to read the original one, even though it was more difficult and boring. She also feels that all children and young people participants should have an opportunity to speak out in front of the other children and that the facilitators should ensure this. The Philippine Experience of the SSOC The Philippines made a considerable impact on children's participation not only at a countrywide level, but also regionally, in East Asia and the Pacific. It has been usefully documented through a specially constructed project: Lessons on Child Participation in the Pre-UNSSOC Processes: The Philippine Experience. This has resulted in a 40-page Documentation Report. This report was the outcome of a Validation and Enrichment Workshop on the research survey that was undertaken within the project. There is a comment on the genesis of this workshop in the internal short report on it by Carie T. Francisco:A second regional Children and Young People's Forum took place in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The selection of the representative for this meeting no longer involved the children-delegates from the National Forum. Instead, the NGO co-ordinating committee decided to provide opportunities for other children to participate in this meeting. I got in contact with the organisations where the nominees identified were affiliated to assess their availability and whether they had birth certificates to start the processing of travel documents. As a result, only one young person could attend the second regional Children and Young People's Forum.Even then SC-UK in the Philippines was critical of how this preparation process was organised and managed at different levels (international, regional, national). SC-UK felt it is very important to assess this experience of participation with the children  for three reasons:That the children can gain insight on their participation in this processThat the children can share these insights and the results of their participation in this process with the children who participated at the preparatory discussions and other children they work withThat the children can assess how SC-UK and other agencies facilitated their participation in various meetings and conferences at the national and international levelThe research survey and brainstorming workshop has produced a set of Guidelines for Best Practice in children and young people's participation in conferences. The TGP probably needs to review this Report [when it is published in its final packaged form] to see if there are areas covered here that have not been covered in the TGP's own set of Guidelines for Best Practice.For instance, there is concern in the Documentation over the lack of continuity of links and follow-up on the resolutions. There seems to me to be two separate issues here. One is that many of the young participants want to keep up with the new friends and contacts they have made at the conference. They have said, whenever given the opportunity, that they have really appreciated meeting children from other places, whether within their own country or from other places in their Region, or internationally. They have usually added that they have not managed to keep in touch. The other issue is that there is very little follow-up to the meeting, either at the level of simply officially reporting on the meeting, or on the more significant level of what was or was not done subsequently in line with the resolutions adopted. The Philippines report has a list of what should be done to change this:In some conferences, action plans were formulated but remained mostly in paper. Not much concrete action is actually done. One reason is lack of monitoring. A monitoring and evaluation team should always be formed to follow-up and see to it that action plans are truly implemented. Children can be monitors themselves provided tools and capacities are developed.Sometimes after the conference children do not hear anymore from fellow delegates on what they have been doing about the plans. Feedback mechanisms should be in place to keep people informed and updated of what is being done or not being done in different areas related to the resolutions.In the conference, dates should be set for planning the implementation of resolutions. A clear time frame from initiation until completion of actions should be a vital component of the resolutions.The above problems seem very valid, although experience of any number of adult NGO conferences suggests that there is a lack of follow-up by adults too, whatever checks and mechanisms are put in place at the meeting to ensure follow-up when the participants get back home. Some of the other recommendations, such as setting up income generation projects to fund the follow-up process, probably need some further consideration.Nevertheless, one of the findings from this evaluation is that there has been very little ordered follow-up, certainly at regional level. Even young participants who may have been on a report distribution list either did not receive the report of the meeting they had attended; or, if they did, they were unable to deal with it because it was linguistically inaccessible to them. This would argue for a very wide circulation eventually of the child friendly version of A World Fit for Children. The responses of children and young people who attended the Third Prepcom showed that they had received this document and really appreciated it. [Quite often, they received it from their minder in New York - distribution may be a task for minders, back in their own country.]The children and young people who do keep in touch and who do become involved in follow-up are those who have access to email and the internet. There is a comment by Carie Francisco in her short report on the meeting that should be wholeheartedly endorsed:I think the mother of Abigail Fabrigas expressed an important point during the meeting. She said that the children have never sat down together and assessed their experiences in the various meetings they attended. I think this process should always be included in our activities with children, with appropriate time and budget allocation for it.This experience was encountered in Lesotho during the Legal Reform Round Table in which 9 children and young people participated. No provision had been made for them to - as Carie Francisco puts it - sit down together and assess their experience of the conference. They really wanted to. Arrangements were made immediately so they could. And they did. It was really important to them.NPAs & children and young people's Participation post-the Special SessionJay Wisecarver comments that Save the Children [and presumably other INGO partners and UNICEF, as well] should continue to prioritise and resource adequately children and young people's participation in events after the Special Session. The eventual focus of this participation, at a formal institutional level, is likely to be around the development of National Plans of Action and Objective 4 of the Alliance's Global Workplan. Jay talks of starting to preparing now for the 6th MINCON in 2004. Perhaps NPAs for the countries in the Region, and scrutiny of government track record against objectives set out in the NPA, might be what NGOs, CSOs and children and young people will bring to that MINCON. Two points need to be made in relation to this in East Asia and the Pacific Region: the importance of children's own initiatives; and the importance of adequate child protection policies, once their own initiatives are taken seriously by adults.The first concerns the initiatives of children and young people with regard to their active and representative engagement with issues affecting children and young people in their country. There needs to be an enabling environment for the impetus that the SSoC has given to children's participation in conferencing - and to child rights more broadly - to be translated to less glamorous continuities within their home communities. Without such an enabling environment, children's participation will forever be dependent on the initiatives being taken by sympathetic adults with appropriate skills in facilitation. Such adults are not usually in senior management positions and so their initiatives may struggle over the things Jay calls for over and over again - advance preparations; planning; lead-in time, "Time!! Money!!!" - the sorts of things that managers control. An enabling environment means that these senior managers need to prioritise their support for children's participation in practical rather than theoretical ways. If children or young people come up with ideas and suggestions, management needs to be able to let them run with it, and empower adult field workers to support their efforts where and when the young people want that support. This sort of enabling environment is beginning to exist in countries in other regions. The Alliance, via the TGP and, possibly the Programme Forum, might facilitate senior managers from different regions getting together to consider how they might be able to contribute, through their programmes in countries, to create such an enabling environment. The purpose would be to better enable children and young people to participate independently in civil society. Some of this is beginning to happen already. For example, in SC-UK there is a fledgling exchange, initiated by Regional Directors for West and Southern African Programmes to actively learn from the four UK Programmes how children and young people of all ages can be drawn into decision-making processes in a self-sustaining way.  The complementary issue to creating an enabling environment is the need for adequate child protection policies to be in place. These are not just to protect children from the abuse by adults who know that they are doing wrong. It also includes taking cognisance of the political dangers children and young people may face when they effectively work together to achieve social change. Adults who support their participation will also need to support their duly representative views, especially when these contradict powerful vested interests.  John Parry-Williams, Social Welfare Adviser in the Regional Office of SC UK in East Asia and the Pacific, says that children increasingly need to be supported as children's participation develops. "Adults commit atrocities and will continue to do so." He queries whether adults who support children's participation in civil society, to claim their rights when these are vigorously denied them, really understand where this might lead. He cites the example of the girl who insisted on the end to all sexual exploitation of children and who was supported by adults to maintain this position. The payoff to adults who control the sexual exploitation of children is enormous and their economic and political power has an immense reach, sometimes to the apex of government. Can children be fully aware of this? Will adults who supported this girl's position still support her when children's actions lead to the indictment of the political and economic elite of those adults' country?As was noted above, governments in South-East Asia and East Asia are, in a majority of cases, strong central governments of large polities. Some are not prepared to allow effective civil society institutions to emerge to challenge their grip on power. Children's activism will need to be predicated on these political realities. The SSoC in East Asia and the Pacific clearly demonstrated a comprehensive level of children's input into government policy that seemed to work.  Perhaps, for the time being, children's and young people's participation in this region will be predicated upon efficiently co-ordinated adult agency initiatives - though there will be exceptional countries, like the Philippines, where children will have an independently active role in shaping their society.South Asia The following documents and reports inform the evaluation in this section:RegionalChildren and Young People's Participation in the 2001 Special Session on Children: Report on the Meeting on the Role of The International Save the Children Alliance, Kathmandu, 11-13 Sept, 2000Change Makers for South Asia, [Report by Angela Penrose]Change Makers for South Asia: Building New Partnerships: Report on the Regional Consultation with Children and Young People, Corporate Leaders and Governments of South Asia, Kathmandu 19-24 May 2001 [Save the Children, compiled by Ranjan Poudyal and Samina Sardar]BangladeshReview of In-Country Processes Related to Special Session: Key Issues and Learnings [Save the Children Alliance Bangladesh, November 2001]IndiaGlobal Movement for Children: A journey towards participation of children in planning, monitoring and evaluation: Consultations with Children and Young People on National Plans of Action, March 2002, Andhra Pradesh, India [SC UK, Mahita, IGSSS]Nepal A Summary Report: National Children's Fair, 10-11September 2001, Kathmandu, Nepal [no author, no date]Consultation with Children on National Plan of Action (Nepal), [SC UK, no date, compiled by Anil Raguvanchi]Sri LankaThe Sri Lankan Children's Challenge: Report  [Save the Children]The Sri Lankan Children's Challenge!! Summary of Findings [Save the Children]The First Sri Lankan Children's Parliament [Short Report, Save the Children]PakistanPakistans Most Vulnerable Children Speak to the UN Special Session [Save the Children]Structure of this Section:Comment on Children's Participation in South AsiaIndiaBangladeshSri LankaNepalChange Makers & the Regional ConsultationsSouth Asian Participation in the New York PrepcomsComment on Children's Participation in South AsiaThe approach of adults in South Asia to children's participation in the SSOC preparations was different to the approaches adopted in Africa and East Asia / Pacific. Many of the South Asian countries - particularly India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh - already had active children's organisations, set up and run by young people. Within the last 3 or 4 years, a number of adult NGOs and civil society organisations, like CWC in Bangalore and Butterflies in New Delhi, found that the young beneficiaries of their projects were keen to be active and independent participants in civil society. These NGOs encouraged this initiative and helped young people develop it further.  Childrens groupings have impacted on themselves and their environment in a wide variety of ways. See Box for details:Examples of Impact by children's groupsmonitoring and implementing changes within an NGO (the Childrens Parliament and the NGO - Social Work & Research Centre (SWRC), Tilonia, Rajasthan, India). working with their peers on issues of concern e.g. HIV/AIDS (Childrens Forums, Bhutanese Refugee Camps, Jhapa, Nepal).savings clubs and cultural activities (Thar desert childrens organizations, Pakistan). obtaining safe spaces for girls and reducing discrimination, including girls empowerment (in Nepal and by transforming survivors into a network of activists (in Bangladesh).monitoring social issues and childrens rights at the refugee camps in the Afghan refugee camps in Kotkai, Pakistan.Children's Committee for Village Development (CCVD), Ladhak where children form groups at village level with the aim to reduce the children's vulnerability in their community, giving them strength through organisation, action and increased knowledge. with regard to childrens recreation but also leadership, financial and landmine courses and  Theatre for Development activities and setting up of  libraries (Childrens Clubs, 1000 in Nepal & Jaffna, Sri Lanka),some have come together to do research as in Dhaka with street children and children who have experienced jail sentences (Dhaka, Bangladesh).It coincided with a number of separate initiatives, by agencies like Save the Children, to enable their staff and their Partners' staff to work better with children. SC UK, for example, held workshops in India on Child Rights Programming; and then followed this with a training of both adults and young people as facilitators in an Alliance 'Children, Citizenship and Governance' project. It complemented training programmes for both the staff and the young beneficiaries in programme activities. Some of these encouraged a new kind of Child Rights Theatre for Development [TfD] that enabled children to develop their own collective analysis and strategies for change through realising their own creativity. Others worked with children and young people in using digital video for documenting their lives and the issues they are faced with and using these for advocacy to change the situation for the better. By 2000 there was a flowering of children's engagement with civil society in Sri Lanka, parts of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan: local and national campaigns, working children's trades unions, children's committees for village development, children's clubs, street children's associations. Local NGOs sponsored many of these; but various Save the Children programmes in South Asia also were active as funders, trainers, and innovators.  When the Programme Forum of the Alliance proposed that Save the Children would spearhead children's participation in SSoC, many of the adults were dismayed. They did not want to switch their limited training resources from existing country activities that already involved children in civil society to enabling children's involvement in the preparations for a high profile international meeting. In the end, children did participate in a preparatory Regional South Asia event. Children and young people from South Asia did go to New York, for the Third Prepcom, and were prepared for the September 2001 Special Session. However, there were a large number of very successful in-country initiatives that greatly extended the impact of the preparations for the Special Session. These initiatives have significantly led into the post-Special Session involvement of children in NPAs. When the Special Session was cancelled in September, there was a sense of disappointment, of course. But the particular character of the involvement of children and young people in the preparations within their countries meant that they were much more focussed on the next big steps in their engagement in their societies. Claire O'Kane, Childrens Citizenship and Governance Coordinator, had the opportunity to provide an interesting perspective on her experience of children and young peoples participation in the whole SSOC preparatory process. Over the period of 20 months she has participated in Special Session processes in different roles at a local level with a grassroots NGO in India, at a national level in Bangladesh, and at a regional level in the Change Makers Project with Save the Children. She was also a facilitator in New York at the workshop for Young Participants before the Second Prepcom. Children and young peoples participation is a very difficult thing to rate, as such ratings are very subjective according to ones own experience, expectations and indicators for success.  Thus, the qualitative descriptions for average, or high or lower ratings may be more relevant than the ratings.  Some of the comments shared by Claire included recognition of the developments made by a core group of children in Bangladesh:A core group of children (many from marginalized backgrounds) were part of an on-going process from February 2001 until now.  This group [is] also very clear about how they would like their active participation to continue in the future.At the local level she rates children and young people's participation as average  [3, on a 5-point scale]:Children are very capable, but the adults do not always create enough opportunities to share information with children on the SSOC and to enable their active participation in the process.At the national level, India is rated as average, and Bangladesh is rated higher:. A core group of children (many from marginalised backgrounds) were part of an ongoing process from Feb. 2001 until now. This group [is] also very clear about how they would like their active participation to continue in the future.The regional level is also rated at only average:Children's participation in the regional Change Makers event was excellent and fascinating. However, the follow-up in each country should have been much more systematic.Participation at the international level is above average, and, in the pre-Prepcom Workshop "excellent". However, she felt that adults should have "..enabled the participation of more younger children and more children with disabilities."  She also felt that the TGP was not always "responsive enough to country processes". Claire lists the three most positive aspects of children and young people's participation for each of the four levels. The first of the three most positive aspects at the national level is:Children interacting and learning from other children from other organisations in different geographic and social contexts.At the regional level she prioritised the gains as follows:More awareness of children's capabilities as competent social actors by UNICEF, corporate leaders, government officials and media. UNICEF recognised the benefits of taking children's participation seriously.Adults' mind-set was challenged and the potential of including children's voices in policy matters was recognised.Excellent coverage by very active child journalists.At the international level she adds: "A wide range of processes which further children's participation at local, national, regional and international levels were mobilised." The reasons for these positive achievements were good facilitation, child-friendly tools, workshop opportunities for children from existing child-led organisations, collaboration among the agencies. At the international level, these achievements were:Effective and efficient TGP; commitment to good facilitation; opportunities for pre-Prepcom workshop to enable children and young people to get to know each other, share experiences and priorities, building upon work/processes at local, national regional levels.The impact of their involvement in the SSoC process on children and young people was significant. Claire's explanation is worth quoting in full:Through their involvement in the SS processes many children gained increased knowledge about CRC, policies affecting them and mechanisms for influencing decision-making and policy making processes. Children also gained new skills in dealing with and influencing the media. Children's confidence and self-esteem increased as a result of the positive role they were playing in the SS processes. Many children made new and strong friendships among their peer group, and for many their positive role was recognised by adults in their lives. Children's communication, analysis, planning, negotiation, inter-personal skills developed as a result of their involvement. Furthermore, the children were encouraged to reflect on issues of discrimination and to be inclusive in their processes. Many children commented on the positive impact of working in equal ways with girls and boys, children from different backgrounds and children with disabilities.There is an important comment on the work of Save the Children: In future, Save the Children should enable much more collaboration and involvement of the NGO partners, so that the NGOs are more able to integrate children's participation in Special Session processes as part of their on-going work.   Furthermore, SC should build the capacity of local partners to be effective facilitators of children's participation.Important for the TGP are her final comments on the future of Save the Children's work on children and young people's participation:Continue to have a task group on participation at an international level who can enable:information sharing among regions and countriesadvocate for and maximise opportunities for children and young people's participation/representation in other policy initiativesadvocate for and continue support the development of practical guidelines and toolsadvocate for more direct access between international decision-makers and children's organisationsfurther opportunities for exchanges, information and experience sharing among child-led organisations to strengthen the development of a child-led children's movement.This section now focuses on what was accomplished in three countries in the region: India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and then comments on the Change Makers Project, which was undertaken in a successful collaboration with UNICEF's South Asia Regional Office. IndiaIndia has an active and effective civil society movement. One aspect of this is a very large NGO sector, many of whom work with children or are linked up to children's own organisations. Some of the Indian NGOs - and Children's Organisations themselves - have 'Best Practice Guidelines' for children's participation. In the initial stages of the preparations for the SSOC some of these NGOs felt that there was little need for the International Save the Children Alliance to act as a co-ordinator for children's participation in the Special Session. Some worried that UNICEF would appoint an INGO like Save the Children as a 'gate-keeper' on the selection of children's participants for the various preparatory events. The issue was not about wanting to be in on "going to New York" but rather on the best representation of Indian's 400 million children by a very few Indian children. In fact, Indian organisations arranged for Indian children's participation. Save the Children, was pleased that this was the case and pleased to assist in co-ordinating this process.Before this process fully got underway, Save the Children UK in India was involved in children's participation in the SSoC preparations nationally, most significantly in the early stages towards the end of 2000, in the Government's End-of-Decade Report on children. Together with UNICEF India, they arranged for a wide process of consultation around the End-of-Decade Review. This is written up in a report of that exercise.It became clear in this exercise that for children to participate actively and independently in civil society, post-SSoC, there needs to be a strong enabling environment. This was clear from the engagement by NGOs and CSOs in the first and second Country Reports to the CRC Committee in Geneva, as well as with the specific involvement of children directly with [reluctant] government officials.The Global Movement for Children consultations have demonstrated that given a right kind of enabling environment, children are able to deliberate, plan and recommend strategies and interventions for realising child rights.This quote comes from the report on the consultations with children and young people on the National Plans of Action for Andhra Pradesh and for Orissa. Children and young people facilitated these consultations in March 2002. The follow-up to the Special Session - even before it has happened - has been one area of children's participation in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa that Save the Children UK has felt to play a role both in initiating and co-ordinating participation in impacting on government policy in genuinely independent ways.  The adjacent States of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa in India have a combined population of approximately 100 million.  Although India has a Union Government, both the effective and affective political and economic processes are focused at state level. Much of the exciting information in this succinct and informative report concern childrens understanding of what children can and cannot do. For example, in the section recording children's responses to the question "What type of assistance could non-governmental organisations and civil society provide young people?" the children said:".. They [NGOs/CBOs/adults] should also be trained on creating an enabling environment..""The NGOs need to organise the children into balapanchayats [children's village-level governance body].."".[provide] the relevant information including the enactments in a child friendly language.""NGOs should lobby with the Government for child participation from the Programme; school level; local governance to the national planning level.They should lobby for legal provisions for making child participation at all these levels."And then, significantly:"They [NGOs] should also conduct consultations for the NPA on similar lines to the GMfC and SSOC reporting, in the initial stages, until children's organisations come up and establish horizontal and vertical linkages." There are similar thoughtful responses to a whole range of questions concerning their views on participating with government. They make one response to the question: "What can young people do if their governments are uninterested in working with young people?""The children are powerless to influence the government to work with young people. Gradually children are being organised (which is very small) and these organisations would be building pressure on the government to realize their rights. They need support from other organisations besides Save the Children to bring visibility to Child as citizen of the country." And a coherent single response to the question: "How can older among the young people involve the voices and actions of younger children under 12 years in their activities?" "Facilitating organisations of children (in which under 12 children are also given membership) from village level and with horizontal and vertical linkages would help in the older children to understand their issues and facilitate the voices of the under 12. Franchise rights to children will also help in making them spokesperson in local administrative and governance institutions." For the adults who initiated this consultation process they express the expected outcome as follows:The consultations would facilitate the emergence of a set of guidelines with clear and detailed steps and suggestions on the practical ways to involve children and young people in the development of National Plans of Action. The obstacles are as perceived by the children; the steps and measures are recommendations made by the children themselves. These [guidelines] would influence governments to create an enabling atmosphere for the children to participate actively in the National Plans of Action.A two-day training workshop for the young facilitators for the proposed Consultations preceded the three days of the consultations. 38 children [16 boys and 22 girls] were involved. The adults helped the young facilitators with ideas and then were present during the consultations, to act as rapporteurs in the various groups.The group was a fair mix of children who are new to consultations and those who have already participated in consultations of the SSOC reporting process, 10th Plan of the five year plan, Global movement for Children, Project Design and Planning, Local Governance meetings, etc.The groups convened around (1) Programming, (2) School, (3) Family and (4) Community. The children had few illusions about how difficult it would be to impact on the school, the community and the family. However, they felt that once adults saw them formally discussing problems and proposing strategies for dealing with these, adults would recognise the capabilities of children and would then facilitate their participation in the family and the community. To achieve this they advocated the creation of child forums, leading to balapanchayats and on up to representation at Mandel and District levels. This follows a model that is working for children in other States in India.A number of children who attended these consultations filled in the short version of the U18 Questionnaire for this evaluation. 31 questionnaires were returned fromAndra Pradesh and Orissa: 19 from girls and 12 from boys. Their ages ranged from 10 years old to 17 years old, though most who completed the forms were 12-13 year-olds. Some paired responses were almost identical. They were from children who had come from the same place or sent by the same organisation. It is clear from reading all the responses that the children were responding in the way they wanted to respond to the questions. These were not responses that were in any way dictated by adults. Some were involved in the Young Lives Project [YLP] and some were involved in the Global Movement for Children [GMfC]. One respondent indicated that he had come via Plan International; and in fact the photo on the cover of the Report for the GMfC Consultations shows a banner which cites Plan International as one of the co-sponsors of the event. 15 children attended one meeting; 16 attended a second meeting as well. It is obvious that all the children were very pleased to have been drawn into a participatory process alongside other children and young people from other places. All wanted the meetings to continue. As with almost all the comments by children and young people on their participation, these children assumed that it was unquestionably their right to comment collectively on decisions being taken by adults that affected them and have their shared views heard. Many wanted them to be regular; some wanted them to be more frequent; and one thought it would be improved if it was "for one week".All respondents associated with the process of their meetings and participation with the learning of important new things:We would like to meet regularly to know about new things..More number of children should invite. We want more programmes.All the respondents replied positively that they felt supported by the adults present and gave credible reasons why: "Because of the support they gave I was able to speak more selectively" [girl, 13 years old]  "We need adults co-operation" [boy, 13 years old] "They have given us space to discuss about our problems and issues and drawn out my opinions. Before this they have explained about the program and its objectives" [girl, 11 years old]. However, one child, in answer to the question: "What could have been improved?", replied: "Next time only child facilitator could be best" [girl, 11 years old]. She also said that the best thing was "Discussion with children"; and she said that she had participated in a follow-up: "I am sharing ideas to other child[ren]".Initially, it seemed from the responses that there had been little training or preparation for the meeting[s] they attended because a large majority answered "No" the question asking them if they had been prepared for the meeting. None gave any reason; and I thought they perhaps that this question had been interpreted to mean "Have you been told what to say and do?" However, one child gave a reason for her negative answer to this question:There was no specific training but Child Rights and Issues were part of regular discussions at Bala Balika Kendra.This girl was also insistent about the necessity of children actively participating at all levels of government and in schools.Like the responses of children from around the world, in all sorts of evaluations, these children very much like the games, the drawing and the "role plays" and a significant minority said that this was the best thing about the event. The other commonality with children in other parts of the world is that a majority valued the companionship with the other children from other places. This was especially so among the girls who responded. It was pleasing to get a large response from much younger children, and particularly from those whose participation was only within their countries. BangladeshWhen the Special Session in New York was postponed after the tragic events there on September 11th the Alliance in Bangladesh wanted to "..maintain the momentum relating to the Special Session and beyond, and more broadly the Global Movement for Children".The authors of the Bangladesh review report give a number of reasons why a thought that they review was a good idea:We will be better able to develop and apply more effective communication tools to work with childrenWe can be responsive to childrens views and vision for the best way forwards, thus furthering their participation in decision-making processes on issues which affect them They appointed a facilitator/reviewer:The facilitator/reviewer interviewed all the Save the Children Alliance heads (except Regional Representative of SC Denmark) and key staff members from the country offices (except Save the Children USA), including core Alliance facilitators. A consultation workshop for children who had been actively involved in the process was also organized for 9th November Friday (a non-school day). 33 children and young people including 17 girls and 16 boys from 11 different NGOs took part in this workshop. The group included 5 children with disabilities. [page 3]The International Save the Children Alliance Bangladesh's vision includes the following:A wider forum of mainstream development organizations and democratic FORUM or NETWORK of and by children has to be formed to maintain and build upon the momentum. Other mechanisms to influence the State level policies also need to be explored. Participation of children in the national policy development should also be ensured.								[page 5]To achieve this, there has to be a "commitment to process" as well as an "integration into programming". It depends on a "level of support and encouragement from HQ as well as clarity of the corporate position of each Save Children organisation." There is clearly an added Alliance dimension in Bangladesh to developing children's participation in civil society with partner agencies. The deep concern is for Alliance policy at the corporate level to be more co-ordinated, before an appropriate enabling environment for children's participation in NPAs and the Global Movement for Children can be put in place, together with local NGOs, CSOs and children themselves. There are 5 Save the Children with offices and programmes in Bangladesh. Obviously, policy issues that can be 'fudged' at the global level are in the open, and starkly insistent, when working with children at the country level.Another problem in creating the enabling environment for children's participation in civil society concerns the demands made by Save the Children corporately for children to participate in regional and international events:Global and regional push to send child delegates to regional and international events (Change Makers in Nepal and the Special Session in NY) went against and interrupted the Alliances earlier planning to focus more on in-country processes that could feed into the regional and international events, without sending children there. 									[page 6]It is not only the competing interests on adults' and children's time that is a problem: Sometimes haphazard and predominantly one-way exchange of information from global as well as regional level to national without proper and timely feedback or interest did not help the situation either.								[page 6] Significantly, the decision was taken by the Alliance in Bangladesh not to send children to New York, but rather to concentrate on participatory work within Bangladesh:In the end, Alliance in Bangladesh, together with the children, decided not to attend the Special Session, but rather have in-country consultation, shadow sessions etc. to feed into the childrens meeting prior to the Special Session and into the Special Session itself.								[page 6]There was yet a further area of concern. The Alliance in Bangladesh had established a core group of children to move forward on how children generally may best be consulted on adult policies that affect their lives:On the other hand there has been concern over varied levels of information sharing by core children to other children  with varied levels of support and encouragement from their organizations, concern raised on role of adult facilitators  balance of when to/not to intervene. A sense of dissatisfaction was noticed over the donor driven childrens participation and on the negotiating role between alliance management and childrens group.								[page 9]The review summarises the views of the children in the core group. Given that the government is not really sympathetic to children's active involvement at any level, what was important was for children to continue with a process that had created opportunities for them to exchange their views and experiences amongst other children's groups within national, regional and international arena, amongst the wider community and, to some extent, with the Government officials." [page 10]. The children supported the facilitating role of the Alliance and "strongly maintained" that it should continue. They liked the idea of a Children's Forum, as well as the creation of a national level Children's Network that would monitor the implementation of all that the Government had agreed to do.With regards to the Global Movement for Children, the Alliance in Bangladesh feels that the GMfC needs to be "grounded in in-country programmes", in order to be sustainable and effective in promoting accountability of governments and mobilizing civil society. The Alliance members need to support - and create - an enabling environment to generate this movement in Bangladesh. This involves providing reader-friendly materials on child rights to share with business people, employers, community leaders and government officials. It also implies the need to create child-friendly environments where children feel able to participate. The children came up with suggestions for securing their involvement in the GMfC. An appealing quotation from the core group of children is given:If adults dont call us to be part of the GMC, we ourselves can try to develop a forum and we will continue with the movement till at some point the adults will recognize us. Well work ourselves. Well develop groups of children and come together to further efforts This was the dream of the children for about their future work."							[page 12]		The children considered the development of a Children's Forum in Bangladesh, as proposed by the Alliance there, significant and necessary.The review also considered future participation around the NPAs. The Alliance thought that co-ordination was very important: among civil society networks; between government ministries; and between government and NGOs. There also needs to be links with the donors - both bilaterals and multilaterals - and with the private sector. Children could form action groups or advisory groups. The proposal for children to develop their own Children's Forum could also be involved in monitoring the NPAs, as suggested by the children themselves. Three categories of steps were set out: immediate; short term and medium term.  The review report has a comprehensive set of appendices, including the comprehensive questionnaire that was sent out to all young and adult stakeholders in the SSoC process. The Alliance review has been considered quite extensively because it contains comments that are useful for any readers of this evaluation. Critical issues of Alliance co-operation at a country level became inextricably intertwined with the process of developing children's participation in civil society.Sri LankaSri Lanka, like Bangladesh, concentrated on in-country processes which would ensure the largest number of children participating in a concurrent event that would parallel the Special Session in New York in September 2001. They certainly achieved this, with more than 11,000 children from all over Sri Lanka involved in consultations with policy makers in their government. This must be the largest number of participants from any country in the world for whom a participatory process was defined and executed. It fed into government thinking, children's own ideas and concerns for all Sri Lanka's young people for the next 10 years. The achievement is all the more remarkable for being accomplished in what was essentially a non-confrontational way while the long-running civil war continued. The process centred first on The Sri Lankan Children's Challenge - a survey of children's opinions in all Sri Lanka's Districts. Then it moved to Colombo where 125 children from all over Sri Lanka came to the Sri Lankan Children's Parliament. Save the Children Alliance in Sri Lanka have published three excellent reader-friendly documents reporting on this process:The Sri Lankan Children's Challenge: Report  The Sri Lankan Children's Challenge!! Summary of Findings The First Sri Lankan Children's Parliament [Short Report]From the 11,000 questionnaires completed, economic problems and education were the two biggest challenges identified by Sri Lankan children: 28% and 24% respectively. Provincial level workshops gathered together representatives from the surrounding districts from among the children to set priorities and elect representatives from among themselves to participate at the Children's Parliament in Colombo. In Colombo, 125 children, representative of their peers, came together in a Preparatory Workshop where they got to know each other, sorted out the 5 key challenges to government from Sri Lanka's children, and practiced how they would present them the following day to adult policy makers. The five challenges they came up with were Economic problems, Education, Alcohol and drug abuse, Armed conflict, Problems faced by children in institutions.There is an interesting note about this last challenge in the text of the report:N.B. Although the problems faced by children in institutions had not emerged as such a high priority in the survey, the participants decided that they wanted to prioritise this concern in Parliament as children from institutions were participating and their opinions are seldom heard. The children also prioritised alcohol and drug abuse over health.								[page 8]The Parliament was an extraordinary success. SC Supporters are quoted as saying: "The Children's Parliament was spectacularin one day you have touched the hearts of all Sri Lankans". It was carried live, free, by state television.The Parliament was facilitated by two children in Sinhala and Tamil .. The entire two hours were facilitated and choreographed by the children. Each presentation was introduced by the facilitators and the children performed their role plays and carried out their discussions with each other to introduce and substantiate the issues they had prioritised..At the very end, Mr Bradman Weerakoon, former Secretary to five Sri Lanka Prime ministers and former Presidential Advisor, opened the floor for clarifications and comments from Key invitees. 							[page 9]The Report itemises the immediate impact of the Parliament throughout the country. It was one of those amazing events that captured the imagination of ordinary Sri Lankans, young and old. It was undoubtedly very high profile participation by children - and on the day the Special Session itself was due to open in New York. At the evaluation that was held the following day the children found the Parliament and the process that led up to it an extraordinary experience. They, apparently, also instanced their increased confidence, their collective achievement and making new friends with children belonging to different ethnic groups. However, there was some uncertainty over what action the adult policy makers would take:They had tabled their priorities and come up with certain solutions. They were interested to know what the decision makers will do to address their issues. Children were concerned that the Parliament will end and there will be no follow up.								[page 10]The report concludes with a useful analysis of the significance of the media coverage of the events, and the decisions taken to ensure this.  And, in addition to this report, there is an even shorter version that seeks to encapsulate the experience in a child-friendly format. There is also a report on the survey that was conducted prior to the Children's Parliament.NepalSave the Children UK in Nepal has experimented with children's participation in civil society, in a number of exciting ways, over the past 4 years. They were, like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, unwilling to be diverted into regional and international agendas for children's participation in preparation for the Special Session in New York. They had the added pressure of having the regional offices of UNICEF and their own Save the Children in the same city. However, they fully co-operated with the Save the Children Regional Office.  They are now one of two countries in the region where young people participated in a consultation on the National Plans of Action.Change Makers & the Regional Consultations For the sake of transparency the evaluator has to declare an interest in this event, having been somewhat involved in its genesis as Head of the SC-UK Regional Office in Kathmandu and working closely with the Regional UNICEF Office in South Asia. There was excellent co-operation between the Regional Offices of UNICEF and Save the Children UK in planning events to ensure that children's participation was "maximised" in the preparations for the UN Special Session on Children. As part of this preparation, Change Makers for South Asia aimed to initiate and lead a new, dynamic and sustainable process in South Asia to protect and promote children's rights and to initiate a dialogue with both corporate leaders and government ministers which would mature into sustained partnership beyond the special Session.In a footnote, the Save the Children report on this piece of work defines the Change Makers as follows:Change Makers are the children and young people who have been through [an] experiential learning process on facilitation and have engaged with adult decision makers and children[;] and have the ability to express their views and represent the views of other children.								[page 1]The report is written from the perspective of the Change Makers' involvement in the 3 levels of consultation. These three levels were: Pre-Consultations Preparation - 2 days; Children's Consultations with Corporate Leaders - 2 days; Ministerial Meeting with children & corporate leaders  - 2 days. This last level of consultations involved children, corporate leaders and government ministers from 7 SAARC countries. The report says that the series of consultations brought together "about 200 people from 7 South Asian countries". It details the process from the April 2001 planning meeting of the "focal persons for the Change Makers initiative" through to the three levels of meetings. This report, like other reports on other preparatory events, actually focuses a lot on the process of enabling children to participate. The emphasis is on how children are trained in facilitation skills for the preparatory meetings [e.g. Budapest, Philippines, Sri Lanka, PrepComs in New York]. The Report, like the others, gives details of the methodology used in the preparatory meetings. The evaluation by the young Change Makers at the end of all the consultations reads very much like the evaluations from the Philippines or Sri Lanka or Cairo. Children do not question their right to be at these meetings, to speak out and be listened to. They really enjoyed the fun and creativity of it all. They loved meeting other young people and making new friends. What the Pakistan Change Makers liked is typical:We were listened to and got a response from the adults.We got a chance for full participation.We got an opportunity to ask questions and give suggestions.We liked the press conference.We made new friends (all).We got a computer and [will] remain connected.We liked the atmosphere.What the young Change Makers didn't like are details, for example, of the logistics and the facilitation. The 'big picture' - that is, the whole purpose of the event - is overwhelmingly endorsed. Criticisms are personal or individual problems ["One or two of us lost our camera"(!)]. The responses to "Suggestions for improvement" and "Future suggestions" all without exception want the process of children and young people's participation to widen and deepen. This, too, is the same for almost all the SSoC events. It is difficult to determine how this regional event, successful as it was, fulfils its [adult] aim, stated on page 1 of the report, of initiating and leading "..a new, dynamic and sustainable process in South Asia to protect and promote children's rights and to initiate a dialogue with both corporate leaders and government ministers.". The project was supposed to lead back into the countries and to in-country follow-up. However, there was a lack of follow-up, commented on by Claire O'Kane, who felt that the children and young people who had participated felt let down:.Many of the Change Makers were inspired to be part of SS processes and became key activists in national and local processes. However, due to a lack of systematic follow-up (in some countries) a lot of momentum and potential impact of children's active participation in an ongoing SS process was lost.Given the emphasis and focus in this region on Save the Children programmes in South Asia and on independent in-country initiatives, it would seem that the Change Makers Project could marginalise the children who participated in it. This may be of more concern to adults than to the actual Change Makers themselves who evaluated the workshop in terms of more immediate objectives relating to their participation in the Kathmandu event. However, in Pakistan, the involvement of children and young people in the SSOC fed into the Regional Change Makers event in Kathmandu, which in turn fed into the Prepcoms. Of the four young people from Pakistan who returned questionnaires, two were selected to go on to Kathmandu; and one of the latter was selected to go to the third Prepcom in New York. All four Pakistan respondents, who completed their responses to the questionnaire some months after Prepcom 3 felt that the follow-up process had been poor and quite discouraging:Follow up meetings are very important because when u r close to getting something u sometimes r just there but u can't actually make it because some gap comes in between.Follow up meeting should be soon. South Asian young people went to the 3rd PrepCom in New York. Some of the Change Makers were selected by the other Change Makers at the Kathmandu event to go to New York. Some other young people from South Asia also attended the 3rd PrepCom. However it is unclear how this regional initiative related to the country initiatives in the selection of the South Asian children in their countries who would attend the Special Session itself.Ranjan Poudyal felt that the Change Makers in country and regional activities made a big impact on the government and UNICEF and other child rights NGOs on childrens participation.For example, at the regional level Save the Children, UNICEF and others have since then organized various regional events with children and young people. Since the Change Makers for South Asia initiative, we have had children and young people participate at the 'South Asia Consultation for the 2nd World congress against commercial sexual exploitation of children' held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in November, 'the Girl Child Symposium held in Rawalpindi', October 2001. South Asian Participation in the New York PrepcomsThe regional Change Makers initiative became linked to international processes for children's participation in the SSoC preparations than in in-country processes and preparations.  The Bangladesh report indicates that they saw the Change Makers as part of the New York process. The Save the Children UK Regional Office was aware of this tension. A box in the Save the Children Change Makers report refers to the decision to link the Change Makers internationally: Participation at the 3rd UN Preparatory MeetingGiven the low representation of children and young people from South Asia at the 2nd PrepCom, a decision was reached to support one child / young people from each of the South Asian countries to attend the 3rd UN Preparatory Meeting in New York in June/July 2001 where they would represent children and young people from the region.Six Change Makers for South Asia (including a girl from Bangladesh who was part of the in-country process for the Change Makers but did not attend the Kathmandu meeting) were able to go to New York to participate at the 3rd Preparatory Meeting.From their experience and learning from the Kathmandu meeting, the Change Makers were able to speak with confidence on these issues for the South Asian children.Completed questionnaires were not received from any of the other Change Makers. Participants from Pakistan have been included in the Young Evaluators initiative and they will be conducting the evaluation of the SSoC from their country-based perspective.Two of the trainers / facilitators from the Save the Children Alliance South Asia children and citizenship project, Claire O'Kane and Ravi Karkara were invited as facilitators for the Children's Preparatory Meeting for the Second PrepCom in New York. Facilitators for the preparatory-Workshop for the Third Prepcom included also Samina Sardar and Ranjan Poudyal, the co-authors of the Change Makers Report - and organisers of the project.The AmericasThe documents received from the Americas have been limited. Part of the problem has been the Evaluators lack of a working knowledge of either Spanish or Portuguese. Another part of the problem has been the fact that the very active civil society and independent Children's Organisations in various countries, particularly in South America, has led to some degree of self-containment of the sub-regions. Material was received however from Canada and Central America that has given excellent insights into the impact of the SSOC preparations involving children and has also enabled comparisons with other Regions. In particular, some useful and helpful responses to the U18 questionnaires were received from Canada, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Peru.Global / CanadaGail Cockburn, Meaningful Youth Participation in International Conferences: A Case Study of the International conference on War-Affected Children, Winnipeg, September 2000, Canadian International Development Agency.Regional Ministerial Meetings and Children's Preparatory Meetings[V Ministerial Meeting in Jamaica Meeting - no report received][The Iberoamerican Presidential Summit in Panama - no report received]NicaraguaReport: Save the Children Alliance in Nicaragua (Participation in the process for the UN Special Session on Children), Meeting of the Regional Group: Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean of the Save the Children Alliance, Honduras January 21-22, 2002Regional Group: Central America, Mexico and the CaribbeanThe short report from the Save the Children Alliance in Nicaragua succinctly outlines the impact of the SSoC process on children's participation in Nicaraguan civil society.The process of engaging in the UN Special Session on Children began almost immediately after the Regional Meeting of the Alliance in Mexico City in March 2000. Jenny Vaughan, Mario Chamorro, Julio Tresierra, and others were engaged and committed well before most of the other regions and countries in other parts of the world got their various acts together. Mario Chamorro attended the 1st PrepCom; Jenny and Julio Tresierra were involved in organising children and young people's participation in the V Ministerial Meeting in Jamaica. Within SC UK, Jenny Vaughan was pro-active in Central America and the Caribbean and very supportive of SC UK's role as the lead agency at the UNGASS Senior Management Meeting of SC UK in September 2000.For this sub-region [Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean] there appears to have been little on no debate about children's participation in the Special Session in the high profile international events. I cannot find any reference in the documentation that children's participation in PrepComs 1, 2 & 3 in New York, or in the ministerial conferences, would detract from children's participation in civil society in the various countries in the region. This - noted above - had been the powerful debate in South Asia that was reflected in the pre-TGP global UNGASS meeting of the Alliance in Kathmandu in September 2000. In the Central America, Caribbean and Mexico sub-region the opposite appeared to be the case. In Nicaragua, for example, the Alliance specified their first national strategy as follows:Support the active participation of children and civil society in the PrepComs (1, II and III), the V Ministerial Meeting in Jamaica, the Iberoamerican Presidential Summit in Panama, and the Special Session.And the first of their achievements against this particular strategy is assessed thus:The process of the UN Special Session, as had been inferred, has been an excellent opportunity to make progress with the participation of children in all spheres. In Nicaragua, it has been possible to raise the level of awareness about participation as a fundamental right and the importance of the opinion of children about the themes of concern to them has been made visible.The Alliance in Nicaragua, together with the collaborating Nicaraguan NGO, apex and governmental organisations, felt that children's participation in international events increased, rather than detracted from, children's active engagement in civil society in all districts of Nicaragua. This is despite the fact that the children from Nicaragua were prevented from participating in the 2nd and 3rd PrepCom in New York - "because the US consulate denied them a visa."  Involvement in the international meetings enabled children and their supporting NGOs and CSOs to use the municipal and national elections. The strategy had been -  .to increase the participation and mobilisation of children and adolescents in the preparation of various local and national agendas that were presented to the candidates so that they would be incorporated into the government agendas.A further result of this was the strengthening of civil society in its interactions with the various levels of government. For example:CODENI, the main body for advocacy for children and a strategic ally of Save the Children, strengthened relations with other actors like the Office of the Special Ombudsman for Children, the Network of Mayors, the Municipal Children's Commissions, journalists and other sectors, including artists and public figures.The Alliance Co-ordination Committee in Nicaragua made UNICEF's three pillars of the SSoC preparations their goals as well. These were: reporting on the End of Decade Review Achievements of the past decade; national consultation about A World Fit for Children; and the National Plan of Action. However, it appears UNICEF and its government partner, CONAPINA, prepared a proposal for Nicaragua's NPA without consultation with their civil society partners. "The SC Alliance were left outside of this first phase of the process." As a result of this:The main challenge is to guarantee the participation of children and civil society in both the process of "drafting the Action Plan" and the monitoring of the meeting of the targets included in it. This includes being able to overcome the will of UNICEF-Nicaragua to conclude the process by this April [i.e. 2002] at the latest, that is, prior to the Special Session scheduled for May.This is another example of how Save the Children's involvement in the Special Session preparations around children's participation in those preparations help spur on and strengthen civil society. This could be expressed in the opposite way, bearing in mind not only the example of Nicaragua but also of Nigeria: if UNICEF fails to embrace children's participation in civil society, its government partners will not  either. This omission - it is certainly not UNICEF's policy - actually weakens civil society.This region, like every region and every country from whom comment was received, worries about how the process will be kept going after the Special Session. However, the enabling environment for children's participation is already there in Nicaragua, greatly helped by the SSoC process. What needs to happen is to increase children's capacity to take their own initiatives:The participation and mobilisation of children developed at the municipal level lays the basis for the articulation and strengthening of a broad children's movement nationally. However, a work methodology is required that allows for the promotion of children's participation and the improvement of their capacity to put forward proposals and exercise an influence nationally, regionally and internationally.This is understood to mean a combination of adult facilitation skills and young people's initiatives that together enable children and young people to gain knowledge, an analytical ability ["improvement of their capacity"] and skills to effect changes in their lives, such as negotiation and communication skills. The Alliance's Nicaragua Report concludes with a proposal for closer collaboration between UNICEF, INGOs, NGOs and civil society. The proposal specifically calls for a regional co-ordinator, based in UNICEF, but paid for by Plan International and Save the Children. This is actually close to the suggestion in South Asia for an extension of the post of the Alliance Regional Adviser for Children and Citizenship into a GMfC / NPA regional co-ordination. This would need to include UNICEF and be supported by in-country apex CSOs. UNICEF is the source of the NPA and GMfC processes within countries. The Save the Children Alliance's role is to lobby for children and young people to be involved in these processes. [See Lessons to be Learned, below.] Responses from Children and Young People in Latin America The responses to the U18 questionnaires came from children and young people aged 13 to 19 years old. Younger adolescents from Europe and Central Asia participated in the Budapest Consultation and there were some younger adolescents among the Change Makers in the South Asia Regional consultations in Kathmandu. But on the whole the participation in the Special Session preparations was by older adolescents. Many of them were in fact of the point of turning 18 as they headed to New York for one of the PrepComs. The TGP seriously agonised over the problem of whether "Under 18" in fact included those who were 18 already; and they had difficulties in dealing with the exceptions to the "Under 18" rule, particularly after the postponement of the Special Session. It seems unrealistic to think that the participation of children and young people in the SSoC process could be expected to include much younger children [8-12 year olds]. At this stage in the evolution of children's participation in policy, young children would find it difficult to vigorously engage in the UN alongside energetic older adolescents. Furthermore, even teenagers who become active in civil society and government policies need the adults to make a paradigm shift in how the latter regard them. To extend citizenship concepts to include much younger children, participating with equal effect alongside older adolescents, is requiring too much of adults who first have to get accustomed to the teenagers negotiating with them.There are very few references in the information I have collected to an issue that has been discussed in a number of countries: the need for different approaches in the facilitation of younger and older children. This has been explored in, for example, SC UK programmes in Nepal and in the UK itself, where much younger children who are not yet into their adolescence are also being drawn into participation around decision making that affects their lives.There is, as found in responses from everywhere, a great concern among young people in this Region that there will be a dual process to the follow up after the Special Session. On the one hand, it will be necessary for adults - in NGOs, Government, as individuals: (e.g. parents, teachers, magistrates) - to create the enabling environment for young people to widely participate. On the other hand, young people themselves want to do things themselves.  A young boy from Peru [18 years old] comments on the need for continuing support from adults "We need Save the Children to realise this, but we also need all the movements for children to strengthen our organisations and realise our dream."A 16 years old indigenous girl from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala comments on how she followed up: "for me as a girl it was worthwhile. When I returned from the 3rd PrepCom I spoke to organised groups in my community that there were people working for the children. There are children and young people who don't know they have rights and that there is a document that defends and protects our rights." She declares that she is going to continue to work for indigenous children and young people and to monitor the documents that the government signs.An 18 year old girl from Nicaragua commented on the importance of learning more and more about laws and documents: "Participation is not just listening, or reading, or working on documents. It is important that our ideas and opinions are listened to and acted upon.. " This Nicaraguan girl also comments on the importance of creating more opportunities "for little children in schools and families when we can speak and our opinions are listened to, in our organisations."CanadaCanada has played an exemplary role in enabling children and young people to participate in the preparations for the Special Session. This is in large measure due to the active support and continuing engagement in children's rights and participation by senior government figures, in particular Senator Landon Pearson. It is also due to the role that Save the Children Canada has played in the TGP. The success of the global conference on War-Affected Children, in September 2000 in Winnipeg, was attributed to the excellent process of involving children and young people in it at all stages. There is a ground-breaking evaluation report on children's participation in this conference. It not only set out useful guidelines that were used by the TGP, but contributed, to the thinking behind this evaluation report. The Canadian government has taken increasingly significant initiatives in including children and young people in international meetings that determine policies for children as well as elaborating an operational framework for determining their continuing participation in decision-making in matter that affect them. The Winnipeg Conference achieved noteworthy levels of children and young people's participation very early on in the process. This had the effect of giving greater importance to the role that young people could play in the Special Session which was then still a whole year away. In fact, Senator Landon Pearson played a significant and influential role at governmental and civil society levels in both international events.Senator Pearson agrees that there is an enabling environment for children and young people's participation in Canada, though it may be more developed in some areas more than others. She attributes this to a strong human rights climate in Canada that is reflected legally in Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as in a Canadian predisposition towards rights and freedoms among both adults and young people. At the level of the family this results in acceptance of the idea that stronger children, i.e. children able to claim their rights, mean stronger families.At the level of international conferencing it has meant that Under18 year olds were not only included in the Canadian Government delegation to the SSoC, they were intended to play an active part in the whole process of the meeting in New York, however that might turn out. This is certainly not tokenism; and I quote below from one of the young members of the government delegation that confirms her fully integrated status.  There appears to be a strong enabling environment for children and young people's participation beginning to emerge in Canada. In Ottawa, for example, every school board has a mandated position for one or two youth members, with mandated funding for it. The mandate extends to these young people meeting together once a year. This comprehensive process of children and young people's participation in school policy ensures sustainability because it is (1) mandatory and (2) funded. It is a good example of an enabling environment. Sarah Stevenson at Save the Children Canada endorses the significance that Senator Pearson gives this initiative - and wishes that it was extended throughout Canada.As a result of the participation in adult decision-making in the SSoC process, Senator Pearson maintains that children and young people know a lot more. She is referring to all the children and young people who participated on government delegations from around the world, and not only to Canadians. The 20 months leading up to the Special Session were highly significant for quite a large number of young people. And there has been a change. She now feels that follow-up - not just in Canada - is incredibly important: the valuable experience of those on the government delegations needs now to be integrated into the work of NGOs and civil society coalitions, as well as among school-going and working children themselves.Although there was active participation in the SSoC by young people in Aboriginal communities, and also by children from French-speaking Quebec, there is still a logistics and resource problem in extending this participation Canada-wide.Two completed U18 questionnaires were received from Canada. Both were from girls who participated as members of the Canadian Government delegation to the 3rd PrepCom. One was 17 years old and the other was15 years old [questionnaires were returned anonymously].The older girl went from the Summit of the Americas Youth Forum in Quebec to the PrepCom. She speaks English, French and Mandarin. In her responses she said that very few young people in her organisation knew about the Special Session on Children. She did not attend preparatory meetings before the adult meeting and perhaps as a result she did not feel prepared. However, she felt that the young people had achieved a high level of participation and that they were listened to. She strongly felt they had had an impact in the adult forum and that the adults were happy. She felt very positive about the Quebec meeting as well, where children had also made an impact.What was unusual, in comparison to what occurred with children who attended in-country and New York meetings from developing countries in the South, is that she applied to participate in the process through the Internet and was selected through the Internet. She did not feel that she was disadvantaged by this method of selection:I think if I was chosen by other children or young people, they would probably still agree with what I wrote because there were also young youth and they would be able to understand my point of view.She met with some of her peers and colleagues after the meetings to tell them about it and now uses email to keep in touch with other children and young people. She gave top rating to Save the Children and was also positive about the child friendly materials.The 15 year old was selected by young people:I was given an application through an adult friend. I applied to go by answering a series of questions about children's issues and my own. I sent it in and I was chosen by my peers to go to the 3rd PrepCom.She took part in the Preparatory Workshop before the 3rd PrepCom and felt that she had been well prepared for the PrepCom itself. She was able to participate in the UN PrepCom Meeting and in various caucuses. She was prepared for her involvement in making changes to the Outcome Document "with some of my peers. I facilitated a meeting focusing [on] child participation on government delegations."   She liked both the adult and U18 facilitators, but expressed a preference for the latter. Translation, however, she felt was poor. She gave a high rating to the level of children and young people's participation in the PrepCom:The good thing was that the children could speak for themselves for once instead through adults. Sometimes adults have a tendency to word things different and then it doesn't come out the way "you" want to say it.She also keeps in touch with other children and young people through email. She concludes with a comment about children and young people's participation in Canada that seems to suggest the reason why children are not more involved in policy and decision-making processes is at least partly to do with reticence on the part of the children than exclusion by adults:I think participation for youth in my country is easily accepted. Some adults still have the attitude that all youth are loud and obnoxious. I think that some adults should work with us more such as teachers, counsellors and coaches to make us feel better accepted which would boost our confidence and make us want to get involved more.Europe, including Central Asia & The Middle EastThe following documents were received: Towards a Children's Agenda for Europe and Central Asia, Report , 23-29 April 2001, Budapest. [Save the Children UK, UNICEF et al; compiled by Carol Toms.Inter Governmental Conference on Children in Europe and Central Asia, Berlin May 16-18, 2001, Conference Report [SC UK, May 20, 2001, report by Carol Toms]A number of responses were also received on the completed questionnaires from young people in Eastern Europe.I propose to discuss the work in Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia around the following issues:The contribution of Save the Children in Europe to the process of participation in the Special SessionCountry Programmes, the Budapest Young People's Consultation   Young people in Europe and Young People in the Developing WorldShort Note on the Lack of Participation from the Middle EastThe contribution of Save the Children in Europe to the process of participation in the Special SessionThe contribution of Save the Children and partner organisations in Europe to the process of children and young people's participation in the preparations for the Special Session appear from discussions and the documentation to have been exemplary. Children and young people's participation in decision making is already comparatively well developed, at least within local, national and INGO organisations who work with children and young people in Western Europe.  Children and young peoples participation is a fairly new concept in SEE and has just recently been established.  In the UK, for example, children's participation includes extensive work involving much younger children in decision making. These programmes have variously developed methodologies and approaches to enable adults to facilitate working better with children from 5 years old to 11 years old. A significant element of the SSoC process was the extension of meaningful participation to younger adolescents alongside older adolescents:This was a unique event: the bringing together of a relatively younger group of participants from so many countries in Europe and Central Asia by two international organisations in partnership with the Council of Europe.For any reader who is interested in various organisations in Europe working with children, the report on the Children and Young People's consultation in Budapest in April 2001 gives useful and interesting information about a number of these organisations. The NGOs in Western Europe are working in an enabling environment - albeit still very patchy - where governments are also keen to support children's participation (see below).  In SEE, NGOs are witnessing a number of challenges in attempts to introduce childrens participation at all levels of society.GermanyChildren and Youth Parliament (KiJuPa) of HerneThe KiJuPa was started in the administrative and political area of Herne in 1992 because the mayor of the city wanted to hear the voice of young people. In the KiJuPa there are 125 children and young people from 9 to 19 year olds. 59 schools send 2 members each to the parliament. The KiJuPa has 2 meetings a year with the mayor and other politicians of the city. To prepare for the meetings, there are 9 working groups which meet every third week.The KiJuPa also has 4 working groups for the districts of the town. Other working groups include ones on: preparing a newspaper, traffic in the city, children's rights, starting a children's museum. The parliament has 2 secretaries who are based in the town hall. The KiJuPa receives a grant of 10,000 DM annually for different activities. They have a direct route to the city council, and when they want to say something, they can do so to the council and other politicians of the city.This example has been quoted in full because it encapsulates how children and young people's participation is linked to citizenship; and how children's citizenship is linked to the formal education system. The same process is happening in the UK, with the inclusion of citizenship in the core curriculum in all schools. It also indicates the level of resources needed - children's and adults' time as well as state money - for processes of participation in civil society to become mainstreamed and supported by governments.It has also been quoted it in full because it directly relates to one of the achievements of the SSoC process. Young children have been brought together - within their countries, within their regions and finally internationally - and they and the adults involved with them have discovered exciting initiatives they too can do. This initiative in Herne is by no means unique. Mainstreaming of children's participation in civil society is happening comprehensively, for example, in the UK nationally in a number of ways. It is also happening in Wales in new and exciting ways within local government specifically. I would hope that this evaluation report would be read cross-regionally in order to spread more widely the knowledge of these initiatives.This progress towards mainstreaming the participation of marginalised and socially excluded children is not a First World luxury that has no application in the developing world. The example of the amazing success of the Sri Lanka Children's Parliament is just one of a number from the South. I shall, however, discuss in more detail below in the section Young people in Europe and Young People in the Developing World, how I think globalisation affects children differently in different economic contexts. Aspects of the national economy impact on young people, both in terms of the issues that concern them and in terms of the ways in which they engage with their societies.Country Programmes, the Budapest Young People's Consultation  The consultation with children and young people at a specially convened meeting in Budapest from 23rd - 29th April 2001 was called "Towards a Children's Agenda for Europe and Central Asia". This consultation was preceded in some countries by national meetings, for example in Serbia there was a conference first in Belgrade and then another in Petnica. Others were selected for the Budapest consultation through specifically arranged events:Some countries went through a democratic peer selection process in order to identify their participants, for example by organising residential selection weekends. These young people could not claim to represent all their peers but were encouraged in their preparation in-country to familiarise themselves with the issues affecting other young people. In some cases this involved visiting Roma sites or meeting children in residential institutions. Rasa Sekulovic noted that the Budapest event showed different levels and degrees of preparatory activities.  Some children and young people were genuinely involved in various NGO and other child focused activities beforehand and were therefore naturally prepared to take on active part in the consultative process.  Others were selected at very short notice, or merely to achieve geographical or gender balance.  This brings us back to the importance of the preparatory activities which are essential. The Budapest consultations specifically looked forward to the Intergovernmental Conference in Berlin the following month [May 2001]. The primary aim was to prepare inputs and contributions from young people; and also to select children and young people to go to the ministerial meeting to deliver them in person.In planning specifically for the Berlin conference, groups were designed to replicate the workshops that would be held in Berlin. They used the same format and attempted to focus young people's recommendations on one or two key points so that their voices would be heard within large adult-dominated workshops.Another reason for the replication was in order to provide European leaders and their representatives with sufficient first hand insight into the most important issues as seen by young people.Other aims centred on useful learning, solidarity across distant boundaries [Ireland to Kazakhstan!] and empowerment through a wider understanding of issues. Eight young people were chosen by their peers with final selection done by the Steering Committee comprised of Save the Children, UNICEF & and the Council of Europe, to go to Berlin [the Budapest Report says 8, though one of the young people who went to Berlin said there were 10]. Four young people were chosen to attend the Special Session in New York in September. In addition to the 8/10 who attended the Berlin Conference, a video was made of [and at] the Workshop by young people from Kyrgyzstan who had been trained in digital video making in Central Asia:A special feature of the consultation was the making of a short video highlighting young people's issues, concerns and suggestions. The video was made and produced by young filmmakers from Kyrgyzstan and was shown at the plenary session of the Berlin Conference. This was a creative way to bring the young people's voices and messages to Berlin.The report comprehensively covers both the methodology and the substance of the Budapest Consultation Workshop and makes for extremely clear and reader-friendly reading. Adults accompanied the children and young people to Budapest. Their individual skills and knowledge was made accessible to the Workshop process; and they actively took part alongside the young people in the Follow-up session. It is probably worth quoting the report's summary of their comments in their sub-regional groups:Central Asian republics - summer camps for the region, parallel special session in September.Russia et al - exchanged addresses, camp in Crimea in the summer to which they plan to invite FRY [Federal Republic of Yugoslavia], Romania and Bulgaria.Bulgaria et al - disseminate information to peers, write articles for magazines, create an e-group for information exchange and news.FRY et al - inform children and young people about Budapest, use existing structures to co-operate, look at good practice exchange for a regional youth parliament.Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Belgium - disseminate findings from Berlin and New York, meet again in 1 to 2 years to review progress.Germany, Finland, UK, Ireland - use the internet, disseminate results from the consultation.Did any of the proposed activities for the summer of 2001 actually happen? [A proposal was submitted by SCUK to the Council of Europe for Budapest II but was unfortunately not accepted] The questionnaires received back from a number of the young people who attended the Berlin Conference, as well as the Budapest Workshop did not give any indication either that these events took place or that they were disillusioned because they did not. These questionnaires were completed in March / April 2002. The point that has been noted in other places in this report is that much gets committed to in the enthusiasm and excitement of an intense and successful event that soon gets shelved as the everyday routine reasserts itself. This is true of lots of adult NGO workshops as well.  In this context it is worth observing the very modest follow-up suggestions of the young people [and their accompanying adults?] from Western Europe countries, in contrast to the expanding and creative suggestions from Eastern Europe and Central Asia.The Workshop also included a detailed and highly professional evaluation of the young people's experience of the Workshop, immediately at its conclusion. The results of the evaluation, as well as the process of synthesising those results is given in a comprehensive appendix [pages 42 -51]. The "Summary of evaluation forms" begins with an overly modest disclaimer concerning the synthesis undertaken. In addition to this synthesis, the original responses of the young people have also been presented. Both the synthesis and the actual comments are useful, in different ways. For instance, the individual responses to the "Follow up to the consultation", mentioned in the paragraph above, contain a considerable amount of individual commitment that is not dependent on any organisation or group of adults. Did these happen? If they did, what kind of response did individuals get from their enthusiastic sharing of the experience with other young people?  With hindsight this should have been focused on more in the questionnaire because, it is unclear whether or not a sense of disillusionment later set in. One response may be indicative of a failure to keep up the momentum. It is by a Romanian girl who participated both in Budapest and Berlin:After the meeting in Budapest, I have a feeling of losing the 'spirit'. The group on participation had to write a report after the study session, so we were supposed to work on the Internet. This was quite difficult, though in the end it was ok. Maybe, as a suggestion, a better co-ordination with the young people and children.The girl returns to the issues of follow-up at the every end of her questionnaire, under Other comments:I believe that nowadays people talk and do a lot - but still not enough - about participation. Honestly, I am more positive about participation at the local level. Nevertheless I was very pleased to see that a meeting as the one in Budapest is possible and I would like to stress that these kinds of meetings are most helpful for every children and young people.This is a kind of "anomie". Young people have an extraordinary and fulfilling international meeting. They come away from it with the sense of the importance of the experience at the local level but not knowing how to recreate it among their friends and in their communities. It is not disillusionment. Rather it is a sense of being suspended between two worlds. A similar feeling was encountered in the Kingdom of Lesotho, in Southern Africa, when the Evaluator had a long meeting with two 19 year old Basotho who had been involved in high profile events. They had been to Geneva, presenting to the Committee on the CRC. They had also made a very popular radio programme about child rights and children's participation. And they had been involved in the Children's Parliament in Lesotho. They were now in their first year in university. They clearly missed the excitement and the sense of purpose and high endeavour. The Basotho adults who mentored them, and who were part of my meeting with them, wondered what kind of a role they could continue to have. They were no longer children and not yet adults. They were no longer in the international spotlight; but not quite ordinary First Year university students.Another echo of this came from an elusive comment in one of the TGP Meeting Reports, about the 18 & 19 year olds who were drifting about on the fringes of the Preparatory Meeting for the 3rd PrepCom. There is an assumption that the adolescents who participated, one way or another, in the SSoC preparations will, in 15 years time, play a significant part in extending the next generation of young people's. The opposite assumption - that children when they are adults will remember more acutely the subsequent disillusionment of growing up and growing out of participation - is of course just as likely.There are two "Other comments" by individual young people in the section of the Budapest Workshop Evaluation. Each indicates a wider issue commented on in one form or another in other Regional Meetings and in the PrepComs in New York.I think that in the future is needed a more accurate selection of the participants that attend such meetings like this, because frankly some of the young people that participated at this conference weren't familiar with basic knowledge about CRC.This raises two issues. The first concerns the inclusion of a wide range of children that the TGP has been so concerned to ensure. This is not only the inclusion of children and young people who have some disability, or of children who are literally or figuratively 'out-caste'; it also concerns other views that children and young people may wish to express. The second issue specifically concerns the relationship of children and young people's participation to the CRC. We have seen in some countries, like the Philippines, knowledge of the CRC, its articles and their interpretation, constitute the sine qua non for children's participation. In Africa, by contrast, a discussion around child rights always seems to involve a discussion about those young rights-holders' personal and civil responsibilities. The other comment is from a French-speaking participant:I spent a wonderful week but Im sorry I didnt get everything.  I would have loved to participate more effectively.It is difficult to know what to say in this evaluation report about the issue of translation. It was one of the responsibilities of the accompanying adult to provide 'whispering interpretation' for the children and young people who found it difficult to express themselves in one of the two official languages.  Rasa points that:throughout the SSOC process the language issues also reflected different political contexts, which in some cases were visibly reduce to aggressive local agendas rather than real problems of understanding.  In general, at the regional and international meetings and workshops, an effort was made to provide adequate translation for all of the children. For most of the non-English speaking young participants, translation remained an issue. The report on the Budapest Workshop describes the language problems and the solutions that the planners of the workshop agreed:The participants in this consultation were the youngest group to have been received by the EYCB [European Youth Centre Budapest]. This, together with the language barrier of working with participants from 25 countries, led to an innovative mix of group work, drama, practical skills workshops and plenary sessions. The consultation was conducted principally in English with simultaneous Russian translation available. The participants were able to feed back and present in either English or Russian..The French-speaking child, who had neither English nor Russian as a second language, obviously missed out. A number of young people at the Cairo Pan African Forum on the Future of Africa's Children felt they had missed out because of what they felt was the dominance of either English, French or Arabic.  However, the achievement of a this meeting, as well as of some of the other regional events and the preparatory workshops of the PrepComs, is that children and young people are encouraged to communicate creatively: through pictures and paintings, through drama and dance, and through video.Carol Toms also reported on the Intergovernmental Conference on Children in Europe and Central Asia the following month, in May 2001. She concluded that the Berlin Conference was "most useful and interesting to have attended." She lists the benefits and opportunities of attendance, including:Representing NGO views and lobbying assembled governments [more than 50 of them]Promoting children's participation in such eventsEnsuring children's voices were heard and taken seriously during the conferenceExamining policy measures taken in the region to solve problems similar to those in the UKComparing the experiences of other countries to see how the situation for children in the UK could be improvedTalking to representatives from foreign governments and NGOs about good practice in each other's countriesSupporting the follow through of the work done in Budapest.At the end of the report she attached a table of the Issues & Recommendations of the Conference, which she has compiled.. It is a most informative list and points to the differences between the injustices and denials that children and young people in Europe face, as they see them; and what children and young people in the South see as the infringement of their rights. I take this up in the next sectionYoung People, Poverty & RepresentationOne of the debates around children's participation is about how children represent other children. This was discussed in regional meetings and in the New York PrepComs. It has come up repeatedly in the completed questionnaires. This is in fact a broad and continuing discussion about children's participation that preceded the Special Session preparations and is discussed among adults who have little or no knowledge of the UN event. It links to discussions around poverty and exclusion. It also leads into a discussion on the importance of including all children and young people and their views in participatory processes, from rich and poor backgrounds alike. Such a discussion leads into a discussion about globalisation.  Before I comment on the SSoC process and the intertwined issues of representation and poverty, I need first to explore how representation became a part of the youthful experience of participation in adult policy-making. There is a difference in effectively representing, in a broad sense, the views of children on the one hand; and, on the other, children being mandated by another group of children to express a particular viewpoint. In the SSoC process, the issue of children and young people's representation was particularly concerned with the process of selecting children to present what has been collectively agreed at a preparatory meeting to the high profile adult meeting. If preparatory workshops has been rigorous in determining issues and strategies to be communicated to the adult meeting, then the young people selected to do this have probably been mandated to communicate them. However, in almost every instance, another wider group of children in their home communities had not mandated the young participants in the preparatory workshop or required them to hold any line. They had not been told to express a particular point of view and that view only. There appears to be a disjunction between (1) the original selection to an initial meeting about policy and (2) the selection to a higher level meeting in a much wider forum. This has very much concerned the Save the Children adults in Alliance organisations in Bangladesh. In Cairo, there was considerable unease at the pressure put on the young people to select children to present at the Forum from their own language group. In the Philippines there was concern about the selection of children and young people to the Children and Young People's Regional Forum 2 in Vientiane.Comments on completed questionnaires from young participants at the various other regional events showed that some young people were unhappy with the way the selection proceeded in their preparatory meetings. In many instances, personal achievement - that is, being seen to be one of the chosen representatives - became linked to some unease about what precisely is being presented, or "re-presented", to adult policy makers. Participation at one level also involves selection to a representative role in a higher policy forum. In order to be seen to participate effectively, most young people want to be successful in being selected from among their peers at the meeting. They also want to be seen to be effectively discharging their responsibilities in the higher forum. They want to make the points that have been collectively agreed, clearly and powerfully to the assembled adults. [I come back to this issue below in the Lesson to be Learned chapter.]  Despite the efficient and successful Budapest Consultation for the Berlin Ministerial Conference, some young people felt that too few were then able to participate in the adult policy-making meeting. A girl from Romania [now just turned 19] attended the Budapest Consultation and the Berlin Meeting. She rated children and young people's participation at the Berlin Ministerial Conference as medium only and explained her response:Even if children and young people had the chance to speak and to express their own point of view, I felt a certain inequality. We as young people were just 10 and the whole meeting had some 300 participants. That is why, with regret, it was a medium level of participation.But did she think that the children and young people's participation in Berlin made the adults there change their minds?This is a very long an ongoing process and every meeting must be understood as a step forward. That is why I believe that participation is going to improve the way adults cope with children and young people's issues.At the end of her questionnaire, in the response quoted above, she is concerned how she might be able to recreate the excitement of the international experience of young people's participation at the local level where she feels it is most important. In Budapest, the Romanian girl was selected by the group concerned with young people's participation. Her response is quoted here at some length because it reflects the merging of the issues of participation with representation. The SSOC process has occurred at a point in time in which children and young people's participation is itself an issue, alongside drugs and substance abuse, education, HIV/AIDS, child abuse, hazardous employment of children, and so on. A number of the children and young people who participated in the PrepComs in New York felt they were there representing other children and young people's right to participate in international policy meetings. A number of instances have been given in this report of young people demanding of adults that more and more children are empowered to participate in decision-making. They are also concerned whether participating at a high profile international meeting will lead to more participation back in their own countries. Another young participant from Romania reflects on young people's participation in civil society in her own country:Unfortunately, children in our country don't know yet that they have the right to express their points of view and this is the real issue here. That is the reason they don't feel free to talk when there are lots of people around them, like in the preparatory meetings for the Special Session. As a solution for this situation I propose that there should be a previous meeting organised by and with children, young people and facilitators, without mass media.She participated in a meeting with the Romanian President, which she felt was unsatisfactory because "everything was too formal and even the presence of mass media made us feel uncomfortable talking". [page 16] She too argues repeatedly for more children and young people as participants [pages 33 & 37].Representation also involves wider participation of children and young people, particularly at the local level.  To some extent this wider participation in civil society is happening already in urban and local areas in countries with developed economies like Germany and the UK. It is also happening with children being active in extremely poor communities in, for example, South India. Where children and young people's participation in government decision making is secured, the focus and emphasis shifts to representation around substantive issues. Children and young people who are active in these recognised local forums are concerned to build their constituency among their peers and to do this in the context of effective lobbying for changes in the law and provision for children and young people. They increasingly feel that they need to be accountable to their peers for what they said and what the outcome was. The participatory processes of the Special Session preparations have enabled young people to realise that there is a different set of pressing issues for children of the developed world to the most urgent issues for children in the developing world.  For example, the young people in the South who have become involved have often been  children in hazardous employment; young girls who have been raped and abused; child soldiers, separated children and children in war; children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Most of the children from poor countries have spoken directly of their poverty, their lack of food security and the absence of social services in their communities because, as participants in Jamaica or in Kathmandu or in New York, this has been their life experience. The denial of their rights and their country's inability to meet their basic needs has impacted less on children in more favourable circumstances. These more affluent children and young people have not necessarily been from the developed countries of the North. Ravi Karkara's dismay at finding only two young people presenting on behalf of all the children in South Asia was described earlier; and these two were from the business and political class in their countries. Young people from North America and Western Europe, have spoken out in the various SSoC preparatory forums about, for example, unhealthy life-styles [drugs and substance abuse]; inter-generational justice and environmental sustainability,quality education to the end of secondary school for all children;an end to violence and war. Most of these children and young people constantly speak of a need to engage with their societies and global institutions about the injustices and the poverty in the world, including in their own countries. [These are also the issues of adult anti-globalisation protesters.] All of the young people in the Budapest Consultations insisted on the need for children's and young people's participation to be mainstreamed and embodied in institutions that impact on decision-makers in their societies at all levels. Young people see participation, representation and the fight against injustice and poverty holistically. An 18 year-old from Yugoslavia, only attended the country meeting in Belgrade. Her response to what she thought the best thing about the event she attended captures the wonderful spirit that the SSoC process seemed to achieved in a number of countries around the world, even among people who never went outside their country's borders:A lot of new ideas came from all the children that were present; a lot of energy and enthusiasm was shown. Young people are ready to give a lot, they just need to be given a chance. We also had a great time hanging around together, getting to know each other. We became friends, and we are still in contact, helping each other when necessary.This excitement, generated by the SSoC process, is in all the questionnaires returned to me. One Montenegro boy loved the experience but commented "I am too tired because of all these questionnaires"!  A young Serbian participant, in the Belgrade, Budapest and 3rd PrepCom preparatory meetings, completed one of the extended questionnaires in April this year. He has obviously reflected on his participation in these forums. In his final response to the questionnaire he wishes to address both children and adults. The emphases are all his:I'm talking to adults: "If you are talking about us you MUST ask us for opinions, because you can not know everything. Probably you want to put first THE BEST INTEREST OF A CHILD, but how will you know about that if you do not ask us for suggestion. and you can not understand everything what is happening around you and us. You look at the world by some other eyes than we look and some, for us, very important things are invisible for you. SO LET US TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS BAD, WHAT WE WANT, AND HOW WE IMAGINE GOOD PLACE FOR LIFE AND THEN WE CAN JOINTLY MAKE IT REAL. TWO HEADS ARE ALWAYS STRONGER THAN ONE IS!"To children: "Do not be afraid to tell to anybody what do you want! Maybe this sounds very ordinary and without sense, but if every of us take this seriously we will become an army of a half of the whole world population and our voice will be very respected and listened! We should start now and together and never stop. We are not only the future, we are the PRESENT. So"  A Serbian boy also completed the abridged U18 questionnaire. His final comment there was:All we need [are] more and more ideas about what could be done and the real and only resource are children and young people. We need u world for children, advance!!!Short note on the lack of participation from the Middle EastNo responses or documentation was received from the Middle East. There was, apparently, no Arab or Middle East regional meeting of children and young people. Nor was I able to find any information about participation at the Prepcoms in New York. I have heard, subsequently, that there were significant initiatives taken by young Arab participants at the Special Session itself to include Israeli children as part of their group in the Children's Forum. [UNICEF regionally groups Israel with Europe.]  There are some of course exciting participation initiatives in Palestine. There are certainly interesting civil society initiatives in Israel in which children and young people are involved; and this is possibly the case in other states in the Middle East. But what was the relationship of any of these to the preparations for the Special Session?Chapter 4Lessons to be LearnedRationale for the Structure of this Chapter  There were a number of lessons learned as the process of including children and young people in preparations for the Special Session on Children gathered pace over the 14 or 15 months to September 2001. Although the Special Session in New York in September 2001 was ultimately postponed - many scheduled events in a number of countries still took place. It is important to remember that in the last months of 2001 after September 11th, particularly as the war in Afghanistan began, there was real doubt that the Special Session would be reconvened at a later date. Even if it did take place there was concern over how safe it would be for children and young people to go to New York. The TGP spent a considerable amount of time determining an appropriate "bottom-line" for the arrangements that needed to be in place to guarantee the safety and protection and safety of children and young people at the reconvened Special Session. The ability of an Alliance team to continue to function efficiently and in the best interests of children in a crisis and in radically altered circumstances should be acknowledged. It needs to be endorsed both by the other international agencies involved in the Special Session and by the country programmes of the Alliance upon whom this would impact.Some lessons to be learned are similar to  this. They are an acknowledgement of the significance of actions taken by one group that have enabled others to succeed. Very often, the "lessons learned" section of a report all too often is concerned only with what did not work. All the things that did work well are arguably the more useful lessons. It was therefore decided to present the lessons to be learned, according to the various categories of participants in the whole process, focusing on the learner rather than on what is to be learned. This involves some repetition, but shifts the emphasis onto the various implications of the lessons for different groups who were collectively involved - and whom I imagine, with some hubris, to be reading this report. The categories are:For children and young people who participated at any level or who want to learn from this experienceFor facilitators of children and young people's participationFor Save the Children Alliance & individual Save Head OfficesFor in-country Save the Childrens, NGOs, Children's Organisations, civil society groups For UNICEF and participating International OrganisationsFor children and young people who participated at any level or who want to learn from this experience This section is addressed to those children and young people who might read this evaluation report. The lessons learned by children and young people who were involved in the preparations for the SSoC have been put into 4 broad areas:Lessons about electing and being selected by your peersLessons in being adequately preparedLessons for the follow-up in your country and internationallyLessons from the Special Session for your adult lifeLessons about electing and being selected by your peers The SSoC participation process included the development of published Guidelines about Best Practice for Selection of Young Participants by the TGP. NGOs and coalitions of civil society groups in various countries have also developed their own Guidelines on Selection. The concern for choosing who should represent views of a wider group of children and young people shows how important selection processes are. In those parts of the world where the participation of children and young people in policy and decision-making is a new phenomenon, adults and children are not really aware of how important proper selection processes are. Where participation is already developed, it has already been extended to actual selection procedures that enabled some children or young people to participate on behalf of their peers. Nevertheless, no matter how children and young people had been selected to participate in the PrepComs or the regional workshops for young people, all then encountered a further process of selection. This was among yourselves, during the Preparatory Workshops, to decide who would represent all of you collectively in the policy debates in the official meeting. A number of young people commented in their responses to the questionnaires that they thought this selection process had been unsatisfactory. An equal number thought that the processes had been satisfactory. The TGP, the adult facilitators and all of you who participated, began to give more and more time to working out what was the fairest and most effective way of choosing young representatives. The concern was not only about making a selection from within preparatory workshops to the adult conference. It was also about making a selection of participants from those Children's Organisations and groups, back home, to come to the high profile international events, in the first place. Selection of participants does not just concern participation in international high profile events. Nor is it only relevant to national policy debates. It is also highly relevant to any kind of training workshop for children and young people to learn skills: Skills in facilitation. These will enable you - young people - to facilitate the participation of other children and young people, of adults, and also of adults and children together Skills in negotiation. These skills will enable you to engage with people who have some power to change things at different levels in the countryCommunication Skills. Skills in using new and different media for communication: like oral presentations in meetings art and wall painting; digital video for lobbying; radio and television broadcast; newspapers and magazines; Theatre for Development [TfD]Skills in enabling you to represent other children and young people. This is, in fact, exactly what selection is all about.If you would like to know more about Best Practice in Selection, you should get a copy, either electronically or by post, of one or more of the Guidelines. You can get the TGP Guidelines from sstevenson@savethechildren.ca . In South Asia the International Save the Children Alliance in Bangladesh are producing Guidelines. In East Asia and the Pacific, Save the Children UK and a Consortium of NGOs in the Philippines are doing so as well. In Africa, Save the Children UK in Abidjan have already produced their Notes on Selection and these are obtainable. Lessons in being adequately prepared Most of you who participated in the PrepComs in New York were very pleased indeed to have been well prepared for your active interventions in the high level adult meetings. However, the preparation for the regional inter-ministerial meetings around the world was affected by more young people coming to those meetings unprepared and not even participating in the Preparatory Workshops for young participants. Those of you who did attend the Preparatory Forums and Workshops that were arranged for you became very well informed and contributed significantly in the Ministerial Conference. The impact on the government ministers of the young people who were less well informed was less remarkable than it should have been. Some of you who did not attend preparatory meetings, either in New York or for the Regional Meetings, commented that you should have been able to do so. Only one or two young participants who did not attend preparatory workshops thought that this had made no difference to their participation in the adult meeting. The obvious lesson to be learned here is that if you are selected by your peers to attend a workshop or conference or meeting or training programme, you should make sure that there is a preparatory workshop for you and your colleagues. If adults have not arranged a preparatory workshop for young participants, remind them they should. Or try to organise one yourselves. A good preparatory workshop will enable you to learn what you need to know about the context in which your event is taking place. A good preparatory workshop will give you space and independence to clarify what it is you think is important and needs to be said. You should also make sure that the workshop also gives you some useful skills training - usually in communication, analysis and in negotiation.Insist on such a workshop as your right, as a participant! Part of the learning here is that good preparation takes a lot of adult resources - their time and their organisation's money - and it takes a lot of your time and a lot of your energy. If you are not able to give the time it takes to be properly prepared, you should not be representing other children and young people.Lessons for children and young people about follow-up Follow-up activities have focused on the National Plans of Action in countries and the Global Movement for Children. This focus has become the focus of the organisations that have driven the Special Session process forward: UNICEF, Save the Children, Plan International, World Vision, ENDA [in West Africa] at an international level. At a country level, NGO and civil society coalitions have focused on these as well, especially on the NPA. For these organisations, and especially for the adults in them who are concerned to keep working on  child rights and children's participation in civil society, the main lesson that has been learned has been about the resources needed for follow-up. Two phrases that are increasingly being used in relation to the follow-up to the Special Session are: "an enabling environment""mainstreaming children's participation"For the young participants, your many responses to what should happen about follow up contain a considerable amount of individual commitment to doing a number of things back in your various countries. A great deal of this was not dependent on any adult organisation or group of adults. This was what many of you said you were going to do by yourselves and on your own initiative. They involved a range of activities and initiatives: reporting back to the young people who selected you to go to the particular event; talking to a lot of other children - in school, in clubs - about all the issues and learning; writing articles for the local newspaper. And so on. Did these undertakings happen? If they did, what kind of response did individuals get from their enthusiastic sharing of the experience with other young people? If the follow-up promised by you or the adults did not happen, do you have any idea why they did not happen. Have you been able to talk about why these things did not or could not happen with other people?A really disappointing thing is that many adults, in adult organisations like NGOs and civil society groups, do not follow up on all they commit to do in a conference or workshop. Equally disappointing, though, is that most young people involved in the SSoC process did not believe that their governments would follow up on what they promised to do in conferences like the Special Session.The failure to follow-up, with effective action, all that has been agreed in documents at a policy conference can be partly a result of rediscovering a different set of priorities once you get back home and have to get back into your routines. Adults in over-worked NGOs in difficult countries certainly find that this is the case. The failure to follow-up is also partly a result of different kinds of politics and ideologies (ways of thinking or working). The politics may be the politics within organisations. Or the politics may also be because the policies of different organisations clash and contradict each other. Or it may be ideological differences between organisations and governments.  These reasons are all bad news for young people. But they are facts of political life; and we have to cope with them.Many of the responses on the U18 questionnaires, and in the evaluations carried out independently with children in various countries, express confusion and dismay about the endless arguments over words in the proposed Outcome Document. But if you are participating with your young colleagues in what are billed as high-level policy-making events, you probably need to learn the politics among adult organisations that shape these big events. These politics may affect follow-up and sometimes explain why such follow-up does not happen. The question then arises, for many of the adults attending the conference, about whether they can make compromises over matters of principle. The alternative to negotiation and compromise is what happened in America on September 11th last year and subsequently in retaliation in Afghanistan.Lessons from the Special Session for your adult life This section is primarily for those who are now [as you read this report] 17, 18 and 19 years old. I imagine, from what all of you have written, that you have had an important and significant experience participating in a high profile event, either in your own country, or in an event in your region, or in New York. Some of you are now in university or higher education. Some other young people who participated in the same events have come from impoverished communities and they are already living adult lives, working, perhaps already married, and trying to negotiate change. This section is more of a "questioning" section than a "telling" section. The adolescents I have met and have had some discussions with, are now rightly getting on with their lives, at university, or working. But they were also missing the buzz and excitement and the overwhelming purpose of the experience. Some of those whose lives are a struggle, because of poverty, wonder about that purpose in their lives and in their communities, once they get back into their school or their work or their homes. For many, back home life continues to be very tough.There is an assumption among adults involved in promoting your participation in civil society that those of you, as adults, will be keen for the next generation of young people to become involved like you did in the various participatory processes. The assumption is that as adults you will support and encourage the continuing extension of the Global Movement for Children. I have been unable to find out any hard evidence on which that assumption might be based; and perhaps it will only be proven or disproved in many years time.At the heart of the SSoC - both the preparations and the event itself - is what adults call a democratic and consensual process. This democratic and consensual process is, in fact, the UN ethos of inclusion, negotiation and compromise, rather than a quick resort to violence and war. In this sense, then, have there been positive lessons for you as adolescents from your engagement in this UN / NGO enterprise? Or will the inevitable compromises be just a lesson in frustration? [There are no answers to this at the moment - but you could try and answer it for yourselves.]For the facilitators of children and young people This section concerns the learning from the Special Session process for the facilitators at national, regional and international events. It is addressed to the U18 facilitators and the adult facilitators.Lessons to be learned from facilitating the participation large groups of children and young people in a number of simultaneous events. One lesson I - as a facilitator of children and young people - have learned from this evaluation of the SSoC process is that (a) children and young people want many more of their peers to be involved in the events; and (b) this means that facilitation will be for large groups. The Children's Parliament in Sri Lanka had a preparatory workshop with 125 children and young people; and the 3rd PrepCom had a similar number of participants for the Preparatory Workshop. The planning for the Children's Forum to precede the Special Session itself anticipated more than 350 children and young people. The TGP documents show something of the detail needed to planning such a Workshop that would - prepare the participants for the adult meeting; set up appropriate procedures for selecting who would go to what session and say what;  and at the same time make the workshop fully participatory for such a large group of individuals. Those who have successfully organised preparatory workshops for large groups of young people [who do not know each other and who are required to prepare themselves for participation in an adult meeting] need to share what they have learned with all of us. They need to get down on paper or in a CD-ROM what they found works well and what does not work.One recommendation I would make to the TGP is that they fund SSoC facilitators to compile a facilitation manual for large groups. This could be published in a number of languages. It should definitely be child-friendly, because more and more young people will want to use it, provided they find it accessible. Most facilitators of children or young people work with much smaller groups. We consider 50 to be a large group, Our tools and exercises usually envisage plenary sessions involving up to 50, interspersed with small groups of anything from 6 - 12 participants.  However we must expect to work with much larger groups in the context of U18s becoming involved in monitoring the NPAs or in furthering the Global Movement for Children. We need to know how to make large preparatory workshops for these in-country agendas both purposeful AND participatory. The combination of purpose and full participation is what the TGP struggled to achieve.   Lessons to be learned by facilitators about follow-up Facilitators may find it especially difficult to take responsibility for follow-up to the Special Session. This is because in most instances the facilitators are not also managers of programmes. They do not necessarily have significant decision-making roles inside organisations that are charged with initiating or carrying out follow up strategies. Yet they are probably the ones to whom the young participants in the various regional and international events will turn, if they can, for some post-event support.  The operative words there are "if they can". Those with email and internet access probably can and will contact one or other of their facilitators after the dust has settled on the Special Session. But, from the evidence I have, most of the young participants do not have, as yet, access to email.But then - the facilitators themselves are probably not in a position to respond to even 25% of those whom they have facilitated in New York or in one of the Regional or National events [I'm thinking of the 125 in Sri Lanka]. And even if they could find the time, they probably wouldn't quite know what to say that helped the young person, or had any substance.This would be another recommendation I would like to make to the TGP. I think it might be helpful for participants and facilitators alike to have some kind of six months' communications project that would -Determine what facilitators could communicate [from the TGP, from UNICEF, from other agencies, from government].Negotiate with the facilitators' employers [who probably come from the same set of agencies just listed] for a paid percentage of their employee's time to be in personal email contact with a list of young participants in different parts of the world.Encourage adults in organisations linked to each of the young participants to find ways to give them email access [if they don't have it] plus training in using it.Use this as a way of disseminating post-SSOC / NPA / GMfC updates and inter-country, inter-regional exchange.Lessons about the need for an in-country enabling adult environmentThe facilitator's role in the in-country enabling environment that so many adults and children have referred to as being vital for their participation in the NPA and the GMfC would be a training role. In the first instance, facilitators would have to step up training of the adults in the organisations most concerned with building up an enabling environment. The training would be in facilitation skills. It would almost certainly involve more experimentation with new tools for facilitating participation in very large groups.  The TGP, together with the International Save the Child Alliance and NGO coalitions within countries, should compile a list of facilitators of children's participation in research, policy, analysis and negotiation who contributed to the process over the past 20 months. For the International Save the Children Alliance & Save the Children Head Offices This section concerns the lessons that many adults and children feel the Alliance Secretariat and Senior Managers in Head Offices of Save the Children ought to note. Lessons about the selection of young participantsThere was considerable concern about young people who were simply nominated to go to New York, either by NGOs, the UN agencies or by governments. The criticism is that children thus nominated are not representative of other children. Neither they are broadly representative of other young people, for example with some understanding of disadvantaged and marginalised peers in their own countries. Nor are they representative of a specific group of children, for example, representing children in hazardous work.At a country level, the selection of children and young people is the starting point of any new process in participation. It has to be. No process of participation for any high profile event should omit this starting point. This will only happen if selection, like all other aspects of "Best Practice" in active and independent participation, is institutionalised within the International Save the Children Alliance and its member Save the Childrens, at all levels. The reason for ensuring that good practice in the selection of children and young people is an across-the-board practice is because it takes staff time: management staff time and field staff time. It has to be part of every one's work plan; and the practice of selection has to be monitored by management. This, therefore, relates to every country office and field office of Save the Children.Selection is closely related to policies of inclusion. Inclusion, in turn, links in closely with representation. In making selection procedures institutionally supported, Save the Children will need to allocate resources to enable the children and young people who are making selection of their peers to an event or a training understand why there ought to be policies of inclusion. Young people need to understand before they select their peers for any event sponsored by Save the Children that there ought to be adequate representation of disadvantaged groups. These would involve some positive action to include a balance of gender, age and disability. It would also include taking into account minority groups within any community. Young people need to understand the principles of inclusion and they will then be able to reflect these principles in the ways in which they make their selection of individuals to represent them. This again takes staff time.Child Protection Policies One of the major successes of the SSoC that we need to acknowledge is the emphasis that the TGP gave to the issue of Child Protection. It is impossible to be involved in enabling children and young people to participate in civil society at whatever level - not just in high profile events - without having policies for "Best Practice" in Child Protection. It is important to consider the allocation of resources - chaperones, back-up procedures, monitoring arrangements, volunteers briefed on child protection policies - and then to set this against the absence of individual tragedy or crisis. To be successful in future organisers will need those resources. That then needs to be budgeted for, funded and actually provided.There is, however, a further lesson to be learned concerning child protection. It has been raised by John Parry-Williams, among others, and concerns the political protection of children and young people who become involved in civil society. Enough examples have been collected by Save the Children in different parts of the world to show that adult power is very often cruelly wielded over children. It would be logical to assume that young people who challenge powerful people who are handsomely profiting from exploiting children in one way or another are automatically in danger of cruel behaviour towards them by adults who are politically masked. Adults in a particular Save the Children programme who encourage children and young people to speak their minds will need to be institutionally prepared to support them, even though this may challenge powerful interests. Lessons about the need for an in-country enabling adult environment One of the lessons to be learned from the SSoC process is that with adequate and timely resources children can achieve a great deal in their own interest. They will an impact. However, without these resources continuing to be available within Save the Children's programmes in countries around the world, harassed and over-worked field staff will not be able to continue the support and facilitation young people ask them for. After the big event, when all the excitement has died down, staff will be struggling to catch up with their agency's routine corporate demands on them from Head Office. They will have to say: "Really sorry, but" to the young people who come to them expecting the same kind of co-operation they had from the same Save the Children in New York or Kathmandu or Vientiane. And they will be failing to support their continuing participation in civil society. A lot of the children questioned said they feared this scenario, although they said they were not asking for a favour but claiming a right. Every Save the Children staff member who was involved in the SSoC preparations signalled that support for the Special Session that was not followed by adequate resources for their programmes at regional and country level would mean that their participation had been tokenistic. It would in fact reduce the whole process and the Special Session itself to a corporate PR exercise that benefited the agency and not the children.Lessons for the focus of efforts in the future Assuming that the Special Session itself is successful in terms of children's participation in the event, there will be likely to be pressure on Save the Children staff at a corporate level to commit for further international events at which children play a significant role. It is important the International Save the Children Alliance and the Save the Children Member Organisations at an executive level to note that there is a substantial view from the regional and country offices that the base of children's participation in civil society now needs to be widened at the country level. Some of the adults committed to the NPAs and the GMfC would like to see resources devoted to this in countries rather than at another international event. However, many young people who participated in the Special Session have said would love to attend another international event. There are issues that still need to be resolved about the relationship of high profile events to local initiatives. This may be an important issue for the Alliance Task Group on Participation, to take an open and even-handed approach. This evaluation has shown that there are a number of exciting initiatives going on in various countries around the world, to match the successful initiatives of the TGP in the international arena. In some of the countries, Save the Children has been successful as an Alliance in promoting children to promote their own issues. In other countries the International Save the Children Alliance relationship has been more difficult and has hindered rather than helped children's rights and participatory processes. This perhaps need to be addressed urgently at the corporate level as Save the Children seeks to fulfil Objective 4.For In-Country Save the Childrens, NGOs, COs and Civil Society groups This section looks at the lessons of the SSoC for in-country coalitions that came together in the process of children's participation.Children's participation in civil society strengthens all civil societySSoC preparations involving children and young people have been significant for NGOs and civil society organisations. This is true for economically developed countries as much as for those countries in the South who extensively engaged young people in the process. The lesson appears to be, from all the evidence in the previous chapters, that young people's participation in civil society gives a great boost to adult civil society groups. Some of the reasons for this might be:The need to acquire new skills in order to facilitate children's participation in policy and active decision-making. These skills relate to collective creativity in various media; new and vivid ways of approaching analysis and strategy; and better communication and negotiation skills.NGOs and CSOs get different perspectives from young people themselves on child rights and also human rights. Priorities for tackling infringements change. Issues regarding representation and inclusion become deeper as young people get involved in the principles behind them.In the Special Session process specifically, the coalitions between the adult NGOs and children and young people have given civil society within countries a much more powerful voice, which were then reflected in the NGO arrangements for Side Events planned for the Special Session itself in May 2002.This has translated into a significant role of these NGOs and their coalitions in the follow-up to the Special Session, particularly in relation to the NPAs and the GMfC.Young people encountered in the various regional meetings and PrepComs other young people - some of whom were really quite young - who were part of Children's Organisations, set up and run by children themselves. It was also from these organisations that other adult NGOs learned the new skills listed above.This leads us into the next gain from the SSoC preparations that in-country agencies need to acknowledge and react to.Lessons about creating an enabling environment for children's participation in civil society The lesson to be learned in connection with this was very well summed up by a number of children and young people who wanted adults to help create the enabling environment for them to participate in civil society. At the same time they also wanted to have their own space in which their ideas and collective strategies could emerge.This is an especially significant concern for most of the children and young people. It is referred to, under issues relating to follow-up, in the responses to the questionnaires for this evaluation, but also in many other reports, guidelines and "Best Practice" documents.  Assuming that organisations like UNICEF and Save the Children put in sufficient resources - money and their trained staff - it will then fall to in-country agencies and coalitions to use those resources to create the enabling environment for children and young people's participation. This enabling environment is one in which children and young people will be able to take individual and collective initiatives to engage with those powerful people in their lives who are already taking decisions that affect them.What this evaluation shows, I hope, is that there are already some countries where this enabling environment already exists.  There are also emerging examples of direct country-to-country collaboration involving a sharing of effective strategies for "mainstreaming" children's participation in civil society. There are also a number of Children's Organisations who may already be in a position to share with other groups of young people in other countries "Best Practice". There is also a proposal from the TGP that an international Workshop on Children's Organisations should be convened to debate issues of how to help, COs and to share strategies.  Training of staff and field  workers in skills to facilitate children and young people's participation There are now an increasing number of adults in NGOs in various parts of the world who are trained in facilitating the collective participation of children and young people in various kinds of events. Previously these skills were the prerogative of those primary school teachers who had been trained in activity-based child-centred learning. Well-trained and well-motivated schoolteachers tended to use their wonderful facilitation skills with children and young people only within the school. Now, these important skills have escaped from the classroom and become a core skill of adults who work with children who are engaging with civil society.There are already a number of packages for Facilitation Skills Training for staff of NGOs and CSOs.  Some of these packages are available from the facilitators for the Preparatory Workshops for the PrepComs and Children's Forum for the Special Session, Ravi Karkara.  Ravi also set up the Yahoo! Group Child Participation email network in South Asia. There has been an amazing number of skills exchanges over the past months among this email group. It has involved training manuals, strategies and specialist skills.Lessons to be learned about the selection of young participantsLocal and National NGOs and CSOs probably know already, at all levels of their hierarchies, that the selection of children and young people is the starting point of any new process in participation. However, the evaluation also showed that there is not much difference between local NGOs simply nominating the poor children they think should go to a high profile meeting, and governments who do this with children of the political and business class. Child Protection PoliciesNGOs and civil society groups need assurance that events away from their localities in which children from their projects participate have put in place an adequate set of child protection policies. The TGP records of the decisions they took in relation to this show the levels of authority and accountability that need to be in place in order to ensure that children are protected. Children and young people need to know these arrangements and their own responsibilities in this regard as well before they leave their homes and localities. This role falls to the participating adult agency or children's organisation handling the representation.Regional LearningThere are inter-regional lessons to be learned from the SSOC process. In every region there is some exciting new initiatives around children's participation. In some countries these are at a seemingly nonviable scale and are felt by the young people and the local NGO alike to be unsustainable. In other countries, and indeed in some other regions like Europe and Latin America, children's participation in civil society almost seems to be at the stage of being irreversibly "mainstreamed". The problem is that the links between countries that are in different regions are difficult to establish. It is even difficult for Save the Children to link up its regional programmes and regional offices, both at the level of the Alliance overall and at the level of even one member organisation's regional work. A first effort seems to be to try to link regions much more creatively. This would be a role for international agencies that have country programmes in different regions.  For UNICEF and other UN and INGO Partners Selection of young participants The TGP, as well as the organisers of the country and regional preparatory meetings of young people, have often had to deal with their concerns about the way children and young people were selected for meetings in the preparatory workshops themselves. They have used the preparatory workshops to prepare them for a better level of representation about children's and young people's issues at the adult meeting. The lesson here is that a proper selection process, in which ultimately children and young people select their peers to represent them, is an integral part of the participation of young people in civil society. Not to insist on "Best Practice" in participation is to make children and young people's participation in high profile events "tokenistic". The TGP also wanted the regional workshops to try and ensure that children participating in the regional ministerial conferences were, as a group, broadly representative of disadvantaged groups. They were keen that children and young people would bring together a group that had gender balance, ethnic balance, children and young people with disabilities, children and young people in hazardous and difficult circumstances. Young people who are selecting their peers to participate in a high profile policy meeting need to understand the principle of inclusion. This relates to the balance between children and young people from countries with highly developed economies and children and young people from impoverished countries.The organisers of the regional meetings either asked local NGOs and CSOs to select children [Europe, South East Asia and Central Asia] and/or Children's Organisations [Europe, South Asia & Latin America] or in-country offices of INGOs from their projects [South East Asia and Africa]. However, there were instances where young people appeared as participants as ad hoc nominees of individual adults. The lesson to be learned here is that these were the young people who ultimately were disadvantaged.Children's participation in civil society strengthens all civil societyOne of the most exciting lessons to be learned from the inclusion of children and young people in the preparations for the Special Session has been that their participation has in fact strengthened civil society. The importance of the Special Session and its high profile meant that NGOs and civil society organisations who were keen to enable children and young people to participate in the preparations could engage significantly with their governments in the preparatory events. NGOs and CSOs needed to acquire skills of facilitation. These involved approaching meetings and discussions in completely different ways to which they are accustomed to working as adults. For example, adults had to learn how to facilitate games, dramas, art and gain skills in being able to innovate new ways to conceptualise problems and strategies.  The SSoC preparations occurred at the right moment historically, as Children's Organisations, in different parts of the world, were already impacting on local - and national - government and experiencing some exciting achievements. These COs were drawn into the mainstream adult NGO world. Issues began to be seen in a different light. Adult Child Rights organisations found themselves recasting their priorities around young people's perceptions of the infringements of their rights.I think that the lesson to be learned by UNICEF is about this relationship of civil society to children's participation. This is where the Global Movement for Children will be increasingly located. Children's independent forums will be set up by coalitions from within civil society. The way civil society develops around GMfC initiatives will affect the way the National Plans of Action are implemented, country by country.Michael Etherton: 23rd July 2002 Supplementary Information from Central AmericaThe Alliance commitment to support the participation of children and adolescents in the UN Special Session was first raised by Carolyn Miller (SC UK HQ) in the Regional Alliance meeting in Mexico in March 2000. The Central America Alliance identified it as a priority and set up a working group.The working group drew up TOR which were shared and agreed in their first meeting in El Salvador in May 2000. These TOR outlined support for the participation of children and adolescents in the SSoC preparatory process and support for the participation of civil society in the same. SCUK, as the lead agency within the Alliance for the SSoC process, was asked to co-ordinate the group. Focal points were agreed for each country - SCUK for Honduras, SCUS for El Salvador, SCS for Nicaragua, SCG for Guatemala and SCM for Mexico - with the responsibility for developing the work in each country.While the region engaged early in the SSoC process, they were hampered in their early (during 2000) preparations by an initial lack of guidance / direction from HQ (SC UK) as well as by a lack of funds. Both these issues were resolved by late 2000  early-mid 2001 when the Alliance appointed a Participation Co-ordinator for the SSoC and allocated a limited budget for work around childrens participation and the SSoC.Information within countries about the SSoC process was initially (in 2000) hard to come by.   Another initial source of confusion revolved around information that Plan International would be the lead agency for work on childrens participation. This seems to have been resolved by the time of / after the Vth Ministerial Meeting which took place in Jamaica from 9-13 October 2000.The Vth Ministerial Meeting on Social Policy on Children in the AmericasThe Jamaica meeting was the first high level regional meeting in which civil society NGOs and children and young people were invited to participate. As such, it was groundbreaking, setting a precedent for future events. The Jamaican government is to be congratulated on its political commitment to this innovatory process. They sought to include not only children and adolescents who came as official members of the government delegations, but children and adolescents from civil society. The criteria for the children chosen from civil society included the criterion that they had strong links in childrens participation processes and social movements in their respective countries that would enable them to take forward the Special Session process after the VMM.Within the regional Alliance group there had been concern that while children and young people would participate as members of government delegations in this key regional preparation meeting for the SSoC they would not necessarily be representative as they were being selected by governments without consultation with civil society organisations working directly with children and young people. This seems to have been resolved when the Alliance in Central America was asked by the meetings Coordinating Committee to identify children and young people from the Americas to participate in the event. On arrival, the Alliance met with logistical and methodological chaos and as a result assumed responsibility for facilitating the process of children and adolescents participation and improving the logistics. Plan International then took responsibility for the NGO participation. The Alliance members from Central America also met with SC Canada HQ who were responsible for the workshop on childrens participation. This had not been communicated beforehand to the Central America Alliance members which seems to have been symptomatic of early mis- or lack of communication around SSoC preparations within the Alliance as a whole.A serious problem emerged during the meeting in relation to child protection policies. SC Alliance, with the support of Plan International and UNICEF, decided to assume responsibility for improving this situation. We took responsibility for ensuring the protection and care of the children and young people we had invited and attempted to ensure that there were minimal structures and systems in place for the other children.In part based on the Jamaica experience, as well as SCs ongoing commitment to the rigorous application of child protection policies in all areas of its work, the TGP considered it a priority to ensure that child protection policies were in place and enforced within the Alliance at all further international preparatory processes for the SSoC  and, ultimately, at the SSoC itself. And that, in addition, partner organisations were encouraged to put in place good child protection policies to ensure the well-being of children in their care at these international events.At one level the VMM was a significant success for the Alliance. We turned a decorative exercise in participation into a meaningful one and this was recognised by all external actors. At another level it highlighted our weaknesses internally. The Alliance had no shared approach to participation. SCUK as the lead agency had no clear approach at the time either.A child participation strategy for Central America, Mexico and the CaribbeanAs a result of the Jamaica meeting, SC Alliance in the region was willing and able to assume leadership of the child participation process in the SSoC. However the above-mentioned lack of clarity in the approach to participation led to a range of debates on where the focus of the Alliances work should be: on participation in international forum or on building up national processes? Different countries took different options and, according to the national context, engaged in a mixture of participation in the international SSoC forum and in national awareness raising and constituency building.The Central America and Caribbean Alliance was invited to participate in the TGP, initially via the SCUK Programme Director. However, she had other responsibilities and Tom Lent, Regional Advisor to SC UK and SC Norway took over as the regional co-ordinator funded by SC UK and SC Norway. Through Tom Lent the region was able to make a positive contribution to the TGP and the TGP valued his work greatly. SC UK also hired another consultant to support co-ordination work in the region. SC UK translated and circulated key documents, organised the logistics for the participation of children from different countries in the region in international preparatory events and organised an Alliance meeting on the SSoC in Latin America and the Caribbean. SC Sweden, who led the work in South America, eventually joined the Central America and the Caribbean working group turning it into a Latin America and the Caribbean group.By 15 August 2000, SC Alliance Central America had drafted an SSoC strategy with the following strategic objectives:To strengthen the participation of civil society organisations with a child rights perspective in the UN Special Session processTo strengthen the representative and empowering participation of children and young people in the UN Special Session process.The core strategies identified underpinned the SC regional Alliance focus on both the quality of participation efforts as well as the representative nature of the children and young people involved.This strategy was further refined in a meeting of SC Central America members in Honduras on 19 January 2001. Between January and November 2001, the overriding objective in relation to child participation would be to contribute to meaningful children and adolescents participation in political decisions that affect them.This strategy was implemented at the country level in a variety of ways. For example, SC UK in Honduras lobbied (ultimately successfully) for the incorporation of children and young people in the official Honduran government delegation to the 3rd PrepCom (11-15 June) and the Special Session as part of the strategy of generating an environment of openness and support towards child and adolescent participation in the processThey realised that achieving this would need a good communications strategy which would get the message across to the main audiences and would also help to overcome (potential / real) opposition to childrens participation. al incluir los jvenes en la delegacin oficial de Honduras, el gobierno estar demostrando la importancia que le da a los puntos de vista de la niez y la juventud a nivel nacional y internacional. Esta es una manera muy practica para mostrar como el gobierno hondureo esta tomando en serio las voces de los nios, las nias y la juventud.As a result of the SC Alliance regional strategy, national consultations with children and young people around the draft Outcome document A World Fit for Children were held in Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and Nicaragua. In Cuba there was a successful meeting with children to obtain their inputs for the Seriously Big Book, a SC Communications initiative. In Haiti SC strongly and successfully advocated for the Global Movement for Children (GMC).In addition, a regional meeting which brought together children and young people from Central America, Panama, Mexico and the Dominican Republic was held in San Pedro Sula (Honduras) from 24-26 May 2001. The young people facilitated the meeting. Adults were present to support them but did not lead the event. The participants from this meeting took the outcomes to the 3rd PrepCom in New York (June 2001).Children evaluating their participationSC UK in the region facilitated and co-ordinated the evaluation of the participation of Honduran children and young people in the preparatory national and regional processes and their participation in the 2nd and 3rd PrepComs in New York. The evaluation in Honduras offered the following insights which show the (positive) progression in the quality of child participation in the process:Before the meeting in Jamaica we received bits of information in meetings with CoiprodenThe regional meeting was facilitated by children, that was very good. We talked about what is missing in the Outcome Document; we checked it to know what was missing, we talked about the purpose of the Outcome Document and why child participation is necessary. It was a very important process.Deficiency: the Outcome Document has not been made known at national level.  The government and NGOs should make known the Outcome DocumentDuring the 3rd PrepCom, the children and young people evidently valued their participation, especially in the Latin America Caucus.[A young boy] was president of the CaucusThe Latin America Caucus was the best organised Caucus, it helped us a lot to hear that in other Latin American countries problems exist similar to ours, it helped us to talk about this, to compare the situation between various countries, and we could improve our proposals.The meetings with the Caucus were easier because they were meetings with Spanish speakersas opposed to the preparatory U18 meeting for the 3rd PrepCom which was a bit difficult because there were many children and languages and lots of translationsThere was much participation in the Caucus, because we all had the opportunity to give presentations. It wasnt like that in the preparatory workshopOther insights and observations reflect the tensions / contradictions in relation to being a government delegate:When we arrived in New York there was a meeting with the Embassy and we were told that we had to be careful with what we were going to say, because we were members of the official delegation and couldnt speak out against the governmentThe children in NGO delegations were not allowed to participate in every meeting. It was noticed that there was some friction between children on government delegations and those on NGO delegationsSome governments had a lot of contact with the young people on their delegations. The Honduran children didnt have much contact with the head of the delegation. While the children attended childrens meetings or Caucus meetings, the head of the delegation attended official delegations. There was little communication, maybe we met three timesThe following suggestions were made:The boy or girl that is going to participate in the Special Session should communicate/ meet before with the presidentThe government should be invited to preparatory activities The government should know about the ideas of children and we should share informationThe following observations were also made in relation to the preparatory process:Its best when a child explains to another child what the Outcome Document means, because adults sometimes use words that a child doesnt understand. Children use childrens wordsIn the preparatory process we can distinguish between two levels: the theory (the document) and practice (Honduran reality). How to establish a link between both levels?They also mentioned the need to engage adults who play a large role in childrens lives:Many parents dont know anything about the document, they also need information because without education they dont know that its not good to hit children, or that children have the right to go to school in stead of working all day.For the children participating, the best things were:Construct communication networksWe like meetings like this one (the evaluation) and we would like to have more meetings with boys, girls and young people nationwide, because we learn from each other and can share experiences etc. If it isnt possible to meet, we could write letters or look for other ways of communicationAs an immediate follow up to the 3rd PrepCom the children involved had organised meetings and workshops to share the draft Outcome document with other children and young people, participated in radio and television programmes and written newspaper articles. Some had also been involved in a Round Table with mayoral candidates on childrens rights.Evaluating the work of the Alliance (Honduras, January 2002)A regional alliance meeting on the SSoC process took place in Honduras in January 2002 with the participation of representatives and programme staff from the regional SC members involved in the SSoC process. Representatives from South America also participated. An evaluation of the process took place and a work plan was designed for future activities and co-operation. The strengthening of the relationship between Central and South America was seen as very positive. Below are the major results of the SWOT analysis.Strengths:We have national, regional and international coverage.We have become an important actor in various countries on the SSoC process and CYP participation as well as internationally.We have developed a methodological proposal that will enable us to realise our strategic proposal.We are all committed to developing CYP participation in the NPA process and generally.We want to work together in this theme.TGP participation has enabled us to influence the Alliance at global level and learn from experiences in other Regions.Weaknesses:Our methodological proposal for the CYP participation is still weak.Recognition at global level of our needs  money, human resources, information  was late or not received.There is still a lack of global clarity about CYP participation and methodologies for the same.Opportunities:Possibility for contributing to the creation of systems and methodologies which facilitate the meaningful participation of CYPs.Opportunities for the participation of CYPs in the design and implementation of NPAs and social audit of governments implementation of their commitments.Opportunities to continue to strengthen CYP participation and awareness of its importance.Major influencing opportunities as a result of credibility gained.Threats:Lack of global commitment on behalf of the Alliance to follow up on participation of CYPs in the implementation of the SSoC CommitmentsEconomic crisis will mean that CYP participation falls of the list of priorities.Impact of September 11th  weakening of human rights approaches to development.Guatemala: SC Guatemala, with the support of the Alliance members in Guatemala, officially made the proposal of helping to organise a process of Youth and Children Participation and Protagonism, from the local level, to district and national level.The Global Movement on Children (GMChG) in Guatemala was integrated by (I)NGOs, civil society and UNICEF. There were certain difficulties in obtaining the support and even the consent of the other members of the GMChG, in getting the process started, in participating in it, in organising the different events and in providing funds for it.The presence and the full participation of the National Member (SCG) together with the joint strength of all Save the Children International Members present in Guatemala (SCD, SCN, SCS, SCUK and SCUS) was crucial in getting a favourable decision from the GMChG and also from several of the most important Guatemalan NGOs and Coordinating bodies.There were a total of 16 official District, Provincial and Regional Summits of Youth and Children in the whole country, from 22 May to 16 July 2001, with a total number of 617 participants, most of them representing several thousand more children.  Official summits were those organised and approved by the GMChG; in addition to them, there were 9 preparatory gatherings, at local level to select delegates to some of the Provincial and Regional Summits.Including the preparatory meetings, there was an approximate total of 2,464 delegates, with 32% participation of women, with a 14 years of age average.  52% came from rural areas with 48% coming from urban ones.The National Summit took place on 6 and 7 August 2001, with 105 delegates, representatives coming from 21 out of the 22 Guatemalan Provinces (only Santa Rosa Province's delegates were not present due to the very short time left to get permits from the school).  They discussed all the proposals and demands of all previous processes and produced the Document "OUR VOICE IS BEING LISTENED TO", including the opinions about the situation of children in Guatemala, the demands to the Government to act on them, and their proposals to advance in the solutions of the main problems.Finally, there was an official and formal handing over of the document to the President of Guatemala, in August.  There the President committed himself and his Government to the Document as the bases to write down the National Plan of Action for Children.  He also promised to increase the Guatemalan delegation to the UN Special Session on Children by six children, all of them present during the event (eventually the government did not provide support for all six of them)HaitiIn the context of Haiti the Alliance has seen the SSoC / GMC as a key opportunity to promote childrens rights and development of civil society organisations in favour of the CRC.A Co-ordinating Committee made up of the Alliance, UNICEF, Plan International, World Vision and the three national NGO-co-ordinators was formed, as well as a network of 28 local NGOs promoting the content of the Outcome Document and the GMC.  The Co-ordinating Committee organised a consultation on GMC priorities with 4,579 children.53.9% prioritised education; 47.74% prioritised poverty reduction and 37.74% prioritised HIV/AIDS prevention and attention.  SCUK and SCC promoted a TV programme for and by young people on HIV/AIDS (world aids day), December 2001. The network developed through the SSoC work produced the alternative report on Child Rights in Haiti. The SSoC work also enabled the formation of a network of children and young people promoters of childrens rights. CubaCuba participated in the production of the Seriously Big Book, with contributions from 1068 children in 9 departments in the country.PROMOTING PARTICIPATION IN A WORLD OF RIGHTS  The participation of children and young people, and civil society in the regional process leading up to the Special Session for Children INCLUDEPICTURE "C:\\WINDOWS\\TEMP\\C.Lotus.Notes.Data\\Logo Suecia copia.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET Save the Children Sweden is a non-profit organization without any religious or political affiliation made up of approximately 90,000. It was founded in November 1919 and since then, it has focused its activities on the promotion and defense of childrens rights, in supporting children at risk and sensitizing pubic opinion in these issues. Save the Children Sweden bases its work on the United Nations International Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, the worlds largest independent movement committed to fighting for boys, girls and adolescents.Save the Childrens Regional Office for South America is located in Lima, Peru. It operates through its counterparts, mainly non-governmental organizations, in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru. The regional program is focused on making a reality the rights of boys, girls and adolescents by developing the necessary conditions in society and the State.  The work is carried out within a context of respect for the socio-cultural context of each country, promoting always a gender perspective, non-discrimination and tolerance for different local and national values. Save the Children Sweden seeks to increase the knowledge and exercise of childrens rights in society by promoting quality participation of children and young people.  Project Coordinator: Julia EkstedtAuthor: Jorge FreyreTechnical Support: Mora PodestForewardThis document systematizes the local and national level interventions by civil society, including girls, boys and adolescents in the Latin American process leading up to the Special Session for children of the General Assembly of the United Nations.The process has contributed to strengthening the regional work of monitoring the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Through its Regional Office for South America, Save the Children Sweden has sought to promote broad-based and inclusive participation of children and adolescents in local and national processes; to strengthen civil society organizations; to integrate the process at the local and national levels counting on the participation of boys, girls and adolescent; and on exchange and collaboration among civil society actors, advocacy and dialogue with governments to arrive at commitments for the fulfillment of the rights of the Rights of the Child beyond the Special Session.For this reason, we have worked with theme-based networks, children and young people organizations, national coalitions working on the oversight and monitoring of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as international organizations in the region. The work has been carried out in coordination with headquarters offices for Save the Children Sweden, other Save the Children members in Latin America, and the Task Group on Participation of the Save the Children Alliance. We hope that the process carried out is one more step towards a more permanent monitoring of the Convention and of its various mechanisms in the region. With the broad-based involvement of boys, girls and adolescents in the process, we hope that a greater acceptance and understanding has been created about the participation of boys, girls and adolescent in all areas of concern to them. Latin American countries covered by this systemization include Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.Lastly, it is important to thank members of non-governmental organizations, international organizations and agencies and the boys, girls and adolescents of the 16 Latin American countries involved in this systematization who have expressed the real commitment that exists in the region for girls, boys and adolescents. Save the Children Sweden Regional Office for South America Table of Contents IntroductionGeneral frameworkMethodology of the systematizationDefinitions, abbreviationsRegional commitmentsEvents that took placeWritten productsResponsibilities undertakenCivil society participationBoys, Girls and adolescents'   participationLessons learnedA look to the futureAppendixI. Tabla de eventos nacionales, regionales e internacionalesII. Eventos, documentos escritos y compromisos en los niveles:NacionalRegionalInternacional IntroductionGeneral reference framework In Resolution 54/93, of December 7th, 1999 the United Nations General Assembly decided to call for a period of extraordinary sessions to follow up on the World Summit for Children that took place in 1990. In Resolution 55/26, the Assembly decided to convene the extraordinary sessions on the 19th through 21st of September 2001 to be called "Extraordinary Period of Sessions on Children." These sessions finally took place from the 8 to 10 of May 2002. In its Resolution 54/93, the General Assembly established that during the extraordinary period of sessions, in addition to examining the advancements made in the application of the World Declaration for the Survival, Protection and Development of Children and the Action Plan for the Enforcement of the 1990 World Declaration, new commitments would be made and consideration given to activities on behalf of children in the coming decade. In addition, the General Assembly reaffirmed the important role of all relevant agents, including non-governmental organizations, in enforcing the Action Plan and in the need for their active participation in the process.  Moreover, in resolution 55/26, the Assembly highlighted the important role played by girls, boys and adolescents in this process and in this regard, encouraged national states to facilitate and promote the active contribution by children to the preparatory process including inputs into the work of the Preparatory Committee and to the Period of Extraordinary Sessions.  Based on these resolutions taken in June 2000, the first Substantive Meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children took place in New York in June 2000. At the invitation received by the Unicef New York office, as mandated by the Preparatory Committee, representatives of government and civil society of member countries of the United Nations, as well as representatives of international organizations also met. This first international meeting marked a fundamental step in the history of producing the draft United Nations international documents on behalf of children. The process begins with the explicit mandate by the United Nations to recognize all actors working on behalf of children around world as valid and qualified representatives for analyzing and preparing proposals aimed at improving the quality of life of children and adolescents. It then continues with the explicit recognition of the importance of integrating into the process of elaborating the document to be approved by the Special Session on Children, not only government representatives responsible for the issue per country but also to integrate in an active manner and according to their capacities, civil society organizations, as well as boys, girls and adolescents. The process started with a world evaluation of compliance with the goals proposed in the 1990 Summit.  We, the boys and girls: Honoring the promises of the World Summit for Children is a document that was prepared by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan which evaluates the advancements made towards honoring the commitments made to the worlds children and the active participation of all national actors involved along with an evaluation of the economic resources needed for its implementation and follow up.Two years after the first Preparatory Committee, the Special Session on Children takes place between the 8 and 10 of May 2002 in the city of New York, United States. For two consecutive years, the issue of children was an issue of interest for the different countries of the region that extended beyond participation at summits and world events.Understanding that this is not the end of a process but on the contrary a new stage for the children of the world and of the Latin American region, Save the Children proposes the current paper: "Promoting Participation in a World of Rights."  The latter acknowledges the importance of benefiting from lived experience as input into the development and fulfillment of the commitments made.The objective of the systematization is to share the process and define the commitments made by civil society, girls, boys and adolescents of the Latin America region during the preparatory period before the Special Session, as well as during the Session itself. The active participation of the different actors involved made it essential that in the elaboration of this document the opinions and perspectives of the protagonists was taken into account.  Written documents, reports, publications and communications collected during the entire period constitute the essence of the contents of this paper. It is our hope that the wealth of elements included in this paper will contribute to strengthen one more time the permanent and necessary task of continuing to build in the region social policies for children that ensure the complete fulfillment of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. ObjectivesThis document has two main objectives: a) Systematize the participation of civil society and boys, girls and adolescents of the Latin American region during the process leading to the Special Session. b) Prepare a critical analysis of the process carried out, based on the participation of the above named actors during the process itself. The goal is to identify the joint actions undertaken in the framework of the process and to carry out a critical analysis, taking into account the different viewpoints of the stakeholders and the strengths, difficulties and obstacles as identified from the information, reflections and documents provided. MethodologyAn encompassing and in-depth gathering of information required a two-pronged approach. First, a detailed study was carried out of all existing information generated by the different NGOs as well as International agencies and organizations. Second, information was collected directly from the main players (civil society, girls, boys and adolescents), who by looking back on their respective experiences could identify the most relevant components of their participation. The sources of information that were prioritized were the following:  a)- Consultation / surveys using pre-designed questionnaire forms with key actors, both NGOs representatives and girls, boys and adolescents who participated in various events during the process. b)- Gathering and review of correspondence during the entire process among members of the Latin American and Caribbean Caucus.c)- Information gathered from the Internet published by various international organizations or the NGOs themselves relating to the Special Session. d)- Reports on the Preparatory Committees, the Special Session and main regional events prepared by international organizations, NGOs and the Latin American and Caribbean Caucus Coordination Office. e)- Documents, publications and pamphlets from various organizations involved in the process. It is worthwhile mentioning that the criteria used in compiling and organizing the data, was to include as many events, documents and commission reports as possible. However despite the comprehensive approach adopted to examine local, national and international activities, the process was so rich that there were many more activities that took place which are not included here but which also contributed to the richness of the process.  Nevertheless, the information we gathered reflects to a large extent the vitality and commitment of the various participating actors, as well as the responsibilities undertaken by the region.   1. Regional CommitmentThe Latin American and Caribbean region was without a doubt, one of the regions that incorporated with the greatest dynamism and interest the process leading up to the Special Session.  The ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by all countries in the region, allowed for the creation of a social capital, a basic foundation for the process as set out by:The existence of national NGO coalitions set up to oversee and follow up the progress achieved in implementing the CCR and other civil society initiatives and;The presence of the Rio Group and other groupings of regional states involved in country-level negotiations on the Special Session. Perhaps it would be fairer to speak of a regional commitment that started long before the Special Session and which gained international prominence during the session itself allowing for the possibility of renewing strengths and consolidating strong foundations for the future.Analyzing individual governments involvement exceeds the scope of this systematization. However, it is appropriate that in this instance we should recognize the significant role played by the Rio Group in world-level negotiations. This group clearly championed the Convention on the Rights of the Child when decisions were made relating to the goals for the next ten years and also adopted an open and heedful attitude towards civil society proposals.  This way, a road was paved for the recognition and inclusion of civil society positions in the final document.Lastly, the regional network within the Latin American and Caribbean Caucus is, without a doubt, one of the most significant achievements that civil society achieved during the entire process.  The Caucus(a network of exchange, learning, contributions and of positions by civil society and of girls, boys and adolescents of the countries of the region, symbolized the regions ability to undertake a role in defining public policies for children. It also demonstrated the region ability to get organized, remain informed and establish the alliances needed to ensure joint actions. But above all and perhaps the most lasting and deeper achievement was to have strengthened -from a regional perspective - the capacity and motivation of each individual country to continue to foster processes of change for girls, boys and adolescents. Events Protagonism and sense of ownership This section describes the main events that took place in Latin America in the process leading up to the Special Session. To provide a comprehensive view of the various events and initiatives, as well as national and local-level detail, the collected information is presented in a two-entry table enclosed as Annex I to this document. The multiple activities are organized and identified by level of territorial implementation (local, national, sub-regional, regional e international;  date and type of beneficiary and participants as the progressive participation of the different actors in the process is key.A first look at the 155 events that were organized leads to the following general reflection about the position this issue fills in the agendas of governments and civil society around the region. Beyond the commitments made and the various levels of concrete steps taken, it is possible to affirm that during this period, through the various initiatives carried out by NGOs, the review and fulfillment of childrens rights gained a significant place within national agendas as reflected by the multiple events and dissemination efforts that were prepared and carried out in various countries.  It could be said, that in the totality of events prepared there was an active participation of civil society. By location, these events can be classified as follows: 5 international events 11 regional events 10 subregional events 128 national and local events  	Of the 155 events under review: 154 involved civil society 1 event was exclusively for government representatives102 involved the State, civil society and, in many instances, international organizations and agencies102 actively involved children and young people, as well as NGOs, States and international agencies. If we read the above information by country and type of process, we will realize that, initially, these activities emerged spontaneously. Subsequently, a strategic and well-organized plan evolved, as national level processes grew stronger. In this context, the Second Preparatory Committee and the subsequent meetings in January and February 2001 organized in Colombia are a turning point in events in the region. It was at these meetings that agreement was reached on a framework of organized and strategic actions to be carried out at the country and regional level. Among other activities, these frame agreements(defined among other by UNICEF Regional Office, Plan International and Save the Children with involvement of Latin American and Caribbean Caucuss representatives(will be reflected in country-level consultations, participation and surveying activities with boys, girls and adolescents. Also important was the involvement of government organizations and agencies from the various countries with 67% of all events, involving government representatives. Their involvement always took place in close coordination with civil society organizations. Among the initiatives undertaken with governments and their representatives(in addition to seminars, meetings and workshops, etc.(were visits to and interviews with presidents, candidates to public office, ministers and major policy makers responsible for children's and adolescent public policies. Several NGOs contributed to organizing these meetings and assisted in making them known to the general public, thus adding transcendence to the process leading to the Special Session. If an analysis is carried out of the involvement of both sectors (government and non-governmental) during the past decade, a significant progress can be observed in relation to the issue, as well as regarding the challenge of coordination and joint initiatives. Notwithstanding, some interviews indicate:Many promises were made during the event but little will to implement.  These events are characterized by the political image that they wish to project and the promises made, these promises do not materialize in political actions or budgets for implementing them. (Adult from Guatemala).Further ahead we examine the level of responsibility and fulfilment of the commitments made by the government sector.  () we have been invited to talk to some government members about the fulfillment of childrens rights. We have to take advantage of these opportunities to advocate those rights. (Adult from Guatemala).Additionally, we have to highlight the emphasis given to dissemination events and to adopting a common approach towards childrens rights implying the active participation of children and young people. Of all national and local level events, we identified 67% that actively involved children and young people. A total of 102 events included boys and girls in the preparation stage. Several innovative proposals were promoted to enhance the active participation of children.  Among these, opinion polls that facilitated gaining an understanding of responsibilities involved in the process, and participation in regional or international gatherings. The experience was extremely positive for boys and girls and also proved to be a learning experience for local governments and NGOs. Boys and girls found there a major space for participating while making their voices heard at the various meetings throughout the process. (Adult from Ecuador).Additionally, all the major listed stakeholders participated in all 67 events. In each country the events are classified as: dissemination events, press conferences, consultation and report presentations, campaign launchings, and theme related events. The Say Yes to Children campaign was particularly important in various countries and was supported by international agencies, the mass media and other stakeholders. The following topics were highlighted during the events: participation and opinion of children and young people; sexuality and protection against child abuse, and the rights of indigenous children. Gradually, each country clarified its own individual positions and defined an agenda that allowed identifying the outcomes expected from the events. A case in point was participatory consultation with adolescents carried out in countries of the region and the subsequent feedback of that information to public opinion.Various international organizations and agencies played a significant role, as they supported most events where children and young people were present. Documenting the process Written materials(such as position papers, reports, commitments, topical publications and others(were a key tool to providing continuity to and strengthening the process, whether in individual countries or regionally, in the various efforts leading to the Special Session. The products from the various events become real instruments that symbolize the commitments made.  Some of these include graphic materials and, in some cases, audiovisual productions, thus becoming effective commitment tools. In particular, video and CD-ROM productions were increasingly used as a general dissemination tool to impact public opinion. Gradually, a commitment emerged to prepare position and statement papers. Initial agreements were of a general nature but they progressively focused on specific issues. Individual country papers provided a solid foundation for the advances and declarations at a regional level. They include statements made by civil society groups; children and young people organizations and national governments. If we include in our survey all the events that took place during this period, we could clearly recognize a process that gradually gained in depth, richness and momentum. It is expected that the documented main agreements reached at the events will provide inputs for more general papers to support larger scale and broader scope events and activities in future. Documenting the process moreover creates a basis that extends beyond the specifics of the Special Session.  An example of this, are the agreements with government representatives that  in some cases resulted in local actions benefiting girls, boys and adolescents.  Through participating and "documenting" commitments, slowly new positions and daily practices emerge. Documents were prepared by participants from NGOs and national governments, as well the boys, girls and adolescents themselves. Simultaneously, specialized organizations prepared topic-centered publications, including academic contributions. Worth noting are the contributions made by the university academic sector which progressively integrated itself into the process. Most of the materials were prepared and published with support from international agencies and organizations, including UNICEF, Save the Children, Plan International and World Vision. The organization and systemization annexed to this paper (Annex II) took into consideration the documents origin, whether national, regional or international. Subsequently, the following classification scheme was used:Statements/position papers. Documents resulting from agreements, or consensus papers, reflecting the positions assumed or the declarations that aim at having an impact on more global documents. Reports/systematization. These documents bring together and organize a number of reports, specific outcomes from events, and studies prepared in the framework of the process leading to the Special Session. Thematic papers. Documents focusing on a theme of interest as part of the process leading to the Special Session. Dissemination documents. Materials prepared to publicize an event, a particular condition or a campaign. Responsibilities undertakenBased on the activities that took place during the period leading to the Special Session, individual countries realized the need to create working committees or groups charged with providing follow up for the tasks underway. At the same time, local and national commitments were increasingly identified and made explicit in the context of the goals proposed for the coming years. Working committees or groupsThe groups were organized on the basis of existing childhood and adolescent networks that assumed the topic as a priority or on the basis of new groups mostly of the national type and with varying levels of integration depending on the country ( ie. NGO alone or with government representatives or with representation of girls, boys and adolescents) acted as steering groups, transforming themselves into major disseminators and promoters of the goals and challenges the Special Session posed in each country.  Organizational roles and initiatives were as varied as the groups themselves. However, we were able to identify a number of common objectives as they related to their functions.   They are as follows: Promoting broad and active involvement of all those organizations (both public and private) working nationally or locally with children and adolescents. Promoting children and young people participation in the various activities that took place. Disseminating the importance of the issue and of all progress made around it. Identifying strategic alliances to assist in working effectively and providing follow up of all tasks undertaken at the regional and international levels, as well as subsequent continuity. Mobilizing existing resources to ensure appropriate participation and significant contributions from regional and international instances. Uniting efforts in following up specific issues related to children and their rights, as well as the Special Session process, thus getting the most out of the existing networks and of progress made. Following up on the topics already discussed and finding ways to include them in national agendas, in a manner suitable to each countrys conditions.  Preserving active and fluid exchanges within the regional network thus ensuring country-level participation in decision-making.Of the 16 countries included in the systematization, 14 confirmed the existence of a national reference group during the process (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Per, Uruguay and Venezuela).Four of the working groups were made up of already existing networks while the other 10 were established specifically for this purpose. Some countries created more than one group. All groups included representatives from civil society, mostly NGOs. In five of them, government representatives formed part of the commission, while two countries mentioned the creation of specific youth groups.Ten are still operational and have set as their goal to continue working after the Special Session to follow up on the agreements signed.  Three failed to continue operating. Among their objectives appears their capacity to maintain a global vision of the process, their  acknowledgment  of the need to join forces in the search for common goals and the importance of actions rooted in civil society and in initiatives by the children and young people themselves.In order to carry out their work and actions, working groups counted almost entirely on the support of international and regional organizations and agencies (remarkably UNICEF, Save the Children, Plan International and World Vision).  In addition contributions were made by some of the organizations themselves, with assistance from government agencies and private sector support. In many cases, these groups became reference groups with a great capacity for advocacy and  significant capacity to contribute to public policy making in the field of children and adolescents issues. Most of these groups have set themselves the goal to continue monitoring the commitments made during the Special Session, with a priority on ensuring the design and implementation of National Action Plans. Commitments The responsibilities undertaken on the theme in general or more specifically on themes of great interest to a country, all show a great concern in mobilizing initiatives for children. They slowly involved the different actors, both public and private.  In this manner the need arose for they themselves to take up various positions and responsibilities in the medium and long term in relation to the situation of children and the proposed goals to find solutions. This overall trend throughout the period became clear in all regional countries and was further fueled by several sub-regional, regional and international events that resulted in a number of documents, oral presentations with the media, inter-institutional agreements and a set of clear objectives for the future.  3. Civil society participationConfirming the commitment of civil society towards boys, girls, and adolescents.Looking back over the last 20 years, the region as a whole seems to have made substantial progress towards greater respect for human rights. The gradual return of democracies and of citizens' rights to participate have positively marked the period as well as the increased need to have clearer and fairer legal frameworks that reflect the changing times.  The definition of International agreements like the Convention on the Rights of the Child 12 years ago marked a substantial change for this segment of the population creating a new paradigm for children and adolescents rights. Subsequently, individual countries progressively adapted childrens codes, and included the issue of children in the agendas of State and government regional summits, while adopting a framework of rights under the principle of comprehensive protection.  Analyzing the involvement of civil society in the long process leading to the Special Session implies acknowledging one more time the significant role played by NGOs in defining childhood policies in the region, but above all, also  the role they have played in defending the complete fulfillment of the rights of the child.   The perception of children as rights bearers and the introduction of mechanisms to ensure compliance have led to in-depth changes in the traditional conception of social policies.  These changes have generated among the main stakeholders, be it within the private or government spheres, the search for responses that reflect this new vision of children.  We are living in a period where public policies are becoming increasingly amenable to joint efforts with communities and movements working for children. Since the early 1990s, Latin America and the Caribbean have seen a number of initiatives for joint work in the defense of human rights through both individual national schemes and regional coalitions for follow up on the enforcement of the Convention. In an initial stage great attention was paid to initiatives promoting the Convention that provided momentum to different children's organizations.  But there were also challenges around issues of representation and a slow loss of interest and commitment to the issue. Many institutional practices lacked a rights approach or showed difficulties in integrating into their daily activities girls, boys and adolescents thus turning the Convention on the Rights of the Child into a rhetorical exercise.The way paved by participating NGOs has been crucial for the impact the process has had on achieving an active participation be it at the local level, with grass roots activities with boys, girls and adolescents and communities, as well as in collective spaces, national networks and in the different regional and international events that took place.  Moreover, NGOs have developed a major ability to partner and bring new organizations into the fold of the process. A broader view of children rights led to the greater and more active involvement of organizations related to issues like gender equity, local development, environmental issues, leadership building, sexual and reproductive health training, and other topics. The process therefore was a more encompassing initiative a more open, process compared to previous stages with a greater capacity to mobilize social player and incorporate new actors.  In essence, work has focused on managing initiatives and contributions for change, building a culture of participation and bringing together all agencies involved in initiatives for children and adolescents throughout the region. a. From a role as observer to a proactive roleThe process shows that organizations evolved, progressively taking on more participatory roles.  From an initial role as observers, organizations began to slowly take on more active and pro-active roles. Identifying clear stages and predictable results helped in developing participation towards achieving concrete products. This process made possible the reproduction of the model in each country, thereby motivating local players.  From less to more. We saw a process of increasing interest among various organizations. Mainly among those from the national capital and to a lesser extent from the other states. However, organizations are having increasing impact on initiatives for children and adolescents, and to a large extent this is a result of the process. (Adult from Mexico).The role of civil society has been extremely dynamic, proactive, motivating and a source of consultations and agreements. (Adult from Ecuador).In the case of the Central American sub-region, I believe that the role played  was timely and significant because it allowed for the generation of information processes, consensus building and proposals. (Adult from Guatemala).Taking the debate of the situation of children and adolescents, their issues and their rights to other social sectors in society  has been very important. To have prepared and presented specific proposals, opened and facilitated spaces for active and pro-active participation of boys, girls and adolescents and to accompany them throughout their process (has been likewise important(. (Adult from Guatemala).Throughout the Latin American Region the Caucus played a critical role in opening up a regional space in which there was consensus about objectives and goals concerning the rights of children, the socialization of information, consensus building around proposals, and the presentation of the latter to the Ro Group, as well as at the Special Session. (Adult from Guatemala). Nicaragua met all expectations, increased its capacity to convene actors and has come out stronger to push for enforcement of an agenda which it contributed to prepare. (Adult from Nicaragua). I think the main achievement was opening up the NGOs. I wonder if I see these changes because I am now involved in NGO work or because that change actually happened. In our country, despite the fact that they are not always visible, I do believe that they are the most active. And it is not exactly what people knew about them, but I do think this is changing, perhaps because due to the circumstances in which we live people feel the need to get closer to NGOs ... .(Adolescent from Uruguay).b.- Taking on new forums and developing new strategies: a collective task.Starting with the follow up meetings, the various organizations progressively took the responsibility for coordinating and integrating their initiatives in the framework of the preparatory meetings and regional efforts. These initiatives led to the launching of joint actions that resulted in a common forum called the Latin American and Caribbean Caucus.Deciding to become part of a process that although not known initially, forced us to organize and look for ways to have new forms of consensus. The National Network of Childrens NGOs, that set themselves the challenge of participating as such in other regional and international forums. (Adult from Chile).Moreover, slowly first, with specific actions and then with more structured activities, joint initiatives between civil society and national government gradually took shape. In many instances, these initiatives resulted in declarations and specific proposals for the national plans. The following strengths can be identified among the organizations. They may give some hope for significant growth in the commitments and challenges ahead: Potential for involvement in world and regional level decision-making.Distribution of information to peers and  communities. Capacity to mobilize local, national and regional actors. Increased skills to negotiate with national governments and civil society. Capacity to bring about nationwide joint actions with national governments and civil society. Potential to mobilize the government sector to fulfill  commitments undertaken. Fund raising capacity in process towards the Special Session. Development of management and negotiation skills with international agencies organizing the event. Ability to rally and work with boys, girls and adolescents, with good potential for follow up and consolidation.Capacity to talk to government, in particular for follow-up and monitoring of the agreements.Ability to partner and coordinate with international NGOs which increase impact of initiatives.However, it is important to also acknowledge that there were also difficulties and roadblocks along the way. The most relevant were:  Individual countries suffered from weak ability to identify civil society participants to the process. Few countries implemented participatory consultation systems to select their representatives to the Summits events. Nevertheless, all countries recognized the need to change this situation, prioritizing the need to build more organic structures to ensure the best possible representation. To the above impediments, we must add the lack of clear and explicit criteria for identifying potential participants. In some regional countries, scarce involvement of national governments had a negative impact,limiting the scope of agreements and coordination efforts. Specific political issues took over the issues at the Special Session. In many instances, it was said that the debate had been contaminated by international political issues related to terrorism and other affairs, pushing to a secondary level the issues inherently related to childrens rights. Lack of financial resources was a major constraint hampering in many cases participation.  Although support from international organizations was available, several organizations expressed their difficulties in rising sufficient funds. Deadlines. Insufficient time(for reading and reviewing reports and documents during the meetings and preparing the corresponding recommendations(was considered a major obstacle. Other comments related to overlapping schedules of activities of interest to NGOs. Difficulties in ensuring appropriate, necessary and timely dissemination of information. Papers were produced and distributed at a pace impossible to follow. Civil society still plays a weak role because few [organizations] are aware of the events underway. In other words, there is little dissemination and truly this poses a challenge for all of us who are committed to changing this situation in which we live. This creates a vicious circle among those who are involved in the process and who represent a mass of people who are almost totally ignorant of what is going on. (Adolescent from Peru).Although we are aware that, unfortunately, our detailed work was not reflected in the final document, it served to deepen discussions, form opinions and fundamentally to strengthen the work of networks in the region. (Adult from Argentina) c. Participation and commitments: a bet on the futureAmong the various commitments made by the participating NGOs, we may highlight: c. Participation and commitments: a bet for the futureAmong the various commitments made by the participating NGOs, we highlight: Strengthening the system for the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents. Creating a culture of participation among all social sectors. influence the creation, design and implementation of public policies for children and adolescents. Encourage governors and mayors to also feel obliged to fulfill the commitments included in the A World Fit for Children document. Sensitize parliamentarians of their role towards girls, boys and adolescents.Strengthen and open forums for childrens participation in various national scenarios. Support children and adolescents associations.Strengthen the community oversight networks run by boys, girls, and adolescents. Undertake concrete initiatives to create opportunities that give people the means overcome poverty. Strengthen relationships among NGOs that work with  children. Designe strategic plans for issues included in the A World Fit for Children document. Provide communities with the tools they need to guarantee the fundamental rights of children and adolescents. Promote a climate of social peace and security that allows children and young people to enjoy their rights. Protect children and adolescents from all types of mistreatment, violence, abandonment, sexual abuse and other types of cruelty. Recognition of childhood and adolescence as an absolute priority. That the mass media feels that they are a part of the movement of promoting and defending childrens rights. Drafting the National Action Plan. Provide participation opportunities for younger children using simple strategies and reflection processes where they can convey their needs and priorities as individuals. Develop systematic work with non-governmental and government organizations. Educate and train human resources to work for children. Disseminate the International Convention for Rights of Children.Disseminate the results of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session for Children. Encourage the participation of children and young people in preparing, designing and executing National Action Plans. In sum, as articulated by a Venezuelan teenager, generally and compared to the previous decade, social organizations have made interesting progress that must be acknowledged. In most cases there is no government support and consolidating the projects by those organizations requires much creativity, persuasive power, innovative strategies and abilities to debate and negotiate, so that as a result international organizations (or their peers) will provide funding for the projects. However, I have seen that many civil society organizations are still not coordinating.  There are also weaknesses that have not allowed for having the desired impact at a regional, national or local level.  This must be overcome. There are also weaknesses in communication and organization but this is nothing that cannot be solved.. 4. Currents favoring participation of children and young people in the regional process. According to the regional context within a framework of civil society participation, it is important to highlight that throughout the process of consolidating democracies in the region, especially as it refers to boys, girls and adolescents as citizens of each country, the process towards the Special Session marked a historic moment, that is manifest by the recognition and the creation of spaces that allowed for children to participate in the reflection and to contribute to issues of concern to them as well as in towards creating a future agenda for the next ten years. The fact that those spaces were created is not, however, the only significant achievement. Just as meritorious was the fact that children and adolescents effectively used them. From the first Preparatory Committee Session, the number of participating boys, girls and adolescents increased gradually. Initially, they were represented by a single adolescent, while at the Special Session more than 400 boys, girls and adolescents attended from all over the world. Of this total, 63 girls, boys and adolescents came from the region, representing 14 Latin American countries. Additionally, boys and girls made up approximately 20% of all Latin American attendees at the Special Session. Despite the major difficulties faced by regional countries to provide the appropriate social, political and economic conditions that would meet the general needs of the population, we may safely hold that children are gradually being seen as rights bearers.  	Though still at a rhetorical level, a vision is gradually emerging that recognizes the importance of involving boys and girls in issues of concern to them. We are still far from being able to ensure full participation. Nevertheless, existing international and regional documents signed by all states aim at promoting participation. Simultaneously, there is a critical mass of citizens from national governments and civil society organizations willing to create the necessary conditions to promote and ensure participation. Indeed, a current is growing in Latin America towards increased participation of boys and girls. a. Making participation visible   and children were visible at last. Clearly visible and participating.(Adult from Mexico).During the First Meeting of the Preparatory Committee in May 2000 a Colombian adolescent, the only one invited at that opportunity said what she felt then, talked about the lives of the boys and girls in her country, but above all she pointedly asked: Why am I the only one? Where are the other boys and girls of the world?b. Looking at participation from the standpoint of inclusionTo look at the events that unfolded and note those aspects that the girls and boys themselves pointed to, during the process, allows us to begin to understand things from a different perspective.   After examining all the instances where boys and girls were present, both at the national and international-levels, from the personal and collective, and taking into account the contributions of the various consulted actors, the following can be said about boys and girls involvement: They joined from the moment they were given the opportunity to attend and receive support from the adult world to do so. They showed great interest in becoming involved in debates, exchanges and to make decisions about current issues of concern to them and future projects. They showed great disposition to be involved in issues related to their daily lives but also to challenge themselves in their capacity to contribute to national, regional and international forums. They demonstrated great flexibility to adapt to an infrastructure and flow of events that were clearly conceived by and for adults. They showed great capacity to get organized, mobilize in groups and set priorities for initiatives and issues that integrated the interest of all.   They showed ability to contribute their ideas and viewpoints in writing and so make specific contributions to debate documents. They were coherently integrated to their respective delegations. These teams showed a great diversity as they involved boys and girls of various social, economic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Finally, meeting the challenge of inclusion for all, is, as explained by a Peruvian adolescent, a learning process. A learning process that boys, girls, adolescents and adults have already begun through broad-based participation in the activities undertaken. Mostly through these local and national actions in each of the countries, participation and integration have been shown to be possible beyond a one-time effort.An adolescent from Venezuela declared: I would evaluate the participation of girls and boys as the full exercise of citizenship in which we expressed what we are truly capable of doing in defense of our own rights and in building a culture that respects these rights.c. Lobbying for participation Before the process no indicators were available to determine measuring the influence that participation has had on the boys and girls themselves. It is a challenge now to adopt a technically rigorous way to identify it.  It is for this reason, we chose to visualize and identify participation from two perspectives. On the one hand, an analysis to what extent the written proposals made by boys, girls are part of the future agenda in the document  A world Fit for children.  And on the other, to examine the level of influence that the process has had on the personal and social lives of participating girls and boys. Including proposals in the final document: A World Fit for Children A close review of the final document and at the same time the proposals to the documents that the boys, girls and adolescents presented on June 12th, 2001 allows usto objectively visualize to what extent the childrens demands and proposals are effectively included in the documents prepared by adults. The document prepared by boys and girls prioritizes five areas: education, the environment, health, child labor and participation. In turn, these themes break down into 16 areas of interest. An examination of these topics as they are included in the final document approved by the Special Session shows that: The topics prioritized by children are included in the final document. Out of the 16 points of concern, only 3 have not been included, of which 2 relate to the participation issue and 1 to child labor. The 13 remaining points are included in the document in great part reflecting what was proposed by the children and in the majority of the cases maintains  the general sense of how it was proposed in the text. In all topics, the final document includes a broader range of issues than those proposed by boys and girls. To the extent the work produced during the participation of boys and girls is included in the final document, allows us to think that the efforts of so many girls and boys was worth while.   Both documents are enclosed as an attachment to this systematization (Annexes III and IV ). Integrating participation into everyday lifeAs important as the above, is the rich experience that  each boy and girl generated in their personal life, as well as those of their families, communities and schools. Each of these experiences is part of the influence each boy and girl had in activities in those spheres. It would be impossible to describe here each and every one of these experiences because they are as numerous as there were boys and girls that went through this process. However, what we can draw from their stories is the likely impact that participation had on each one of them. The feeling of personal value they derive from having been given the opportunity to talk and be heard, as well as the pride of being the representative for their reference group, schools or communities. The importance of relating to the adult world in a different forum and to feel that they can also make decisions, not only because they are given the opportunity, but because they are capable of doing so and feel good about it. The responsibilities they assume in these forums which help them to think things can be different, if they make the decision to change them. Most of them are recognized positively in their communities and they are called to participate in forums where their presence was previously unthinkable. And where upon their return to their communities after having participated as delegates they carry out workshops for their peers, to share and disseminate the result of their work. Among other activities, they promoted setting up support groups for community work. However, not all results were positive. We must highlight as the main difficulty the frustration felt by boys and girls who, as time passes by, see that existing conditions do not change. It is expected that reading this chapter of the systematization will provide the tools for further work concerning these issues. The result of this reading should be a valuable contribution to other participatory processes. Children and adolescents have taken their roles seriously. They have placed adults in a position of greater commitment and challenge.   We cant disappoint them. In the Special Session they very clearly said they dont want promises but concrete actions. (Adult from Guatemala).A joint assessment of the steps taken Evaluating the accomplishments and failures of the children and young people participation in the process leading to the Special Session implies sharing with them the wagers and commitments made by many of the boys and girls throughout this region during two years. To write about their experiences, joys and frustrations and many other ambiguous and contradictory feelings is an attempt to leave a record of their involvement. Probably this experience will not be reproduced but drawing lessons from it will help enhance participation in the future.a) Based on the contributions made by members of their organizations, the adults like boys, girls an adolescents from all regional countries, we can draw some common views about the accomplishments or achievements of participation. Participation of boys and girls provides continuity to the process to the extent they are witnesses of what was said and signed by all countries. Sufficient boys and girls were involved to make them visible to all other participants. They showed the ability to participate in thinking about the issues, to contribute their ideas and vision, to declare what their needs and to contribute to the agenda for 2000-2010. They put forth clear proposals and demonstrated a sense of initiative. They were present in local, national, regional and international events where they shared their experience and knowledge. The adult world recognized the importance of consulting, informing and listening to them. They took up the responsibility of sharing in decision-making. They took an active role and showed capacity to value the space that opened before them. They demonstrated an ability to independently defend and represent themselves. They defined their positions based on their reflections and expressed them in writing. They played a multiplier role in their communities and organized workshops for their peers with whom they shared their experiences and lessons learned. They showed leadership abilities.They were able to reflect from a national and regional perspective in an increasingly global scenario. They were supported by the adult world either individually or through national or international organizations promoting the participation of boys and girls. They dealt with the topics proposed in the document prepared by adults in child-friendly versions to make reading and understanding easier for boys and girls.() we had the opportunity to live through a learning process towards participation. (Adolescent from Peru).Participants identified the following difficulties for and barriers to participation:Despite interest in reaching broad-based and diverse participation, involvement was occasionally limited and at times stagnant.Funding determined the extent of country-by-country involvement and oftentimes biased participation towards the funding agencys interests or viewpoints. It was hard to maintain ongoing active and committed participation. Adults had trouble to address boys and girls frustration in given circumstances, for example, when the Special Session was interrupted, or when their opinions were not heard during the events or when they were not elected as representatives, among others. Difficulty in contributing all the necessary information. Clear criteria was lacking in the selection and representation of  boys and girls. The boys and girls attendance to events was poorly or weakly prepared. Great language barriers at international events.Organizational issues were not clearly defined and hampered appropriate decision-making and involvement. Children with disabilities were under represented. Time was a major barrier to ensure true participation. Adults still see children as objects of rights and not as peers when giving opinions and making decisions. (Adult from Paraguay). We lack permanent forums for debate and participation where boys and girls can put into practice what they have learned. (Adult from Mexico).5. Lessons learnedIn this systematization of children and young people as well as civil societys involvement in the regional process towards the Special Session, we have identified some lessons that we expect will contribute to future initiatives for and with boys and girls. Some of the most important lessons are listed below: Start from daily experience. To the extent that all topics identified were drawn from daily experience and that the proposals that emerged could have a direct impact on reality.A call to involve actors. To ensure that the topics chosen would address the interests and experiences of the participating actors, it was considered necessary to include their views and proposals as participants in a change process. Creating true forums for participation. Effective participation of all involved in issues related to children was built from the creation of well defined spaces adapted to the reality of the participants, accepted by all and linked to each other.  In turn, these forums had to be open to comments and capable of making contributions at the various levels where they operated.Integrating actions among national governments, civil society, boys, girls and adolescents.  The vast spaces open to action made possible the exchange of ideas and ways of thinking, as well as reaching agreements. Joint instances of participation promoted commitment by each of the involved parties and allowed the identification of tangible shared achievements. Ensuring the necessary resources. Funding and other resources played a crucial role throughout the participation process. To the extent resources were ensured and made available to all, broad participation was guaranteed, as well as appropriate levels of representation. Acknowledging the strategic role of international agencies and NGOs. Involvement of international agencies and NGOs was relevant to the extent they: Facilitated participation Legitimized before national governments the importance of involving civil society, as well as boys and girls. Supported regional and national level mobilization. Promoting the emergence of networks ensuring the processs quality and continuity. Building local, national and regional networks allowed for the development of a sense of ownership to the process that increased commitment and accountability to it. Additionally, networks allowed exchanges and feedback on the knowledge and experiences that emerged as unique contributions from those processes. Making information available to all. Throughout the process, information was a fundamental tool for those who had access to it to ensure understanding of the process and adopting a position towards it. It became clear that to the extent information was made available to a growing number of national and regional players, a stronger ability to make proposals and influence as reflected in the final document was created.Acting at various levels: local, national and regional. To the extent that a range of actors were mobilized across various levels, it was also possible to enhance the exchange of experiences while laying the ground (by building social capital) for future proposals that will make reality the goals set forth in the final document. Recognizing regional union as a strategic tool to promote and guarantee country-level initiatives. An element that differentiated the region compared to other regions of the world was the consolidation of a regional network (caucus) that ensured information distribution, sharing, position building and feedback among all members. This allowed for active involvement and shared positions reflecting each countrys condition while simultaneously contributing to a sense of ownership of the process. It also helped in building capacity to make contributions to the process and, basically, strengthened overall commitments to ensure the full enforcement of the Convention through child-oriented policies in each and every country throughout the region. Promoting the strategic role of civil society in the process. Civil society played a fundamental role taking on the responsibility of making a reality the process towards the Special Session in each country. It involved different government actors its activities, empowered by the participation of girls, boys and adolescents in each of its stages. Likewise, civil society organizations became focal points in each country in which initiatives from international agencies and NGOs joined together.   Defining goals and stages. Defining clear intermediate goals and stages made identifying accomplishments and progress easier while involving all participants in the process. Preparatory meetings at various levels played a fundamental role by allowing debate, discussion and clarification of the process underway and the products it sought to arrive at.   Respecting cultural, pace and process differences. The inclusiveness of the process made possible a  wide range of proposals that responded to the unique cultural diversity of our region. Involving children and young people as leading actors. Starting with a progressive integration, adults began to recognize the spontaneous and innovative link established with boys and girls, the seriousness and responsibility with which they took their roles, their ability to contribute to the drafting of documents, as well as their multiplier role in the various spaces to which they belong, including their families, schools and communities. Their participation made the adult world reconsider the existing forums, as well as the established channels of communication and to adopt more flexible positions to make room for the gains made by boys and girls. Accepting true participation implies recognizing childrens key role in defining issues of concern to them. Appendix 3 TGP Reports, Global Reports and New York PrepComs Documents  Global Reports [Pre-TGP]:  Children and Young People's Participation in the 2001 Special Session on Children:: Report of the Meeting on the Role of The International Save the Children Alliance, Kathmandu, 11 - 13 September 2000, Save the ChildrenGail Cockburn, Meaningful Youth Participation in International Conferences: A Case Study of the International Conference on War-Affected Children, Winnipeg, September 2000 [Canadian International Development Agency]TGP Meetings and other Documents Terms of Reference: Alliance Task Group on Participation, Alliance, no date.Report on Pre-2nd PrepCom Workshop for Children and Young People, [Organised by the International Save the Children Alliance and held in the offices of the US Fund for UNICEF] New York, 26-27 January 2001, TGP Summaries of Lessons Learned: children and young people's participation at the 2nd PrepCom, [Internal Brief - Not For External Circulation]Lessons learnt from the 2nd PrepCom, Ravi Karkara, Facilitation and Gender Consultant Meeting of the Alliance Task Group on Participation (TGP): Summary of Main Decisions and Action Plan, 16-17 March 2001, Alliance Task Group on ParticipationSpecial Session on Children: After the 2nd PrepCom - The Next Steps: Suggestions, 12th March, 2001, TGP EVALUATION: Children and young people's participation at the preparatory workshop for the 3rd PrepCom 9-10th of June and 3rd PrepCom 11-15th of June 2001, New York; PROPOSALS FOR THE UN SPECIAL SESSION, [no date] TGPMeetings with Save the Children - children: Comments, suggestions, proposals, etc., regarding the 3rd PrepCom and the Preparations for the UNSS, 14-15 June, New York, TGPMeeting in Norway: Summary of Main Discussions and Decisions, 19-21 July 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation (TGP) Meeting of Young Government Delegates: 3rd PrepCom, June 14 2.00-3.00 p.m. New YorkEvaluation of Youth Journalism Project at the Third Prepcom, Michael Hoechsmann [Young People's Press], June 20, 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on Children 'Responding to the Postponement' Meeting, Amsterdam, 20-21 September 2001, TGP [Clare Feinstein, Bill Bell, Michelle Morris]Meeting in Netherlands: Summary of Main Discussions and Decisions, 26-28 October 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation (TGP)[DRAFT 1] "Road to the Special Session on Children": An Overview and Lessons Learned on the Planning Process of the Children's Forum and Child Participation in the special Session on Children as was scheduled for September 2001, 5th October,  UNICEF[DRAFT] Children's Forum: Programme, [TGP - to be included in "Road to the Special Session"] Alliance Task Group on ParticipationAppendix 4List of Regional Reports, by RegionI have made notes relating to all these Reports, which will be incorporated into my evaluation ReportAfrica:RegionalThe Cairo Experience: A report on children's participation in the OAU-UNICEF Pan African Forum on the Future of Africa's Children,  Cairo May, 2001 [Save the Children] East Asia PacificRegional Papers:Action Paper: Children's / Youth Voices in the UN General Assembly Special Session Processes, as of 12 March 2001 [Regional Youth For a Coordinating Committee, 25/03/02]Children and Young People Forum 1, East Asia Pacific Region, For the MINCOM in Beijing, May 2001, Jomtien, April 22 - 26, 2001  [Save the Children]The Jomtien NGO Regional Forum: Developing the Future with Children: Presentation papers for the 5th East Asia and Pacific Ministerial Consultation, Beijing, China 14-16 May 2001East Asia Pacific Children and Young People's Regional Forum II: Developing the Future with Children, 23-26 July 2001, Vientiane, Lao PDR [Save the Children]Email from Jay Wisecarver,  Re: Alliance SSOC Evaluation, 12 March 2002Joachim Theis, Promoting Children's Participation and Children's Civil Rights in Asia and the Pacific, DRAFT, [Save the Children, Dec. 2001]Set of analytical slides from Joachim Theis on Child Rights and Children's Participation [Save the Children Sweden, April 2002][Disussion with John Parry-Williams on Kathmandu Meeting Sept.2000; and on a comparison between c/yp participation in South Asia and East Asia Pacific: 7 April, 2002]  Vietnam:   --  no title --   [Internal documentation on plans for children & young people's participation in UNGASS (no title and no date)]The Philippines:Lessons on Child Participation in the Pre-UNGASS Processes: The Philippine Experience; incorporated with Documentation Report: Validation and Enrichment Workshop on Survey Results and Creative Brainstorming on Packaging Final Output [c. Lakan/2001-2002] Carie T. Francisco, UNGASS Documentation Workshop Report, December 15-16, 2001, [SC UK 31 Jan, 2002]South AsiaRegionalChildren and Young People's Participation in the 2001 Special Session on Children: Report on the Meeting on the Role of The International Save the Children Alliance, Kathmandu, 11-13 Sept, 2000Change Makers for South Asia, [Report by Angela Penrose]Change Makers for South Asia: Building New Partnerships: Report on the Regional Consultation with Children and Young People, Corporate Leaders and Governments of South Asia, Kathmandu 19-24 May 2001 [Save the Children, compiled by Ranjan Poudyal and Samina Sardar]BangladeshReview of In-Country Processes Related to Special Session: Key Issues and Learnings [Save the Children Alliance Bangladesh, November 2001]IndiaGlobal Movement for Children: A journey towards participation of children in planning, monitoring and evaluation: Consultations with Children and Young People on National Plans of Action, March 2002, Andhra Pradesh, India [SC UK, Mahita, IGSSS]Nepal A Summary Report: National Children's Fair, 10-11September 2001, Kathmandu, Nepal [no author, no date]Consultation with Children on National Plan of Action (Nepal), [SC UK, no date, compiled by Anil Raguvanchi]Sri LankaThe Sri Lankan Children's Challenge: Report  [Save the Children]The Sri Lankan Children's Challenge!! Summary of Findings [Save the Children]The First Sri Lankan Children's Parliament [Short Report, Save the Children]Latin AmericaRegional Nicaragua Report: Save the Children Alliance in Nicaragua (Participation in the process for the UN Special Session on Children), Meeting of the Regional Group: Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean of the Save the Children Alliance, Honduras January 21-22, 2002EuropeRegionalTowards a Children's Agenda for Europe and Central Asia, Report , 23-29 April 2001, Budapest. [Save the Children UK, UNICEF et al; compiled by Carol Toms.Intergovernmental conference on Children in Europe and Central Asia, Berlin May 16-18, 2001, Conference Report [SC UK, May 20, 2001, report by Carol Toms]Appendix 5Participation in the Special Session Preparatory Events List of Completed Questionnaires Region / CountryU18Short V.U18Long V.AdultCommentsGirlBoyGBAfrica 214 yrs & 15 yrsEthiopiaLesotho111Mapule MaemaAfrica: Regional1Lee KirkhamEast Asia + Pacific1ChinaCambodia11EAP Regional1From Jay Wisecarver; v. positiveSouth Asia191215 attended one meeting; 16 attended a second meeting; ages: 11 - 17 yearsIndia [Orissa & Andra Pradesh]PakistanLatin America1119yrs & 18 yrsPeruNicaragua116 yrsHonduras114 yrsGuatemala3113 yrs - 16 yrsNorth America 217 yrs & 15 yrsCanadaEurope2117RomaniaBiH118 yrsYugoslavia [Serbia]31118 yearsYugoslavia [Montenegro]1118Sweden82114  19 yearsTotals3822553=  73Appendix 6Table from Promoting Children's Participation and Children's Civil Rights in Asia and the Pacific, Dr Joachim Theis [Save the Children, May 2002]Experiences with child participation in Southeast, East and South AsiaWhat kind of experiences?Why  reasons for childrens participation?Promoting childrens participation and citizenship (childrens civil rights)Children influence adult decision making structures (local, national, international levels)Childrens councils are consulted by local governments and involved in local governance decision makingChildrens democratic representationChildrens involvement in advocacy and public educationChildren fight against cruelty and extreme exploitation of childrenRaise childrens voices at policy-making levels - adults listen to childrenBuilding and strengthening childrens organisations, clubs, committees, unions, gangsNetworks of childrens organisationsWorking childrens movementChildrens theatre groupsChildrens involvement in media (film, newspaper, TV, radio)Child photographersChildren and environment groupsChildren at conferences: Special Session; children and commercial sexual exploitation of children; childrens forums; child labour conferences; childrens consultation related to the NPA for childrenChildren carry out research (e.g. on HIV/AIDS, violence)Children carry out evaluationsChildren monitor the situation of children (rights, abuse, exploitation)Children and corporate sectorTraining of adult and child facilitatorsChildren as educators (peer education: life skills, HIV/AIDS, sexuality, law/legal issues, rights)Child-friendly learning environments/schoolsYouth volunteers, boy scouts, young pioneersRecognise the importance of childrens participation rightsBenefits of including children in decisions: personal, organisational, societyRecognise that childrens experiences and views are different from adultsMore appropriate policies based on childrens viewsChildren can protect themselves better (from abuse, HIV infection) through their unity, knowledge, information and skills  children are their own first line of defenceChallenge discriminationEmpower childrenPromote childrens independence and confidenceHold adults accountableWork for a more just societyImportance of early childhood development in childrens later development  laying the foundations for childrens ability to participateChildren as watch dogs (ombudsman role)Respect childrens viewsMake children visible and audiblePromote solidarity among children and young peopleChange adult attitudes towards children and childrens capabilitiesGet adults to take children seriouslyMake sure that projects are child centred and child friendlyChange childrens attitudes and raise their awareness (e.g. through research)More effective projects for childrenMore effective communication to children (HIV/AIDS)Develop childrens advocacy skillsDevelop childrens capacities and resilienceImproved learning of childrenDevelop different ways of working between children and adultsAdults understand children and their situation betterPrevent social problems among youth and make children more responsible citizens There is, however, no instance of the TGP linking directly with a child-led Children's Organisation at this stage, although this did happen as part of the planning for the Special Session itself. Interview with Bill Bell, July 17, 2002 ibid. Children and Young People's Participation in the 2001 Special Session on Children:: Report of the Meeting on the Role of The International Save the Children Alliance, Kathmandu, 11 - 13 September 2000, Save the Children Children and Young People's Participation in the 2001 Special Session on Children:: Report of the Meeting on the Role of The International Save the Children Alliance, Kathmandu, 11 - 13 September 2000, Save the Children Ibid. [no page number] There is a revealing comment in the Report of TGP's Norway meeting in July 2001, about agency branding: Meeting in Norway: Summary of Main Discussions and Decisions, 19-21 July 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation:We brand our experiences after the SSOC. Branding concerns within the Alliance - We have invested much with very little public acknowledgement. TGP feels that a meaningful event is more important than branding. However we feel that this is an issue for the Communications and Steering Group. [page 13/14; emphases in the Report] The Cairo Experience: A report on children's participation in the OAU-UNICEF Pan African Forum on the Future of Africa's Children, Cairo May, 2001, Save the Children [page 4] Ibid.  Meeting of the Alliance Task Group on Participation (TGP): Summary of Main Decisions and Action Plan, 16-17 March 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation, [page 6, my emphasis] The Cairo Experience: A report on children's participation in the OAU-UNICEF Pan African Forum on the Future of Africa's Children, Cairo May, 2001, Save the Children  Meeting of the Alliance Task Group on Participation (TGP): Summary of Main Decisions and Action Plan, 16-17 March 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation [page 2] Lessons learnt from the 2nd PrepCom, Ravi Karkara, Facilitation and Gender Consultant [page 2] Ibid. EVALUATION: Children and young people's participation at the preparatory workshop for the 3rd PrepCom 9-10th of June and 3rd PrepCom 11-15th of June 2001, New York; PROPOSALS FOR THE UN SPECIAL SESSION, [no date] TGP [page 2] Ibid. [page 7] Ibid. [page 9] Ibid. [page 7] Meeting in Norway: Summary of Main Discussions and Decisions, 19-21 July 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation [page 12] Ibid. [page 8] Interview with Clare Feinstein, 18 July, 2002 UNICEF appointed a Participation co-ordinator in early 2001 Interview with Bill Bell, July 2002 Interview with Sarah Stevenson and Alana Kapell, 11 July, 2002. UN General Assembly Special Session on Children 'Responding to the Postponement' Meeting, Amsterdam, 20-21 September 2001, Clare Feinstein, Bill Bell, Michelle Morris, for the TGP [page 3] Meeting in Netherlands: Summary of Main Discussions and Decisions, 26-28 October 2001, Alliance Task Group on Participation  [page 9] Ibid.  [DRAFT] Children's Forum: Programme, [TGP - to be included in "Road to the Special Session"] Michael Hoechsmann [Young People's Press], Evaluation for TGP of Youth Journalism Project at the Third Prepcom, June 20, 2001 [Internal, TGP] ibid. CO's - i.e. organisations set up and run by children and young people At the Second Prepcom in New York, two privileged young people, one from India and the other from Nepal, could not believe that there were numerous independent children's organisations run by children in their countries. [Source: Ravi Karkara] U18 Questionnaire response [Ethiopia] U18 Questionnaire response [Ethiopia] Adult questionnaire response [Mapule Maema] U18 questionnaire response [Lesotho]  [unsigned UNICEF document] Report: Pan African Forum on the Future of Children,  Cairo, 28-31 May 2001 ibid  The Cairo Experience: A report on children's participation in the OAU-UNICEF  Pan African Forum on the Future of Africa's Children, report prepared by Essam, Mercy, Alphonce and Aime, published by Save the Children UK, East & Central Africa Regional Office, Nairobi. [May 2001] See: Children and Young People's Participation in the 2001 Special Session on Children: Report on the Meeting on the Role of the International Save the Children Alliance, Kathmandu, 11-13 Sept., 2000  This was subsequently proved by the Sri Lanka children's engagement with Parliament on the 19th September, timed to coincide with the postponed New York General Assembly [see below, South Asia, for a fuller discussion on this]. The Cairo Experience: A report on children's participation in the OAU-UNICEF  Pan African Forum on the Future of Africa's Children, report prepared by Essam, Mercy, Alphonce and Aime, published by Save the Children UK, East & Central Africa Regional Office, Nairobi. [May 2001]  Response to questionnaire: Ugandan girl  ibid. Response to questionnaire: Ugandan boy  Lee Kirkham, Response to Q19, Adult Questionnaire [unsigned UNICEF document] Report: Pan African Forum on the Future of Children,  Cairo, 28-31 May 2001: Outcomes & Evaluations Ibid The Cairo Experience: A report on children's participation in the OAU-UNICEF  Pan African Forum on the Future of Africa's Children, report prepared by Essam, Mercy, Alphonce and Aime, published by Save the Children UK, East & Central Africa Regional Office, Nairobi. [May 2001] Responses to extended U18 Questionnaire [Lesotho, girl]  [page 39] The Cairo Experience: A report on children's participation in the OAU-UNICEF  Pan African Forum on the Future of Africa's Children, report prepared by Essam, Mercy, Alphonce and Aime, published by Save the Children UK, East & Central Africa Regional Office, Nairobi. [May 2001]. the youth was at only one of several meetings, after her input at the one meeting in February, she did not participate in other meetings Action Paper: Children's/Youth Voices in the UNSSOC Processes, Regional Youth For a Co-ordinating Committee, Thailand [25/03/02: as of 12 March 2001]  After this paper was written, the committee expanded to include: Child Workers in Asia and Malaysia Child Resource Centre Ibid Ibid Ibid East Asia Pacific Children and Young People's Regional Forum II: Developing the Future with Children, Vientiane, Lao PDR, 23-26 July 2001 [Report from Jay Wisecarver, Save the Children Alliance Regional Office, Bangkok] Ibid Ibid [page 10] Ibid [pages 26 & 27; I've quoted all of the comments given in the Report] [no author] Responses to Questions for Reflections for Child-focused Agencies, Save the Children See pp ## for more detailed analysis of O'Kane's comments. Responses to Questions..page 3. See Appendix # for this Table from Theis' Paper Joachim Theis, Promoting Children's Participation in Asia and the Pacific, [Draft for Discussion, May 2002] Ibid Carie T.Francisco, UNSSOC Documentation Workshop Report, SC-UK Philippines Programme, 31/01/02 See, for example, the Reports of research undertaken in South Asia in 1998/9 by the Regional Offices of Save the Children and UNICEF into training programmes on the CRC & Child Rights See below the discussion on South Asia. Evidence of this in Latin America was given by Pram Unia in an informal conversation. East Asia Pacific Children and Young People's Regional Forum II: Developing the Future with Children, Vientiane, Lao PDR, 23-26 July 2001 [Report from Jay Wisecarver, Save the Children Alliance Regional Office, Bangkok] Ibid, page 9 This, and the following quotes are all taken from Jay Wisecarver's adult questionnaire responses. Response to U18 questionnaire [Cambodian, girl] Response to U18 questionnaire [Cambodia, boy] "Responses to Questions for Reflections.."  page 3. Response to U18 extended questionnaire [Myanmar girl] Response to U18 extended questionnaire [Myanmar boy] Response to U18 extended questionnaire [Myanmar boy]  ibid. page 29 ibid, page 8 Response to U18 Questionnaire [China, girl] Validation and Enrichment Workshop on Survey Results and Creative Brainstorming on Packaging Final Output: Documentation Report, SC-UK Philippines Programme [copyright: Lacan 2001/2002]  Carie T.Francisco, UNSSOC Documentation Workshop Report, SC-UK Philippines Programme, 31/01/02 Validation and Enrichment Workshop on Survey Results and Creative Brainstorming on Packaging Final Output: Documentation Report, SC-UK Philippines Programme [page32] [copyright: Lacan 2001/2002] Carie T.Francisco, UNSSOC Documentation Workshop Report, SC-UK Philippines Programme, 31/01/02 See Chapter 1: The Alliance Task Group on Participation Meeting of Regional Directors [UK/Europe, West Africa, Southern Africa] and UK Programme Directors in SC UK in London on May 10 [contact: Deborah Crowe] Interview with John Parry-Williams, in UK on 7 April 2002   Claire O'Kane, response to questionnaire, page 8 ibid. page 10 ibid. page 11. ibid, page 18. ibid, page 29. ibid, page 32. Global Movement for Children: A journey towards participation of children in planning, monitoring and evaluation: Consultations with Children and Young People on National Plans of Action, March 2002, Andhra Pradesh, India [SC UK, Mahita, IGSSS] [page 7.of electronic copy] Ibid [page 2 of the electronic copy] Ibid. [page 3] Ibid. [page 4] Ibid. [page 8] Ibid. [page 11..] I was not clear if answers were given in languages other than English and translated by adults, because all of the responses were done on the same word processor. Response to U18 questionnaire [India, boy] Response to U18 questionnaire [India, girl] Review of In-Country Processes Related to Special Session: Key Issues and Learnings, Save the Children Alliance Bangladesh, November 2001[page 2]  Ibid [page 2] The Sri Lankan Children's Challenge: Report, Save the Children [page 7] Change Makers for South Asia: Building New Partnerships: Report on the Regional Consultation with Children and Young People, Corporate Leaders and Governments of South Asia, Kathmandu 19-24 May 2001 [Save the Children, compiled by Ranjan Poudyal and Samina Sardar] [page 1] Ibid. [page 47]  Response to Questionnaire, page 15 (Claire O'Kane) Response to questionnaire, page 5 [Pakistan, girl] Change Makers for South Asia: Building New Partnerships: Report on the Regional Consultation with Children and Young People, Corporate Leaders and Governments of South Asia, Kathmandu 19-24 May 2001 [Save the Children, compiled by Ranjan Poudyal and Samina Sardar] [Box, page 3] Please see the Annex for supplementary information from Central and South America Report: Save the Children Alliance in Nicaragua (Participation in the process for the UN Special Session on Children), Meeting of the Regional Group: Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean of the Save the Children Alliance, Honduras January 21-22, 2002. Report prepared by Ramon Meneses (SC-Norway) and Nelly Castillo S. (SC-Sweden) [page 3] ibid.  [page 4] ibid. ibid. ibid.  [page 5] ibid.  [page 6] ibid.  ibid.  [page 9] Interview with Senator Landon Pearson, June 4, 2002. ibid. Also interview with Sarah Stevenson and Alana Kapell on 11th July 2002. Response to extended U18 questionnaire [Canada, girl] Response to extended U18 questionnaire [Canada, girl] ibid.  [page 3] ibid.  [page 18] ibid.  [page 43] Towards a Children's Agenda for Europe and Central Asia, Report , 23-29 April 2001, Budapest. [Save the Children UK, UNICEF et al; compiled by Carol Toms  [page 2] Ibid. [pages 34 -39] Ibid. [page 36] acknowledging that in SEE there are some good practice examples, they still remain isolated and patchy Ibid. [page 3] Ibid. [page 5] 8 children and young people were selected during the Budapest Consultations, whereas 2 more children and young people were attending the Berlin Conference representing the host countries of Germany and Bosnia-Herzegovina Ibid. Ibid. [page 24] Response to extended U18 Questionnaire [Romania, girl] ibid. [page 35] The meeting was a Roma Campus of the National University of Lesotho, on 5 December 2001 ibid. [page 50] ibid. [page 51] ibid. [pages 5,6] ibid. [page 64: "Respect for both languages"; The facilitators should speak all the languages and not give privilege to one."] Inter Governmental Conference on Children in Europe and Central Asia, Berlin May 16-18, 2001, Conference Report [SC UK, May 20, 2001, report by Carol Toms] See the discussion on page 68 See the discussion on page 35 Carie T. Franscisco, UNSSOC Documentation Workshop Report [page 1] Response to extended U18 Questionnaire [Romania, girl] ibid. [page 25] Response to extended U18 Questionnaire [no name]  [page 37] Response to abridged U18 Questionnaire [Yugoslavia, girl] Response to abridged U18 Questionnaire [Montenegro, boy] Response to extended U18 Questionnaire [Serbia, girl] Response to abridged U18 Questionnaire [Serbia, girl] With thanks to Jolanda Vrielink and Clare Feinstein Informe  Reunin de las Coordinadores de la Niez de Centro Amrica, Mxico y el Caribe, 13-14     de augusto de 2000 see Key Lessons V Ministerial Meeting this was based on the lead role of the Alliance in enabling the participation of children in the SsoC process see Key Lessons V Ministerial Meetings See Estrategia de los Miembros de la Alianza en Centroamrica frente al UNGASS See Hoja de trabajo para estrategias de comunicacin Participant in Honduran evaluation Young persons evaluation from the 3rd PerpCom Ibid Ibid although adult participants (non-government) were shocked by this statement, the children did not seem impressed by it and did not feel threatened.  they were invited but didnt come a.- event here means one-time activities (e.g. seminars, meetings, workshops, conferences, etc.) organized in a given country or region. b.- a national level event means one for which country-level efforts are required. c.- local event means that involving part of a country (e.g. some provinces, local governments, departments, or regions within a country). d.- regional and subregional events involve players from the region or subregion. e.- international events, involve several international countries and regions.  These appear in a double entry table including: A timeline by date of occurrence. The level for each activity, whether local, national, sub regional, regional  and international, including the location where the event took place.  Information about participants in events was organized following the criteria below:(a) : civil society organizations (NGOs), (b) : government participants,      (c) : boys, girls and adolescents participants,(d) : international organizations and agencies.PAGE  PAGE  1PAGE  PAGE  159I think [the SSoC] has now set a precedent that children MUST be actively included in policy matters and events which concern them. Moreover, in a hundred and one ways children have demonstrated their immense capabilities, and the richness and relevance that their contributions bring to the discussions. In all levels in a variety of agencies there are now an increased number of advocates and supporters for children's participation. Furthermore, in many countries  children and young people are committed to actively participating in the development, implementation and monitoring of the [National Plans of Action], and adults are supporting the development of suitable mechanisms for the same.		Claire O'KaneSave the Children facilitator, South Asia "Well for many of you this is gonna come as shock but you didn't do anything wrong. Well the Save the Children in Sweden, . They did it perfect. Dont change[:] it will profit you soon. And thanks for everything. I myself and a lot of children are thankful that you Save the Children were there. So good done. Keep up the good WORK!!" [anon. Swedish boy, 17 years old]                                                                +            Y	  Z	  {	  |	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	   
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hZ CJ  	hZ >* hZ 5>*CJ  hZ 5CJ mHsHhZ 5>*CJ mHsH hZ 5>*CJ  hZ 5CJ hZ 5CJ hZ  	hZ ]hZ 5CJ ];      1  2  3                    4  5  ^                  ;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       	    ^        `   ^ ;  <  G  H              9  :  ~              [  \              N  O                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         	      	!  P"  Q"  o"  "  "  6$  7$  r$  t$  u$  $  o&  q&  g'  i'  *  *  +  0  0  1  1  /4  14  n@  ~@  @  @  A  B  2E  CE  EE  VE  G  G  G  -H  0H  I  BI  CI  DI  HI  PI  GL  xO  P  P  P  P  Ӎ   	hZ >*hZ 56>*hZ B* ph   j    hZ CJ UmH nH u 
hZ CJ  hZ 6] hZ 56 	hZ 6hZ B*ph   	hZ H*hZ 5>* 	hZ 5hZ 5CJ 	hZ \hZ 5CJ \ hZ  hZ 5CJ   5           !  	!  n"  o"  "  "  "  #  #  *#  +#  ]#  f#  g#  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  $  $  7$                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     	  0^`0 	     7$  8$  t$  $  $  B'  C'  *  *  +  +  $,  %,  ,  ,  i.  j.  -/  ./  0  0  1  1  1  1  1  3  3  6                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
& F    h^h    6  6  6:  7:  ;  ;  >  >  A  A  B  B  B  B  B  B  B  2E  CE  EE  VE  WE  zF  {F  G  G  G  G  G                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        $ a$  9r      G  G  G  G  G  G  G  G  G  G  -H  /H  0H  qH  H  H  I  BI                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
 3$If   ^3
  c $If   ^c         $a$  $ a$  BI  CI  EI  FI  GI  HI  II  JI  KI  LI  MI  NI  OI  PI  QI  RI  qJ  rJ  FL                                                                                                                                                                                                                                $a$]  kde6  $$If   l              =q 4              0                                6            4 
l a FL  GL  xO  yO  P  P  P  P  P  P  P  rS  sS  U  U  V  V  HW  W  W  X  X  X  X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
& Fl   
& F h^  
& F h0^  
& F h`^   h^h      P  P   Q  Q  Z  Z  _  _  _  _  _  `  `  `  `  }g  ~g  i  i  i  n  n  =p  [p  r  zs  s  s  t  t  t  -u  Vu  u  6v  ev  gv  v    a  b  c  ۇ        ӈ        <  V  z  |  }  ΐ          k  d  e  f    ݘ  ߘ                 hZ CJ H*
hZ CJ  j    hZ 0J CJ U	hZ 5j    hZ UmH nH u hZ 5CJ j    hZ 0J U	hZ 6hZ  hZ 5>*EX  X   Y  !Y  [  [  1]  2]  ]^  ^^  _  _  #_  $_  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  `                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             $a$   h^h      ^  
& Fl  `  `  `  `  cc  dc  d  d  g  g  i  i  k  k  n  n  <p  =p  [p  \p  >r  r  r  zs  s  s  s  t                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ^ 	  ^`  
& Fu     t  t  t  t  t  -u  Vu  Xu  u  5v  6v  fv  gv  v   w  ax  bx  Wz  Xz  h}  i}          #                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
& F?   
& F=      
& Fv  	  ^`  
& Fu    ^ #    '  c  d      c  d  ڇ  ۇ            z  |  }  ΐ                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
& FB   
& F=    ^     
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& FD h^   8^8  
& F&       љ  ҙ  ә      Z  c  ~        ԧ  ֧      h  7  8  9          ]  ®  Į  ͮ  ή  E  G      !  #        f  g  h      ÷        =  p  q  s    *  +  ,    e  U  W  H  t  v  |  ~          1    Y  ޲޲  	hZ 5hZ CJ H*j    hZ 0J CJ U	hZ H*	hZ 6j    hZ 0J UhZ  
hZ CJ  j    hZ 0J 56CJ UhZ 56CJ Fh  9  :          ]  ^  Ю  Ѯ                h  i      ·  ÷                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
& F=      
& FD h^  
& FF h^   ^   ^     <  =  r  s      ,  -  w  <  =  '  (  ]  ^          g  h  ?  @      G  H                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
& FG    ^    H            
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& F h^  
& F=   
& FI       ^ Y  Z  [  x  z  !                                                 m  n  o                   b            ?  @  A  z  , =     f k v ߻   hZ CJ H*hZ 5>* hZ 5CJ 	hZ 6hZ 5B*ph    j    hZ 0J 5CJ U j    hZ 0J 5U j    hZ 0J U	hZ 5	hZ H*hZ  
hZ CJ  j    hZ 0J CJ U ;                9  :  ,  -      \  ]                l  m                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
& F h^   < ^<    o  p  U  V          !              ^  _  a  b          A  B                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
& F=   
& FJ       ^   f g      y z     $ %   * + ,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        	  $$If   a$  
& F=                                 ~                                                                                                                                                                                                                   $If   	  $$If   a$ q  kd6  $$If   l 4            0   9!                  =              0                              9!                        4 
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l al  7 8 ?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         $If    l  kd8  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
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l al  ~    e                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          	  
& Fw $If     $If    l  kd:  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                	  
& Fw $If     $If    l  kd:  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
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& Fw $If     $If    l  kd4;  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al  e f k l                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      $If   	  $$If   a$ l  kd;  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al  l m u  < i                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         	  
& Fw $If     $If    l  kdb<  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al  v x " )           ` b  #  u  w            	! n! ! ! ! ! ! ! " n" p" }" " " " " " " " Q# S# }# # # $ >$ @$ H$ j$ $ $ <% % % & &  & & & & ' ' ' 5' P' n' ' ' ' ' ( ( ſ   
hZ CJ  hZ 5CJ 	hZ H*hZ 6H* 	hZ 6hZ  hZ 5>* hZ B*CJ ph   
hZ CJ  hZ CJ H* Ki j s                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         $If    l  kd<  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al      ( w                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         	  
& Fw $If     $If    l  kd=  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al  w x ~                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             $If    l  kd'>  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al        ,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         $If    l  kd>  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al  , - 2 3 v                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               $If    l  kdU?  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al       !                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              $If    l  kd?  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al  ! " ) * i                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               $If    l  kd@  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al       @ B                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         $If    l  kdA  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al  B C K                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         $If    l  kdA  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al             P Q $  %                                                                                                                                                                                                 
& FO   
& FQ     n  kdHB  $$If   l             0   9!                  =                0                              9!                        4 
l al    	! 
! ! ! " " " " # # $ $ k$ l$ $ $ % % & & ' ' ' ' ( ( ( (                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          $a$     
& FO  ( ) |) - / D/ 0 0 0 (1 )1 +5 ,5 6 8 8 8 9 : : ?> @ @ A A A D E 0E E F {F |F }F H  I K K L M M M *N P P P Q 9R S VW WW W W fZ gZ iZ jZ [ 	[ 
[ l\ m\ n\ ] ] Z^ ^ ^ ^ ^ @` Ž    hZ 5B* ph    hZ B* ph   hZ B*ph   
hZ CJ  j    hZ 0J Uj    hZ 0J CJ UhZ 56 hZ  	hZ 5hZ 5>*F( ) |) }) ) {* + ,  - c- d- - - . . ~. . . . E/ F/ / / / /                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
& F h^
  
& F 0   h^h
  
& F h    / I0 J0 0 0 0 0 3 3 *6 +6 6 6 8 8 8 9 9 : : I< J< = = >> ?>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ^   
  
& F h   h^h  
& F h^ ?> @ @ A A D D E E /E 0E ^E {E E F F }F ~F H H H H  I I J J                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
  
& F h 	  hh^h`h      h^h   ^ J K K L L M M )N *N N O O 
P P P Q Q 9R :R S S T T U U YW                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
  
& F h
  
& F 8   ^   h^h    YW ZW iZ jZ 	[ 
[ n\ o\ Y^ Z^ ^ ^ ^ ^ T_ _ _ D` E` Ba a a c c e e df ef                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ^        h^h @` A` ef h h h h h -i .i i i i +k ,k -k k m m m r Lu Mu Nu Ou u x y y y 8| M|  ˀ ̀ ̀   ׉ ؉ -     8  7   ֪ ت   E   /   ¬  F ϭ % ݮ  n   ֯ گ Y o    hZ 6H* 	hZ >*hZ 5>* 	hZ H*	hZ 6hZ 56 	hZ 5
hZ CJ  hZ  j    hZ 0J CJ U Lef f f g g h h .i /i i i -k .k k k m m n n ,q -q r r Nu Ou u                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
  
& F h   h^h
  
& F h      ^ u u x x y y | | 
    y ̀ ΀   b c        R                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
  
& F h  
& Fq    ^      h^h R S < =   + , -   l m         7 8    Ü                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
  
& F h      h^h               ֪ ת ت   /   ϭ ] ݮ ޮ ߮  n o                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
  
& F h      h^h o p  گ o ԰ հ  ӱ Ա      Ӳ Բ    5 6 \ ]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
& F h^
  
& F h   
  
& F h   h^h   ]   * 9 v x   @ A D ? A  p q r    n o p ʻ   J K L : i z { | ˿            2         - p ? 	 
  z {     ʾ j    hZ 0J U	hZ 6hZ 5CJ 	hZ H*j    hZ 0J CJ UhZ CJ H*
hZ CJ  hZ 5>*mH	sH	 hZ 5mH	sH		hZ 5hZ E  + , 8 9 D E        r s   p q ɻ ʻ L M 9 :                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
& Fr    ^   h^h
  
& F h    : k   " | } ʿ ˿     1 2        8   D                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
  
& F 8      h^h
  
& F 8   ^ D   	 M         > ?       > ? 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 9r     ^
  
& F h      h^h
  
& F 8    
       6 7 8 > ?        7 c     F  m n o p   > g h i     g h      = >    ~        L ^    I   hZ OJ QJ  hZ 6CJ 	hZ >*	hZ 5
hZ CJ  hZ 5CJ mH nH u hZ 5CJ j    hZ 0J U
hZ CJ  j    hZ 0J CJ UhZ D    8 W v   
 ? @ > ? Z ^                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
& F h8^8 	     ^          1$ ^         ^   ^      h^h  6 7 c d           W     !   E F                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           ^  
& F' h88^8
  
& F h   h^h     o p   = > i j     h i        >                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        ^   
  
& F h   h^h  
& F( h88^8          }  ~          F G    L                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
& F&   
& F       ^   h^h I   	 . A E F      G H I  < = > f    _ ` a      $ &        X Y Z      
! a! ! ! ! 4" x' y' z' |, / / / X3 p3 5 6 6 6 g8 ڿںڵڿکڿ    	hZ >*hZ 5>* 	hZ 5	hZ H*	hZ 6j    hZ 0J CJ Uj    hZ 0J UhZ  hZ 6CJ hZ 6CJ mHsHhZ CJ mHsH 
hZ CJ B 	 N  A B :	 ;	 
 
         I J   > ? e f                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            h^h   ^  a b     % &     Z [     ! ! 3" 4" $ $ %                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ^
  
& F h   h^h      ^ % & & z' {' ( ( ) ) 7+ 8+ {, |, - - / / / / 1 1 4 4 5                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               	  ^`   8^8	  
& F  8^8   ^      ^  
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hZ CJ  
hZ CJ  	hZ 5	hZ >*hZ 5>* 	hZ H*	hZ 6j    hZ 0J UhZ  hZ mH	sH	 hZ 5>*mH	sH	 hZ 5mH	sH	 @M M M M M M M N N O O O P P P }Q ~Q Q Q YR ZR dR R R @S AS JS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
& F/   
& F.   
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& F,   
& F+     JS S S S S S S S S S S T T T T T T DT ET xT yT T T W W                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
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l a m m Um Vm An Bn tn un o  o ep fp $q %q q q q q r "s Xs Ys u u v v v v v                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
& F    ^    m Vm An un o %q q q Vs Ws Xs u 
v v v v Oz Pz Qz z { { { | ~ ~ ~   c A B C  3 A  ؎    ( ) ے \ ] ^ Ŕ          0 >   Ԣ O P R     Y e ƫ ȫ f g ߬    	hZ H*j    hZ 0J U	hZ 6hZ CJ H*hZ 6CJ 	hZ 5j    hZ 0J CJ U
hZ CJ  hZ Mv Qz Rz z z ~{ { { | | | } } } E~ ~ ~     : ̂ ΂ + , Յ օ                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
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& F h^  
& F/ h^      ^ ! 2 ^ _    " #   q @ A     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
& F0    ^     
& F h^  / 0 ] ^ > ?            D E                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      4  
& F8 h8p8$d %d &d 'd N    O    P    Q    ]p^8   h^h   ^  
& F0      V W   4 \       " # d e   b c   3 4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ^  
& F9  9r        t u   z {          I J K Y Z  Q R b                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       h^h   ^  
& F0 
  h7$ 8$ H$ ^h    t u  {      z |      K Y   R b q  ; ~      L 	 	     6    5 7 = ?   -                
     	hZ H*	hZ 6	hZ >*j    hZ 0J UhZ 5>* j    hZ 0J CJ UhZ CJ H*
hZ CJ  hZ 5CJ H* hZ 5CJ hZ  	hZ 5hZ mH	sH	Ab : ; } ~        L M   
 
     5 6   ,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ^  
& F`       h^h  
& F_  , -       l         W X   	 
     " "                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
& Fs    ^       " " " 	# . . v1 |1 9 9 A A B B F G G G H I I I I I I I RK SK <L M M M N O O O O 	P 2P rP P Q CR R R R R +S -S iS lS S W X X Y Y Z Z [ ^ ^ ^ ?_ @_ e ]e af 鹲  hZ 5CJ hZ 5>*CJ  	hZ 6hZ 5>* hZ CJ H*j    hZ 0J U	hZ H*	hZ 5hZ  
hZ CJ  j    hZ 0J CJ U F" # # 	& 
& i' j' ( ( * * , , t- u- / / u1 v1 }1 ~1 4 4 7 7 9 9 ; ;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
& Fa      
& Fb  ; :> ;> A A  B B C C E E F F G G H H H H H I I K K ;L <L M M N                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  ^    N N O O O P 	P 1P 2P P P kQ lQ Q Q AR BR CR R R R R ,S -S jS kS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
& F h^   h^h  
& FK    ^    kS lS S S W W X X Z Z Z [ \ \ ^ ^ ` ` c c `f af f f [h \h j j                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 h^h   ^  
& FR     af f g g g g $g ]g \h j j Qm n n n q q  r ys zs {s ku rx sx tx } } ~ 
 _       ~                c d e f         a    Ⱦ  
hZ CJ  j    hZ 0J CJ UmHsHhZ CJ mH	sH	 hZ mH	sH	 j    hZ 0J Uj    hZ 0J CJ U
hZ CJ  	hZ 6	hZ H*hZ  	hZ 5 Bj l l Pm Qm n n Ko Lo r  r {s |s ju ku u cv v w x tx ux iz jz }| ~| ^ _                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
& FW h88^8   ^    _          A B             e f                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ^       9 : ` a   4   i   = > ? f g @ A                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
& FR   
& FZ    ^       ^    ? e          ӫ          K     < = >   H J ` @ A C  D E F G     %   C     ' (   %       x       ? A x   hZ 56 hZ 5>* hZ 5CJ 	hZ H*j    hZ 0J CJ U
hZ CJ  j    hZ 0J U	hZ 6	hZ 5hZ J إ ٥   !              Դ մ J K   I J                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ^     9 \  ½     W    ( ) = > + ,   > ? 
  _                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         ^  
& F^ h88^8  
& F] h88^8    _ `   C D   F G         ( ) _ ` / 0 - . B C                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   $a$  
& FR    ^    C     ' (       & '     L q                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     4  
& Fd h88$d %d &d 	'd N    O    P   	 Q    ]^8      ^   `  
& Fh           v w { | 3 5    ?                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
& Ft 8^   8^8  
& Ff h88^8   h^h  
& FX    4  
& Fd h88$d %d &d 	'd N    O    P   	 Q    ]^8 ? W t     K L x z   ; < u v   ' (                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        ^  
& FX    h^h  
& Ff h88^8   8^8  
& Ft 8^     ? @ A x y 3 4 / 0       u v   l m   :                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
& FX    ^   h^h x   T  ! ) ( 3 D M     ~     ( b   !  x y z               A v w x   i    " %# # $ ( ( J* g* * * '- @- A- B- s1 1 3 3 z9 9 v@ @ GA A ,I I I I P P |U U W W #Z 6Z   hZ 5>* 	hZ 5	hZ H*	hZ 6hZ 56 hZ X: ; s  /  0             b c     
 
   G H                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
& Fj    ^  
& Fm h88^8   h^h H      " #   z {     3 d    !     k l                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
& Fn   
& FY       ^   h^h l > ? A x y } ~         W X S T   h i                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      	  
& Fc      ^  
& Fp   
& FY    h^h   ! ! " " &# '# # # $ $ & & ' ' b) c) D, E, &- '- B- C- 0 0                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  	  
& Fc      h^h  
& F\          	    h^h 0 1 1 3 3 3 3 y5 z5 B7 C7 y9 z9 9 9 = = > > u@ v@ @ @ FA GA                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    	  
& FU   	  
& Fc    	    h^h GA A A pC qC D D E E F F }G ~G H H +I ,I I I J J K K M                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           	    ^ 	    8^8   
& Fk 
h8 8^8 	    h^h	  
& FS    M M (O )O P P P P Q Q uS vS {U |U U U W W W W #Z $Z 6Z 7Z #\ $\ _]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
& F\    	  
& FS    	    h^h _] `] ^ ^ 9^ :^ [^ \^ Wa Xa 2d 3d Qe Re *f +f ,f tf uf Xh Yh k k Hm Im Jm                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               h^h	  
& FS            	    h^h 6Z ^ 7^ Y^ Z^ [^ +f tf bm dm qm m m m m n  s !s Dt t t w w w y y y c| ~ ~ R     4   ǌ 2 3 4 5    yt   	hZ 6j    hZ 0J CJ U] hZ CJ ]hZ CJ ]mH
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HhZ ]mH
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H	hZ ]j    hZ 0J UmH	sH	hZ mH	sH	 j    hZ 0J UhZ CJ mH	sH	 j    hZ 0J CJ OJ  QJ  UhZ CJ OJ  QJ   	hZ H*	hZ 5hZ 5>* hZ -Jm Km Lm Mm Nm pm m m n n q q r r Ct Dt t t t t w w y y c| d| | | ~                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ^        ~ ~ Q R     h i      {  z { B C   ƌ ǌ 4 5                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ^  
& F          l m n o ʒ  x є Ҕ        : ; M N O      L M N ͻͪ͌͌sn^U                     hZ 6mH
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Hj    hZ 0J 6UmH
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H 	hZ 6j    hZ 0J CJ U] hZ 6CJ mH	sH	hZ CJ ]hZ ]mH	sH	j    hZ 0J >* CJ U hZ >* CJ ] hZ mHsH hZ >* CJ hZ 5CJ mH	sH	hZ  hZ mH
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H hZ ]mH
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H"j    hZ 0J CJ U]mH
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H hZ CJ ]mH
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H  n o 0 1 Ȓ ɒ ʒ  w x є Ҕ        : ; N O                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               `  ^  ^  `        ^    N O  X F G   g h    A C D      M N                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                `  ^    ^     `    N O    X D E F G   g h     ? @ A B C D      M N    ɡ 鱤ː}ulclcc                        hZ ]mH	sH	hZ 6mHsHhZ mH	sH	 %j    hZ 0J 5CJ U\mH	sH	hZ  hZ mHsH hZ mH
HsH
H hZ 5CJ \mH	sH	 hZ 6mH	sH	 j    hZ 0J B* CJ Uph    hZ 5\ hZ B* ph   j    hZ 0J B* Uph    hZ B* CJ ph   hZ B* mH
Hph   sH
H "   ɡ     l m       u ا / W Ϩ Ш ܨ !                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
& F  
& F         `    ^ ɡ     l m     Ϩ ۨ           ` 4 5 w U [   %        κεεεΰκΛΕ΍ses             hZ CJ0 OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ OJ QJ  
hZ CJ  hZ 5>* CJ \hZ \]mH	sH	 	hZ H*	hZ >*hZ CJ mH	sH	 hZ CJ OJ  QJ   hZ  hZ 5\]mH	sH	hZ 5CJ \mH	sH	 hZ mH
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H hZ 5CJ \mHsH%  }  s    H        < =   _ ` 4 5 w x                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ^      ^     `      
& F  
& F    x T U [      %                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            9r            y z { | } ~           D E X Y k l m n o                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      $a$   $a$       x y        X Y         . R    ; < = K h ȸتؚؚqؚi\\T\i                   hZ mH
sH
 hZ 5OJ QJ mH
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hZ mH	sH	 hZ B*OJ QJ mH
ph    sH
hZ OJ QJ mH
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 hZ 5OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ B*OJ QJ mH	ph    sH	hZ 0J OJ QJ mH	sH	 jvC  hZ OJ QJ UmH	sH	j    hZ OJ QJ UmH	sH	hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ CJ$ OJ QJ mH	sH	o               m n       . Q e f g t                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
& F     $a$    t u           ! = > k l | }        # , ;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
& F  
& F     
&F   h^h ; < J K h i 0 1   = >         a b   x y   !                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               $a$    h i     >          G H { |  a b + , C D   t u ~      ѿѰ晌~o~~a          hZ 0J OJ QJ mH	sH	 	j hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 5OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ mH	sH	 hZ 56OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 6CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ 5OJ QJ hZ 6OJ QJ hZ OJ QJ  hZ H*OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 6OJ QJ mH	sH	 $  [ \ d e           G H { |   a b   o p                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              h^h     $a$  $a$   p     N O P   ) * C D     ^     0 1 t u                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      $
& Fa$  $< ^< a$  $a$   $a$   u } ~           
 " 6 M l o     K                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            $
& F a$  $
& F a$  $
& F a$  $  ^  a$   $a$    $a$     
          S   Z s t       H	 Z
 o
 q
     5 6         \ Ź}pphZ 5OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ B*OJ QJ mH	ph   sH	 hZ 56CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 6OJ QJ mH
sH
hZ OJ QJ mH
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 hZ 6OJ QJ mH	sH		j hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 #j    hZ 0J OJ QJ UmH	sH	 ,    :  ;  g i R S t u       G	 H	 p
 q
 
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           $a$     $h^ha$     !       H I     H   0 1                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     $
&F  	^	`a$   $a$  $a$     [ \   : ; W X         Z    ! ! R" #                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      $
& F a$   $a$  $
&F  	^	`a$   $ 	^	`a$ \ k   ; W     + + + , . . . . I/ 2 ?5 8 ]< D= E= F= u= v= = ,? x@ @ @ 
A A  A "A A 
B mC nC C ¹zj   	j [hZ 6OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ 5OJ QJ mH
sH
hZ OJ QJ mH
sH
 	hZ 6hZ  hZ 5CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ OJ QJ \hZ OJ QJ  hZ 6OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ 56OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 5OJ QJ mH	sH	 )# # 2$ 3$ ?% @% % % & & |' }' ( ( * * * * + + + + , , - - . .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         $a$  $
& F a$ . . . . I/ J/ 0 0 2 2 ?5 @5 6 6 8 8 8 ]< ^< E= F= u= v= = = +? ,? @                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          $a$      $a$ @ @ !A "A 	B 
B C C !E "E E E G G #H $H I I J J K K yL zL L                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          $
& F]a$   $h^ha$  $a$    $
& Faa$  $
& Faa$   $a$ C C C C E "E E E E E G G G "H #H I J K K K K OP jP fU gU U U V X X X X Y Y Y Y Ŷ֋֋||skbZ hZ mH	sH	 hZ 5OJ QJ hZ OJ QJ  hZ 6OJ QJ 	j hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 5OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ 6CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ 56OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 5CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 56CJ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 6OJ QJ mH	sH		j ]hZ 6OJ QJ mH	sH	 #L L L L 6M 7M M M M M 5N 6N uN vN N N LO MO O O P P P P R                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 $
& F`a$   $a$    $h^ha$ $
& F]a$    R R /S 0S ZT [T GU HU PV QV V V X X Y Y Y Y ,Z -Z dZ eZ Z Z [ [ K[                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           $
& F}a$     $a$  $
& F_a$   $h^ha$ Y Y -Z dZ \ *\ =^ V^ d d me se  f zf {f n o o Oo p p p p r r Xs hs s s s t t t t t Du ^u u u v v Nv v v v qw w y y y { { R| }| | | *} ,} , - Z   ' ( N O / _ ה -     hZ H*OJ QJ mH	sH		hZ 6hZ  hZ 5OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ 6OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 56OJ QJ mH	sH	GK[ L[ [ [ 6\ 7\ \ \ \ \ ] ] b] c] ] ] ^ 	^ b^ c^ ^ ^ @_ A_ _ _ ` ` v`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       $
& F}a$   $a$ v` w` ` ` Ha Ia a a a a b b qb rb b b f f  f zf {f h h ik jk nl                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                $a$   h^h  $
& F}a$   $a$ nl pl m m ~n n n n o Oo do eo p p p p p q q r Ms s t 2u u Iv w                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             $
& Fva$  $    a$   $a$   $  a$ w w x x y y y y Q| R| | | } } ~   H I       , -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               $^a$  $
& F~a$     $a$   $h^ha$ - Z [   S T 9 : Ȇ Ɇ m n + ,   ' ( O P x y b c                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 $
& Fta$     $^a$  $
& Fa$   $a$   P Q  	 Q R ͐ ΐ ) * j k ő Ƒ   o p 	 
 , -   6 7                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           $a$  $
& Fta$   $h^ha$ 7 ֔ ה F G            ? @   ޘ ߘ   { |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    $^a$   $h^ha$  $
& Fua$   $a$  $
& Fta$     n o       Q R     i j ֠ נ   ~                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    $
&Fa$   $h^ha$  $
& Fa$      $a$  $
& Fua$   $^a$  W n    R o     h ǟ ʟ ˟ נ   - >  ˤ  p   ! + ,      ; Ů  @ A ɱ ʱ Ա ֱ ױ   / 0 1 3     
  E [ j l  /     յ ׵ ÿɿɿ    hZ 6H* 	hZ 6	hZ 5hZ  
hZ CJ  hZ 5CJ hZ 5mH
HsH
HhZ 5OJ QJ mH	sH	hZ OJ QJ mH	sH	 hZ 6OJ QJ mH	sH	 D  = > ʤ ˤ p q        	 Ʈ Ǯ ȱ ɱ ֱ ױ   0 3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    $h^ha$  $
& Fa$   $a$  $
&Fa$ 3        Z [ . /               r s                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            h^h  
& FL  ׵   x  ڶ ܶ     w y         Y [     ߸  F H P s   C    ۺ   &         ; V t     μ 5 < > G Ƚ     p   R     i  P   / ? A   * U y 	hZ >*	hZ 5hZ 5CJ 	hZ H*hZ 6H* hZ  	hZ 6 V             μ ϼ 5 6 > G      R                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
& F    h^h  
& FL      x     / 0 A  @     }      W X ^ T U \                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             h^h  
& F  y    _ }   c    W ^  T Z [ \  1 < g ~     ) 1 4 ?  ? H R       6 8 E F H N W h q r w x                - . 8 F                   hZ mHsH 
hZ CJ  
hZ CJ  hZ 5CJ 
hZ CJ  hZ 5CJ 	hZ 6	hZ >*	hZ 5hZ K 1 2 < } ~     ) 3 4 ? ? @ H I R                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     h^h  
& F              % & , - 6                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     	  $$If   a$    6 7 8 = A C E F G V            P            P            P            P            P            P            P                                  $If      kdT  $$If   l 4            r Ob"`                 n                 R                `S                `                0                                                                                            4 
l a  f4 G H P Q 0            *            !                       	  $$If   a$  $If      kdU  $$If   l 4            ֞ O
fb"                 7             7                                                                      0                                                                                               4 
l a  f4 Q R T U V W X h                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            $If   	  $$If   a$ h i r                                       $If     kdV  $$If   l 4            ֞ O
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     0                                                                                                                    4 
l a  f4p
      r s t u v w x                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 $If   	  $$If   a$ x y   .            (                               	  $$If   a$  $If      kdW  $$If   l 4            ֞ O
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                        " % , > N O ] e v } ~                	  ' . / 0 7 K N O ]  8 9      ڳ                  hZ 5OJ  QJ  mH	sH	hZ 5OJ  QJ  hZ OJ  QJ  mH	sH	 hZ 5CJ 
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hZ CJ  hZ  hZ CJ mHsH hZ mHsH hZ 5mHsH >                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       $If   	  $$If   a$     .            (                               	  $$If   a$  $If      kd`  $$If   l 4            ֞ O
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fb"              7             7                                       S                         0                                                                                               4 
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             $If   	  $$If   a$    	 .            (                               	  $$If   a$  $If      kd1c  $$If   l 4            ֞ O
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     0                                                                                                                    4 
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fb"              7             7                                       S                         0                                                                                               4 
l a  f4 : = ? A C I                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      $If   	  $$If   a$ I J K L M N 0            .            .            .            .                     kdo  $$If   l 4            ֞ O
fb"            7             7                                       S                       0                                                                                                                    4 
l a  f4 N O Q ] ^   8 9 S                                                                                                                           `               kdq  $$If   l                 0 %                  C                	        %       % 0                                                            4 
l a  p      %       % 
   @$If       @   h^h      )    2 ~    / l   h   
 ( Q    J                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
& F      p$If   `p  
& F      p$If   `p        2 O     ; n    c     + i                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
& F      p$If   `p  
& F      p$If   `p                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ^ l  kdq  $$If   l                 0 %                  C                0                                                            4 
l a                  ~     - j        p       ] ^ _     l            t v                . / 0 m ǿ   hZ mHsH hZ mH	sH	 hZ 6H* 	hZ 5	hZ 6hZ  j    hZ 0J UhZ mH
HsH
H hZ 5mH
HsH
H K      ]                   q            k            i            i            i            i            i            i            i            i            i                  ^ F 
& FA Eƀ  t;qF                                                       -                                                              F 
& FA Eƀ  t;qF                                                        -                                                                .    - S  T   E   %  C k   * 1 J    ? G q                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         m       - . S T     T U V       
 % C E F r      % &    C D k l       * + 1 2 4  J K Q    t v       ? @ G H q r      % & ' - . /     	hZ 5	hZ H*hZ mHsH 	hZ 6j    hZ 0J UhZ Vq  & - E   . A H O V 4 ; L   8 [    c   {                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         /  E F         . / 0 m A B H I O P V W X  4 5 ; < L M       8 9 : S [ \          ; c d       { |       ! P Q R }       . / > ? M N { hZ 6]mHsH hZ mHsH j    hZ 0J UhZ  	hZ 6 V  P    . > M { 8  ^          '  8  I  Z  n o                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             { | }  8 9 M q     ^ _ s                   '  (  8  9  I  J  Z  [  \   n o p                   u v         ~     , - a b c    hZ 6CJ hZ mHsH 
hZ CJ  j    hZ 0J CJ U	hZ 6hZ  j    hZ 0J U P    u      , a z  ) ; C K ] o x   	 I	 	 	 	 	 `
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         z {    G   ) * ; < C D K L ] ^ o p x y     	 	 	 	 I	 J	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 `
 a
 h
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