UN General Assembly
2000

this issue must give the international community an opportunity to take appropriate steps to end the excessive destabilizing accumulation of such weapons. The conference must look at all aspects and be fully transparent. I must mention here the troubling issue of children affected by conflict, child soldiers, for the link between the proliferation of light weapons and the intolerable fate of these children is only too obvious. We have a great responsibility for them, and we must put an end to the destruction of so many hopes. The International Conference on War-affected Children, held in Winnipeg, which ended just a few days ago, was an opportunity for us all to strengthen our commitment to guarantee all children better health, school for all, both boys and girls, free from war, violence and famine. At the beginning of the third millennium one of the most urgent tasks facing humanity is to end the growing inequality between rich and poor countries. We must tackle the underlying causes of conflict — primarily their economic and social dimensions. In an