More Than 900 Media Organizations Join 'Global News Day for Children'

A total of 927 media organizations from 83 countries and areas have joined the 24-hour global campaign to promote children's rights, which ended Saturday.

The campaign, also called the "Global News Day for Children" program, was initiated by Xinhua News Agency and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to highlight the international media's role in helping improve children's living environments and promoting their healthy development.

The campaign started from 8:00 AM (Beijing time) Friday, the Universal Children's Day. Xinhua President Li Congjun said in a TV address at the launching ceremony Friday that it was the first time in history that media institutions around the world had joined to focus on a shared coverage of a subject

"I believe that this year's Nov. 20 will be remembered in the history of global children protection," he said.

During the campaign, Xinhua provided with over 3,500 entries of news and pictures in seven languages: Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Portuguese.

The 24-hour global live TV broadcast, including 16 hours of Chinese-language coverage and eight hours of English-language coverage, also went on smoothly.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent a message for the well-being of children across the world to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Children's Day.

The message, written and signed by the UN secretary-general in English and Chinese, reads: "Children are our future. We must work for health, education, equality and protection for every child in the world."

Ann Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director, thanked Xinhua for its efforts in promoting children's rights.

World leaders adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in United Nation's General Assembly on November 20th, 1989. Since its inception 20 years ago, the convention has become the most ratified human rights treaty in history.

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2009)