World Children’s Day or as it is also called World day of assistance to children– a holiday celebrated all over the world on November 20. On 20 November, 1989 the General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child – the first international convention, legally binding to promote human rights for all children. Turkmenistan joined the Convention in 1994 and has since made significant progress in ensuring the well-being of all children.
On the eve of the World Children’s Day UNICEF in Turkmenistan organized the first in its history live program Instagram livestream with youth interests and digital opinion leader Aylar Khojamuhammedova. The live broadcast aimed at spreading the message of UNICEF's mission and values to young people, encouraging committed followers of opinion leaders to become UNICEF supporters, and highlighting the 75th anniversary that the organization will celebrate in December.
On November 20, celebrating the World Children’s Day, UNICEF together with the Public Organization "Yeňme" invited the children to participate in the inclusive children’s festive and take over the management of the UN. The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko welcomed children in the UN House and congratulated them with the World Children’s Day. He stressed that children are the future of the country and the world, and everything that the UN does is done to help them have a better future. The event helped children unleash their creativity and intelligence and take action to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. In addition to practical training for children, he also brought together UN staff, volunteers and opinion leaders to learn, play, dance, sing and have an unforgettable day with the children.
In the first part of the event, with the help of a specially designed roadmap for the Stations activity, children played the role of travelers visiting interactive stations dedicated to emotions, children's rights, creativity, environmental protection and hygiene. The journey allowed children to play various educational and entertaining games at each theme station. A special UNICEF stand for children attracted the attention of young activists, where they learned more about the work of UNICEF around the world and in Turkmenistan.
In the second part of the event, the children were offered a tour of the UNICEF office, where they switched places with the adults and had the opportunity to talk about their dreams, describe the future they want, and their voices were heard. They took the UNICEF Representative's desk and held an online meeting with staff. UNICEF attracted volunteers of «Yeňme», young ambassadors for SDG and bloggers to help organize the event and contribute to the World Children’s Day celebration.
«Our mission is to work for the benefit of every child around the world. UNICEF is at the forefront of helping keep children and families healthy and safe in more than 190 countries and territories. On this special day, World Children's Day, we are honored to welcome children and young people in UN House, in order to celebrate the historical adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as we work to build a better world for every child», - stated Mahriban Seytliyeva, Communication Officer of UNICEF in Turkmenistan.
