The special session of the UN General Assembly on children is an important follow-up to the 1990 world summit for children, where 71 Heads of State and Government and other leaders signed the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children and adopted a plan of action to achieve a set of precise, time-bound goals. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, had set the foundation for these objectives. The special session will review the implementation and results of the World Declaration and will consider future action for children in the decade ahead. The special session is expected to produce a global agenda with a set of goals and plan of action devoted to ensuring three essential outcomes: The best possible start in life for all children; A good-quality basic education for all children; The opportunities for all children, especially adolescents, for meaningful participation in their communities.
Ireland participated in the first preparatory committee for the special session, and will continue to follow preparations for the special session carefully. As a mark of our commitment to this important event, Minister of State O'Donnell has recently approved a contribution of IR £75,000 from Ireland Aid to the children's special session. This funding will be used, inter alia, to facilitate the participation of representatives from the least developed countries.