The meeting provided a forum to the development of networks for knowledge exchange, promotion of peer learning, and coordination for cooperation on child rights in the countries of Asia and the Pacific.
The deliberations during the HLM focused on three themes: Urban setting as an opportunity for realizing all child rights; Adolescents: current rights for future opportunities and Fulfilling Child Rights through Early Childhood Development. The Meeting also assessed the progress made in the area of child rights since the first HLM held in Beijing in 2010.
The HLM concluded with the adoption of a New Delhi Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in Asia and the Pacific. The New Delhi Declaration provided an overview on status of children in Asia and the Pacific. It provided overall and specific recommendations on the three themes of Adolescents, Early Childhood Development and Urban Settings.
The overall recommendations included improving data collection methodologies and use data for the purpose of advancing child rights; enhancing inter-country learning and exchange of best practices; and encouraging multi-country research studies on children’s issues.
The specific recommendations included improving access and quality of lower secondary education and vocational training for children and adolescents; reviewing and enhancing national and regional coordination of early childhood development policies, programmes and service components and; enhancing services to children living in urban areas, particularly the most marginalized and excluded children.
This was stated by Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister for Women and Child Development, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha today.
