Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

World Children’s Day – celebrated on November 20 – is a global day of action "for children, by children".

On the same day, from Okland to Amman and from New York to Nigeria, children must use all of the facilities (online and off-line) to vote and demonstrate their solidarity with children who live in very heavy and sensitive settings.

UNICEF is inviting the public to go online and sign a global petition asking leaders to commit to fulfilling the rights of every child now and for future generations, so that every child is in school, safe from harm and can fulfill their potential.

As part of the day, UNICEF is asking supporters to raise their voices in solidarity with the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children by helping ‘"turn the world blue" – by doing or wearing something blue at school, on the streets, on social media, in boardrooms and on sports fields on November 20.

To celebrate the annual commemoration, stars and leaders from the worlds of entertainment, government, sport and business will rally for children in support of their rights, and children will "take over" high-profile roles to highlight issues that are important to them. These include:

• Iconic landmarks will light up blue, including Sydney Opera House in Australia, Beijing National Aquatics Center, Water Cube in China, Petra in Jordan, and The Empire State Building in the United States of America.
• In countries around the world, children will take over parliaments in Montenegro, Peru, Tonga, Suriname and Zambia, amongst others. The Taoiseach of Ireland (Prime Minister), Leo Varadkar, will take part in a ‘Kids Takeover’ of his office.
• In Brussels, youth delegates will ‘take over’ the European Parliament and tell leaders about the "Europe Kids Want."
• In China, Laos, Lebanon, Nigeria, Oman, Tanzania, the United States and elsewhere, children will take over newsrooms to report on issues that matter to them.
• In The Netherlands, more than 30 children will be given the chance to take on their dream jobs, from managing a football team to working on the most popular Dutch daily soap, Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden.
• More than 50 organizations globally will turn over roles to children or show their support for every child, including FC Barcelona, Beko, All Blacks, Qantas and Amadeus. Johnson & Johnson. Headquarters will also be taken over by children as they announce a US$10 million commitment to support UNICEF’s health programmes. The LEGO Group and LEGO Foundation will host a number of `Build the Change’ events around the world where children are invited to share their views on what their dream school looks like.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz