UNIVERSAL CHILDREN'S DAY MARKED IN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (November 22,2007) – The Bosnian Minister of Human Rights and Refugees Safet Halilovic opened in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo a conference organized by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) dedicated to marking of the Universal Children’s Day.

The Conference was organized so that the UNICEF and partners form the Bosnian governmental and non-governmental sector mark the results achieved in the development of social policies and inclusive social offers. The Conference also aimed to discuss the program that is to be implemented by the end of 2009.

Halilovic stated that, on the past 5 years, economic changes occurred in Bosnia, which directly or indirectly influenced the children’s protection.

One of the most significant changes occurred in the sense of ensuring the “world in accordance with the children’s needs”, which would enable fulfilment the world goals for children and also enable the implementation of the Convention on Rights of Children in Bosnia was adoption of the Action Plan for Children in the period from 2002 to 2010.

”This document, adopted by the Bosnian Government, has a greater significance in the sense of implementing the children policy and is the basic mechanism for strengthening the position of children in Bosnia”, Halilovic said.

He emphasized that the list of duties BiH is to fulfil is long.The Bosnian Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees is directly responsible for the implementation. In that sense, in the following period, it is necessary to ensure a better and more efficient cooperation of all the institutions which deal with children.

Ljerka Maric, Head of the Bosnian Direction for Economic Planning, warned that the need for strengthening the cooperation between Bosnia and UNICEF is still felt.

She announced that the Direction will partake in the development of the new project for social inclusion and protection of children. However, she added that all the documents need to be in accordance with the EU standards.

Emphasizing that there is a significant number of people in Bosnia in need of help, Maric said that it is important that statistic data is made more precise, for action can only be taken if concrete numbers are given.

13-year-old Lajla Musakadic addressed the participants of the Conference. She will also represent Bosnia at a conference focusing on children that will take place in New York.

By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world.