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Kailash Satyarthi, Dalai Lama, world leaders to 'discuss' child rights amidst Covid-19

By Our Representative

The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) has announced holding of the Fair Share for Children Summit on September 9-10 with the participation of several top world leaders, including the Dalai Lama, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, the World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, musician and philanthropist Ricky Martin, International Labour Organization director-general Guy Ryder, India’s Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, Nobel laureates and youth leaders.
To be held as global virtual summit, it proposes to pledge to work together to demand fair share for the world’s most marginalised children during and beyond Covid-19. In a statement, KSCF said, the Fair Share for Children Summit will particularly focus on galvanising governments to ensure that all of the world’s children are able to enjoy their right to education, safety and protection.
“Trillions have been committed by wealthy governments to protect jobs and economies during Covid-19. However, with just US$1 trillion, 70 million lives could be saved”, the KSFC, founded by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, said, adding, “The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the deep inequalities faced by the poorest families, who are the least equipped to protect themselves in times of global crisis.”
It added, “However, despite unprecedented government spending to protect national interests and the global economy, little has been allocated to protect the 1 in 5 children who live on $2 per day or less. Without urgent action now, we risk losing an entire generation.”
Nobel Peace laureates to participate in the global virtual summit include Kailash Satyarthi (2014), Leymah Gbowee (2011), Tawakkol Karman (2011), Muhammad Yunus (2006), and Jody Williams (1997), the KSCF statement said, adding, the purpose to hold it to build on a joint statement released in May 2020, signed by 88 Nobel laureates and world leaders for raising awareness on the situation faced by children and families around the world due to Covid-19 and its resulting humanitarian and economic impact.
The statement warned, “Covid-19 could turn the clock back a decade or more on child labour, education, and health for hundreds of millions of children, if governments allow it. By acting now, they could prevent an impending child rights disaster. Inaction will result in millions of children being forced out of school and into child labour by Covid-19 as their families struggle to survive.”
During the summit, the results of a new analysis of the monies so far committed to the world’s most marginalised children will be announced, it announced, adding, the event will be live streamed on YouTube and Facebook, while additional information including registration and viewing details would be uploaded on www.laureatesandleaders.org.

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