Children have a right to be participants in mapping out their own future. They have a right to their own beliefs and to utter them. We as delegates representing independent entities of the international community have met, discussed and concluded hundreds of international conferences in the past. Yet we have been unable to combat the growing menaces that threaten peace at every level and jeoparadize the young. We shall therefore pledge this afternoon not to confine this august assembly to just another gathering.
Every word spoken today needs to be urgently translated into action.
Preventing the recurrence of harm to war-affected children. Foreign Minister Kadirgamar headed the Sri Lankan delegation at the International Conference on War-Affected Children, which is considered the largest gathering of world opinion leaders to find ways to end the suffering of children who are affected by war. The conference, held in the Canadian prairie city of Winnipeg on September 16 and 17, was hosted by Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Minister of International Development Maria Minna. The conference was informed that today, approximately 300,000 children around the world were still beating arms for various terrorist organisations and warlords. Pointing to the Sri Lankan experience with child soldiers, Minister Kadirgamar said at least 40 percent of the LTTE cadres were believed to be children ranging from ages 9 to 18.