A subject book exhibition “May childhood be real!” timed to the Universal Children’s Day runs at reading room 207 from November 16 to December 7.
This day was established in 1954 by the United Nations General Assembly (resolution 836 (IX)) and has been observed annually on November 20. The UNO member countries chose deliberately the date of the Universal Children’s Day celebration.
On this day in 1959 the General Assembly adopted the Declaration of Children’s Rights, and in thirty years in 1989, on the same day, the Children’s Rights Convention was adopted. These international legal documents has defined the children’s rights to education, medical care, cultural life, and also personal development and freedom from hunger and poverty, violence, exploitation and other forms of abuse.
The total number of homeless children all over the world is about 40 million people. Annually eleven million children die, not having reached their fifth birthday, tens million remain physically or mentally ill, not having an opportunity for growth, development and life. Many of these deaths are caused by illnesses which could have been easily prevented or cured, others – by grave consequences of poverty, ignorance, discrimination and violence. All together these reasons cause heavy losses to families, communities, states and human society as a whole.
The Republic of Belarus is a member of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) since 1953. In 1997 the UNICEF Office in the Republic of Belarus opens in Minsk. In 2009 the Republic of Belarus is elected to the UNICEF Executive Council for 2010-2012. The UNICEF carries out in Belarus several projects of international technical and humanitarian aid aimed at the support of national plans and priority tasks in the sphere of motherhood and childhood protection, children and families’ social service, promotion of children’s rights and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Children’s rights and legitimate interests are fixed in many national documents. The basic legal documents of the Republic of Belarus in the field of children’s rights protection are: the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the Code of the Republic of Belarus of Marriage and Family, the Law of the Republic of Belarus ”On the Children’s Rights”. Specific measures for improvement of the state of children are carried out within the framework of the President’s program “Children of Belarus” for 2006–2010. “The National Program of improvement of the state of children and protection of their rights for 2004–2010” is of great importance as well. All these documents are available at the exhibition.
The exposition comprises over 100 documents in Russian and English: books, periodicals, mimeographed materials, brochures and booklets.
The exhibition consists of the subject sections as follow:
- National and international legal documents on children’s rights protection;
- UNICEF activities;
- Protection of children’s rights and interests in the Republic of Belarus;
- Promotion of children’s healthy lifestyle;
- Adequate education for each child;
- Protection of children against abuse, exploitation and violence.
The exhibition is designed for pedagogues, lawyers, sociologists, education and public health employees, cultural workers and everyone who is concerned about children’s future.
Useful links
UNICEF
- What we do
- The Millennium Development Goals
- Voices of youth
- НUNICEF and «Say "Yes" to Children»
- Innocenti Research Centre
United Nations Organization
- Global questions – children
- United Nations for Children
- Secretary-General’s study on violence against children
UNESCO
- Education – Early Childhood and Family
- Programme for the Education of Children in Difficult Circumstances
World Health Organization (WHO)
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