UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
Around the world, children are showing us their strength and leadership advocating for a more sustainable world for all. Let’s build on advances and re-commit to putting children first. For every child, every right.
World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.
November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General
Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child . It is also the date in 1989
when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child .
Since 1990, World Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN
General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children’s rights.
Mothers and fathers, teachers, nurses and doctors, government leaders and civil society
activists, religious and community elders, corporate moguls and media professionals, as
well as young people and children themselves, can play an important part in making
World Children’s Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations.