UN General Assembly
1998

these goals. We need to take advantage of the momentum that this anniversary presents. The United Nations human rights system must be assured of both the political support of the membership and increased regular budget financing if it is to do the job we have entrusted to it. (spoke in English) The growth of intra-State conflicts caused by differences of religion, language, race or ethnicity has reinforced the need to protect marginalized groups. To do so, both Governments and civil society must have ready access to information about human rights situations around the world. To this end, Canada has launched for the record an annual report drawn from United Nations sources, which we are making available on the Internet to provide constant updated information concerning human rights around the globe. Certainly, of those at risk from conflict, none are more at risk than children. The targeting of children in warfare — both as fighters and as victims — is intolerable. The ground-breaking efforts of Graça Machel and the work of the Secretary-General?s Special Representative for