Roevoet spreekt in Zweden op conferentie kinderrechten

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Your majesties, your royal highnesses, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all I would like to thank Sweden, current holder of the EU presidency, for choosing to mark the twentieth anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child with today's event. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that European representatives have assembled at such a high level, specifically to promote children's rights.
It is therefore a momentous occasion and a praiseworthy initiative on the part of Sweden.

Ladies and gentlemen,
“Time is short. We must seize this historic moment to act responsibly and decisively for the common good.”

These were the words with which Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, spurred us on to pursue and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

And as UNICEF has since reminded us, "Six of the eight development goals are about children. They can best be met as the rights of children are protected and will only be sustained as the rights of every child to health, education, protection and equality are realised."

If we do succeed in safeguarding the rights of children, we shall realise our ambition of improving the lives of people throughout the world.
If we set out to ensure that all children have the opportunity to develop safely and comfortably, we must also ensure that ours is a world in which everyone is entitled to a childhood.
One in which the process of becoming an adult is unhurried, rather than being dictated by circumstances such as poverty, exploitation or war.

Ladies and gentlemen,
As you are no doubt aware, the Millennium Development Goals have been set for 2015, just some five years from now. Time is indeed short. For we must concede that there is still a very long way to go. This is particularly true when we think of violence against children in developing countries as well as the industrialized West.

This is why the Netherlands welcomes the recent appointment of a UN Special Representative on Violence against Children.

Together with a number of other European countries, the Netherlands will do as much as possible to assist the Special Representative in fulfilling her mission. My country has already invited her to report on the situation in the Netherlands, and I confirm that invitation today. I would also like to take this opportunity to call upon all other member states to lend her their fullest support. Violence against children, in Europe or anywhere else, cannot be tolerated, ever.

Your majesties, your royal highnesses, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
The United Nations and the Council of Europe are working hard to ensure that the rights of children are respected and upheld. The Lisbon Treaty now provides the European Union with a legislative basis upon which to do the same. I therefore urge the European Commission, the European Parliament and, of course, the new President of the European Council, mister Van Rumpuy- whom I warmly congratulate- to make full use of that legislative basis in promoting children’s rights together with the member states.
Europe must take the lead in the field of children's rights.

Your majesties, your royal highnesses, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
We live in a world in which we, as adults, must take decisions when addressing the challenges of today, such as sustainable energy, an ageing population, the financial crisis and climate change, as well as the continuing threats of crime, terrorism and war.
The way in which we respond to these challenges will have far-reaching consequences for all children.

It is particularly essential that we maintain focus now.
Let these challenges form our incentive to achieve and maintain 'Protection, Provision and Participation' for every child.
Let the rights of the child be the very foundation of our approach to all our challenges.
To begin with far-reaching agreements at the forthcoming climate talks in Copenhagen.

Climate change already threatens the safety and development of children: The drought in Kenya, the hurricanes in the Philippines.
By respecting children’s rights we not only commit to providing our chíldren a bright future, we commit to providing our plánet a bright future.
We must provide our children with a place to grow up safe and sound.

Respecting children’s rights equals respecting our planet. A sustainable climate is a children’s right.

So let us reach historic agreements in Copenhagen. Let’s make our children proud of what we accomplish in the fight against climate change.

Your majesties, your royal highnesses, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
It is my privilege to be the Netherlands' first ever Minister for Youth and Families.
The vast majority of Dutch children enjoy a safe and comfortable childhood. In fact, according to research by UNICEF, Dutch children consider themselves among the happiest in the world. Children in other countries experience many more problems, or simply do not enjoy the same opportunities. Nevertheless, there are still children in the Netherlands who are the victims of neglect, abuse or violence. They deserve our special attention, and I assure you that they will receive that attention.

Later today, I will be going to Leiden, where the Dutch national 'Children's Rights Summit’ will be celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention.
In the Netherlands, we shall be devoting special attention to 'Participation' the coming year.
That such attention is necessary is demonstrated by a recent European Commission survey. Although Dutch children – compared to their counterparts elsewhere in Europe – are the most confident that their rights will be upheld, they are the least aware of what those rights actually entail.

We intend to rectify this situation through information and education, and by encouraging youth participation. As in many other European countries, youth policy in the Netherlands is primarily the responsibility of local authorities. I intend to encourage those authorities to base their youth policy on the letter and spirit of the UN Convention. I shall also encourage young people to exercise their rights and to participate.

Your majesties, your royal highnesses, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

By way of conclusion, I would like to share this final thought with you.

Together, we can make a difference for children and the expectations they have with regard to their future.
It falls to us to ensure that these are optimistic expectations, and that children will be able to live their dreams.

We must ensure that children can grow up in a world which offers them a safe childhood, untrammelled by violence, hunger or other miseries that can be so disastrous to children in particular.

We must ensure that they grow up to be adults who are aware of the importance of the rights of a child, adults who themselves respect children’s rights in a world fit for children, in a Europe fit for children.

Thank you.