Message on Universal Children’s Day
国际儿童日致辞
20 November 2014
2014年11月20日
The one thing all children have in common is their rights. Every child has the right to survive and thrive, to be educated, to be free from violence and abuse, to participate and to be heard.
所有儿童共同拥有的东西是他们的权利。每个儿童都有权利生存和茁壮成长、接受教育、免受暴力和虐待以及参与并发表意见。
These are innate human rights, as inalienable as those held by adults. But until 1989, these rights were not formally articulated in a legally binding instrument, nor were governments fully accountable to advance these rights for every child.
这些都是固有的人权，就象成年人拥有的那些权利一样不可剥夺。但直到 1989年之前，这些权利没有得到一项具有法律约束力的文书正式阐明，各国政府也不为促进每个儿童的这些权利充分问责。
This all changed 25 years ago, on Universal Children’s Day, when the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It rapidly became the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history.
这一切在25年前的国际儿童日发生了变化，当时联合国通过了《儿童权利公约》。《公约》迅速成为历史上获得最广泛批准的人权条约。
To date, almost every nation in the world has ratified the Convention. In every region of the world, it has inspired changes in laws, changes in policies, and changes in the way we perceive children as holders of their own rights and in the way we work to promote those rights.
迄今，世界上几乎每个国家都批准了《公约》。在世界每一个地区，《公约》促成法律的改变、政策的改变、我们看待儿童作为其身权利拥有者的方式的改变以及我们为促进这些权利而开展工作的方法的改变。
It is fitting that we celebrate a quarter century of the Convention. But we must do more than celebrate. We must recommit ourselves to advancing the rights of every child, especially those who have been left behind -- those who have the least and need us the most.
我们庆祝《公约》通过四分之一个世纪很合时宜。但我们要做的不仅是庆祝。我们必须重新致力于促进每个儿童的权利，特别是那些落在后面的儿童——拥有的最少和最需要我们的儿童的权利。
We cannot say that the rights of all children are fulfilled when, despite our progress, some 6.3 million children under 5 years of age died in 2013, mostly from preventable causes; when 168 million children aged 5 to 17 were engaged in child labour in 2012; when 11 per cent of girls are married before they turn 15.
在面对下列情况时，我们不能说所有儿童的权利已经实现：尽管取得了进展，但2013年有差不多630万5岁以下儿童死亡，且大多死于可预防原因；2012年有1.68亿名5至17岁儿童在做童工；11%的女孩在15岁前结婚。
To make the vision of the Convention a reality for every child will require innovative solutions, a major increase in resources, and political will to invest in children and put their wellbeing at the centre of the political, economic and social agenda.
让《公约》设想的愿景成为每个儿童的现实，需要创新的解决办法、大幅增加资源以及有政治意愿对儿童进行投资和将其福祉置于政治、经济和社会议程的核心。
While accountability for the rights enshrined in the Convention lies with governments, we all have a common responsibility to uphold and protect those rights, which are fundamental to the strength of our societies. Together, let us stand up for the rights of children everywhere, for a more just and equitable world, and for a brighter future for all.
虽然落实《公约》所载权利的责任在于各国政府，但我们都有维护和保护这些权利的共同责任，这些权利对我们的社会是否坚强有力很重要。让我们携手并肩，捍卫世界各地儿童的权利，争取建立一个更加公正和公平的世界，为所有人创造更加美好的未来。
来源：UN
