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Secretary Vita Skilling attends High Level Meeting on Cooperation for Child Rights in the Asia Pacific Region

Beijing, China (FSM Embassy, Beijing): November 6, 2010 - Secretary Vita A. Skilling of the FSM Department of Health & Social Affairs participated in the High Level Meeting on Cooperation for Child Rights in the Asia Pacific Region which was held at the Westin Hotel in Beijing China from 4-6 November 2010. More than 100 delegates from 28 Asia-Pacific Countries, UN agencies and International and Regional Organizations came to Beijing on a mission to work together in ensuring that we embrace, safeguard and protect our future generation through our children.

The Conference opened with a warm welcome and encouragement by Chinese Vice President, Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People and concluded with a unanimous adoption of the meeting's outcome document - the Beijing Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region. Actively participating in the conference discussions, Secretary Skilling was part of the drafting committee that met tirelessly over the three days of the conference to draft and finalize the Beijing Declaration. The commitment from this high level meeting focused on regional cooperation in three critical areas which include: child protection and child welfare, achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) with equity, and disaster risk reduction. A copy of the "Beijing Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in the Asia Pacific Region" can be found on the UNICEF website.

The next Ministerial meeting to assess progress and to advance child rights issues further is slated for 2013 in India.

Staffing Secretary Skilling to the conference was First Secretary Vincent K. Sivas of the FSM Embassy in Beijing.

For further information, contact the FSM Embassy in Beijing at Ph: (86)1065324708 or e-mail address: embassy@fsmembassy.cn.