Marche des Enfants du Cercle Féminin des Nations Unies

Madame la Présidente du Cercle féminin des Nations Unies [Mme Nehad Sukayri],
Chères Membres du Cercle féminin des Nations Unies,
Chers enseignants,
Chers enfants :

C’est pour moi un immense plaisir d’être parmi vous ce matin. Le Directeur général de l’Office des Nations Unies à Genève, M. Michael Møller, a le regret de vous faire part de son absence à cet évènement en raison d’un déplacement officiel à l’étranger. C’est un évènement qu’il aime beaucoup. Il m’a demandé de vous saluer et do vous transmettre son message :

« Bienvenue au Palais des Nations pour la Marche des enfants. Cet événement de collecte de fonds traditionnelle, qui a pris ses racines en 2002, est une célébration de l'esprit de partage et de solidarité par la jeune génération de la Genève internationale.

Je tiens à remercier le Cercle féminin des Nations Unies pour l'organisation de cette nouvelle édition de la Marche. Votre soutien est très important pour des centaines d'enfants dans le monde qui autrement ne seraient pas en mesure de poursuivre leurs études. Grâce à votre dévouement et engagement, les enfants défavorisés dans plusieurs pays ont la possibilité de construire leur avenir et l'avenir de leurs sociétés.

Dear children,

In the year 2000, before you were born, the leaders of all countries in the world came together to agree on the eight so called Millennium Development Goals, which was a homework for the world to complete so that all people on the planet - adults and kids – could eat to their hunger, learn to read, count and write, be cured when they are ill, and that boys and girls could have the same opportunities in life. We worked diligently to achieve those objectives, and fifteen years later, we can be proud of our achievements. To take just one example: enrolment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91%, and the world has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys.

For you it seems natural and normal to go to school. All children of your age in your neighbourhood go to school and receive quality education in a peaceful environment. But in some places of the world many children of your age could only dream of the same learning opportunities you have here. Imagine that there are still 57 million children who are out of primary school in the world – this is seven times more than the population of Switzerland. Half of those children live in conflict-affected areas. Only half of the refugee children attend primary school. In many places of the world, it is even more difficult for girls than for boys to go to school because of poverty, unaffordable school fees, cultural norms favouring boys’ education when a family has limited resources, or hostile environment at school and around it. You all know Malala, who was shot because she wanted to go to school. Educated girls are powerful. Girls’ education boosts the economy, raises living standards and promotes development. It is the key to building stable, egalitarian communities.

At the United Nations, we value and support education. Last year world leaders gathered to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a set of 17 Goals. You can see these goals on the postcards you will all receive as a small reminder of today’s experiences. This is an ambitious homework for all of us to implement in the next fifteen years. Education is an important element of those goals, as well as equality between women and men, boys and girls.

The people of the world now need to work together to achieve these goals. Everybody on this planet has a role to play. This includes yourselves. You should not wait to grow up in order to make the world you live in better. And today you can be proud of yourselves – you are here because you want to help boys and girls in other countries go to school. You are contributing to making a difference, to making this world a better place to live in.

Dear friends,

I would like to thank all of the children here today, and of course all the teachers and colleagues whose efforts have been instrumental in making this event possible.

It is raining, but it does not matter because you have a sunshine in your hearts. I hope you will have lots of fun, and good luck for your walk!

Thank you.