Are their ideas worth listening to? To mark World Children’s Day, we look at some of the advances and achievements set to make life better for young people. “We celebrate the youngest members of our human family,” declares the UNUnited Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security.’s secretary-general António Guterres. “But today is also a moment to recognise the enormous challenges children face in our deeply divided, tumultuous and often violent world. It is shocking that, in the 21st Century, any child still goes hungry, uneducated, or without even the most basic health care…
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Seven huge steps for children in 2024
Are their ideas worth listening to? To mark World Children's Day, we look at some of the advances and achievements set to make life better for young people.
"We celebrate the youngest members of our human family," declares the UNUnited Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security.'s secretary-general Antonio Guterres. "But today is also a moment to recognise the enormous challenges children face in our deeply divided, tumultuous and often violent world. It is shocking that, in the 21st Century, any child still goes hungry, uneducated, or without even the most basic health care...
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"It is a stain on humanity's conscience when children's lives are caught in the grinding wheels of poverty, or upended by disasters or violent conflicts... We must listen to children as they fight for their rights - and for humanity's future."
The day marks the signing of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) - a landmark document. Here are seven ways in which children's cause has been advanced this year:
Are their ideas worth listening to?
Yes: As The Day's new Student Voices feature shows, many young people are highly articulate and possess original thoughts. As the Earth is their inheritance it is vital to have their point of view.
No: People's ideas change with age and much of what children think now will seem naive to them when they are older. Adults obviously have more experience of life and greater wisdom as a result of it.
Or... Although it is often said that everyone has a right to an opinion, only informed opinions are of any use. We need to sift the ideas buzzing around so the bad ones do not drown out the good ones.
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Keywords
UN - United Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security.
RSV - A contagious virus that causes cold-like symptoms.
Eczema - A group of skin conditions that causes dry and irritated skin.
Autism - A condition characterised by difficulty in social interaction and communication. According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 160 children has an autism disorder.
Mensa - The largest and oldest society for people with high-IQs in the world. Mensa is the Latin word for "table".
IQ - A means of measuring human intelligence. A person's IQ is usually ascertained by making them sit a standardised test. Some have criticised these tests as a means of evaluating intelligence, claiming that they ignore much of what it means to be intelligent.
Legislation - Legislation consists of a law or laws passed by a government.
Seven huge steps for children in 2024
Children's rights: There are roughly two billion people alive today between the ages of zero and 14 — making up roughly one quarter of the total human population. Glossary
UN - United Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security.
RSV - A contagious virus that causes cold-like symptoms.
Eczema - A group of skin conditions that causes dry and irritated skin.
Autism - A condition characterised by difficulty in social interaction and communication. According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 160 children has an autism disorder.
Mensa - The largest and oldest society for people with high-IQs in the world. Mensa is the Latin word for "table".
IQ - A means of measuring human intelligence. A person’s IQ is usually ascertained by making them sit a standardised test. Some have criticised these tests as a means of evaluating intelligence, claiming that they ignore much of what it means to be intelligent.
Legislation - Legislation consists of a law or laws passed by a government.