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ISLAMABAD: More than 25 buildings across Pakistan will turn blue as the country celebrates World Children’s Day.
The global day of action aims to raise awareness on the need to help millions of children realise their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). To celebrate this momentous day, the Federal Ministry of Human Rights and UNICEF are turning more than 25 iconic landmarks and monuments blue in Islamabad and across the country on evening of 20th November as a symbol of their commitment to children’s rights.
This the third year in a row that buildings in the country and across the globe are lit up to call for a world in which the vision of the CRC of the Child becomes a reality for every child.
“Tonight, iconic buildings will be lit up blue in Pakistan and all around the world to celebrate World Children’s Day and demonstrate our solidarity with children,” Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari.
“This is also a reminder of the Government’s strong commitment to defend children’s rights and to ensure that they are safe and protected against abuse,” she added. “We will continue to work to make sure that our children, who are our assets and the future of our nation, can live in a safe, enabling environment.”
She said World Children’s Day is an opportunity to remind ourselves and the world how important it is to cherish, protect and empower children.
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UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Ms. Aida Girma said: “While millions of girls and boys in Pakistan have seen their lives improve, millions of others continue to grapple with poverty, inequality, and lack of access to the essential services,”
With an estimated 22.8 million children out-of-school, Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school-children (OOSC), according to the Aida Girma.
“The COVID-19 crisis is a child rights crisis. We must work together to avert a lost generation as the global pandemic threatens to cause irreversible harm to children’s education, nutrition and well-being.
This includes making sure that every child and adolescent can continue to access the essential services that are their rights so they can survive, stay healthy, learn and fulfill their potential. “We will continue to support the Government so that no child in Pakistan is left behind,” Girma added.
World Children’s Day marks the adoption of the Convention on 20 November 1989. Pakistan ratified the Convention the following year.
Among the 25 monuments that will turn blue are landmarks such as the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Human Rights and the National Assembly in Islamabad; Mazar-e-Quaid and FlagStaff House in Karachi; Quaid-e-Azam Residency in Ziarat; Minar-e-Pakistan and Quaid-e-Azam Library in Lahore; all four provincial Assemblies and the Khyber Pass in Khyber Paktunkhwa.
