World Children’s Day: Creating A Better World For Children 

Sunday, 20th November, 2022 is World Children’s  Day. First established as Universal Children’s Day in 1954, it is a day to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide and improving children’s welfare.
This year’s theme is, “Inclusion, for every child”. It aims to empower children to call for a better future and a more equal, inclusive world.
World Children’s Day is United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF) annual day of action for children by children.
It is a day to discuss and evaluate issues affecting children, from climate change, education and mental health, to ending racism and discrimination. Children and young people are however, raising their voices on the issues that matter to their generation and calling for adults to create a better future.
According to UNICEF, “World Children’s Day offers each of us an inspirational entry point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that would build a better world for children, adding that, mothers, fathers, teachers, nurses and doctors, government leaders and civil society activists, religious and community elders, corporate mogule and media professionals as well as young people and children themselves can play an important part in making World Children’s Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations.
“On 20 November, Children all over the world will  stand up for a more equal, inclusive world, UNICEF said.
November 20, 1959 was the day the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. In 1989, the UN General Assembly adopted the convention on the Rights of the Child.
Since 1990, World Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and Convention on Children’s rights.
The very first World Children’s Day was celebrated in 1954 and it was decided that this day will be celebrated on the 20th of November every year. It also marks the anniversary of the declaration and convention of Children’s rights by the UN General Assembly. Though World Children’s Day is celebrated on the 20th of November, different countries have different dates for their celebration.
The UN General assembly decided to celebrate this day in order to bring the children of all castes, creeds and races together. Their main aim is the welfare of children all over the world. It has been 66 years since the first World Children’s Day was celebrated and the UN General Assembly has promoted a number of causes such as HIV, Education of Children and many more.
On the occasion of the 31st World Children’s Day that was 20th November 1989, the UN General Assembly signed a treaty with the aim of protecting the civil, health, social, economic, health, political and cultural rights of children all around the globe.
World Children’s Day is important because it is an integral part of the work carried out by UNICEF to increase knowledge about the well-being of children in and around the world.
It is known to everyone that children are the future of the world, they are going to be essential that they get proper education, care and benefits in the present which is the aim behind celebrating World Children’s Day.
An important reason behind celebrating World Children’s Day every year is protecting the rights of children. Unlike adults, children cannot fight for their rights, so it becomes the duty of adults to protect them. The UN has signed many treaties and agreements to ensure that each and every child gets proper education, health care, protection from any form of violence and discrimination.
Children from an inferior financial system face a lot of problems in their life such as financial problems or healthcare problems and there is not enough conversation about it. This day is an effort to make people aware of these problems and not overlook them, instead take some steps to eradicate them.
Here are some countries that celebrate the Children’s Day on the mentioned dates:-
Argentina celebrates on second Sunday of August.
Brazil celebrates on 12th October.
India celebrates on 14th November.
Japan celebrates on 5th May
Nigeria  celebrates on 27th May.
Paraguay celebrates on 16th August .
China celebrates on 1st June
South Korea celebrate on 1st May.
Singapore celebrates on 1st October .
Sri Lanka celebrates on 1st October.
Taiwan  celebrates on 4th April.
Thailand celebrates on the second Saturday of January.
Turkey celebrate on 23rd April
Venezuela celebrates on third Sunday of July.

By: Ibinabo Ogolo