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BB CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS Symposium on Children of the Americas Participants No Photo Available Argentina Bahamas Barbados Ms. Zulemita Menem Mrs. Delores Ingraham Mrs. Beverley Arthur Daughter of the President Wife of Prime Minister Wife of Prime Minister No Photo Available Belize Bolivia Brazil Mrs. Kathleen Levy Esquivel Mrs. Ximena Sánchez de Lozada Mrs. Lucia Flecha de Lima Wife of Prime Minister Wife of the President Wife of Foreign Ambassador Canada Chile Colombia Mrs. Aline Chrétien Mrs. Marta Larraechea de Frei Mrs. Jacquin Samper Wife of Prime Minister Wife of President Wife of President Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador Mrs. Josette Figueres Mrs. Luisa Alba de Morales Mrs. Josefina Villalobos de Durán Ballén Wife of President Wife of Foreign Minister Wife of President El Salvador Guatemela Guyana Mrs. Elizabeth Calderón Sol Mrs. María Eugenia De Léon Mrs. Janet Jagan Wife of President Wife of President Wife of President Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Mrs. Bessie Reina Mrs. Nilda Patricia Zedillo Mrs. Cristiana Chamorro Wife of President Wife of President Daughter of President No Photo Available Panama Paraguay Peru Mrs. Dora Pérez Balladares Mrs. María Teresa de Wasmosy Ms. Keiko Sofia Fujimori Higuchi Wife of President Wife of President Daughter of the President No Photo Available St. Lucia Trinidad & Tobago United States Mrs. Janice Compton Mrs. Hazel Manning Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton Wife of the Prime Minister Wife of Prime Minister Wife of President No Photo Available United States Uruguay Mrs. Tipper Gore Mrs. María Julia Pou Lacalle Wife of Vice President Wife of President Mrs. Zedillo Mrs. Jagan Mrs. Wasmesy HRC Mrs. Compton Mrs. Frei (sehDEEoh) (JAYgehn) (wahsMOHsee) St. Lucia (FRAY) Mexico Guyana Paraguay Chile Mrs. Sanchez de Lozada Mrs. Figueres (SAHNchez deh lohSAHdah)| (feeGEHrehs) Bolivia Costa Rica Mrs. Manning Mrs. Samper Trinidad & Tobago (sahmPEHR) Colombia Mrs. Chretien Mrs. Arthur (crayteeyen) Barbados Canada Mrs. De Leon Mrs. Calderon Sol (deh LEHohn) (kahldeROHN SOHL) Guatemala El Salvador Mrs. Duran Ballen Mrs. Lacalle (dooRHAN bahYEN) (laCAHjay) Ecuador Uruguay Mrs. Esquivel Mrs. Reina (esskeeVELL) (RAYnah) Belize Honduras Mrs. Perez Balladares Mrs. Ingraham (PEHrehs bahyahDAHrehs) (INGgrum) Panama The Bahamas Mrs. Morales Ms. Fujimori (mahRAHLehs) (fooheeMOHree) Dominican Republic Peru Ms. Chamorro Mrs. Flecha de Lima (chaMOHroh) (FLAYcha deh leemah) Nicaragua Brazil Mrs. Gore Ms. Menem United States Argentina Mrs Brizan Grenada Symposium on Children of the Americas Participants ARGENTINA Ms. Zulemita Menem Daughter of the President BAHAMAS Mrs. Delores Ingraham (INGgrum) Wife of Prime Minister BARBADOS Mrs. Beverley Arthur Wife of Prime Minister BELIZE Mrs. Kathleen Levy Esquivel (esskeeVELL) Wife of Prime Minister BOLIVIA Mrs. Ximena Sánchez de Lozada (SAHNchez deh lohSAHdah) Wife of President BRAZIL Mrs. Lucia Flecha de Lima Wife of Foreign Ambassador CANADA Mrs. Aline Chrétien (crayteeyen) Wife of Prime Minister CHILE Mrs. Marta Larraechea de Frei (lahrahehCHAYah deh FRAY) Wife of President COLOMBIA Mrs. Jacquin Samper (sahmPEHR) Wife of President COSTA RICA Mrs. Josette Figueres (feeGEHrehs) Wife of President DOMINICAN REBUBLIC Mrs. Luisa Alba de Morales (mahRAHLehs) Wife of Foreign Minister ECUADOR Mrs. Josefina Villalobos de Durán Ballén (viYAHlowbohs deh dooRHAN bahYEN) Wife of President EL SALVADOR Mrs. Elizabeth Calderón Sol (kahldeROHN SOHL) Wife of President GUATEMELA Mrs. María Eugenia De Léon (deh lehOHN) Wife of President GUYANA Mrs. Janet Jagan (JAYgehn) Wife of President HONDURAS Mrs. Bessie Reina (RAYnah) Wife of President MEXICO Mrs. Nilda Patricia Zedillo (sehDEEoh) Wife of President NICARAGUA Mrs. Cristiana Chamorro (chaMOHroh) Daughter of President PANAMA Mrs. Dora Pérez Balladares (PEHrehs bahyahDAHrehs) Wife of President PARAGUAY Mrs. María Teresa de Wasmosy (wahsMOHsee) Wife of President PERU Ms. Keiko Sofia Fujimori Higuchi (fooheeMOHree HEEGUCHEE) Daughter of the President ST. LUCIA Mrs. Janice Compton Wife of the Prime Minister TRINIDAD and TOBAGO Mrs. Hazel Manning Wife of Prime Minister UNITED STATES Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton Wife of President UNITED STATES Mrs. Tipper Gore Wife of the Vice President URUGUAY Mrs. María Julia Pou Lacalle (laCAHjay) Wife of President Symposium on Children of the Americas Participants No Photo Available Argentina Bahamas Barbados Ms. Zulemita Menem Mrs. Delores Ingraham Mrs. Beverley Arthur Daughter of the President Wife of Prime Minister Wife of Prime Minister No Photo Available Belize Bolivia Brazil Mrs. Kathleen Levy Esquivel Mrs. Ximena Sánchez de Lozada Mrs. Lucia Flecha de Lima Wife of Prime Minister Wife of the President Wife of Foreign Ambassador Canada Chile Colombia Mrs. Aline Chrétien Mrs. Marta Larraechea de Frei Mrs. Jacquin Samper Wife of Prime Minister Wife of President Wife of President Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador Mrs. Josette Figueres Mrs. Luisa Alba de Morales Mrs. Josefina Villalobos de Durán Ballén Wife of President Wife of Foreign Minister Wife of President El Salvador Guatemela Guyana Mrs. Elizabeth Calderón Sol Mrs. María Eugenia De Léon Mrs. Janet Jagan Wife of President Wife of President Wife of President Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Mrs. Bessie Reina Mrs. Nilda Patricia Zedillo Mrs. Cristiana Chamorro Wife of President Wife of President Daughter of President No Photo Available Panama Paraguay Peru Mrs. Dora Pérez Balladares Mrs. María Teresa de Wasmosy Ms. Keiko Sofia Fujimori Higuchi Wife of President Wife of President Daughter of the President No Photo Available St. Lucia Trinidad & Tobago United States Mrs. Janice Compton Mrs. Hazel Manning Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton Wife of the Prime Minister Wife of Prime Minister Wife of President No Photo Available United States Uruguay Mrs. Tipper Gore Mrs. María Julia Pou Lacalle Wife of Vice President Wife of President Questions that should never be asked at a presidential debate: 10. "Do you think I look fat in this outfit?" (Jean Sorensen, Herndon) 9. "Has it ever occurred to you that the Electoral College does not have a football team? Should it?" (Steve Cohen, Reston) 8. "Can I be your press secretary?" (Adam Korengold, College Park) 7. "Who are you? Why are you here?" (Stu Segal, Vienna) 6. "Have you had any affairs with loose, attractive women? If so, may I have their phone numbers?" (Art Grinath, Takoma Park) 5. "Would-ums wike some pudding?" (S.W. Green, Carlisle, Pa.) 4. "To candidate Number 1: Where have you been? Why haven't you called? I thought we had something beautiful, something special." (S.W. Green, Carlisle, Pa.) 3. "What one plece of information would be most damaging to your campaign if it were revealed?" (Eric Stone, Arlington) 2. "If you were a man trapped in a woman's body, would you wear conservative flats or radical heels?" (Tina McMullin, Hagerstown) 1. "Excuse me for interrupting, but would any of you gentlemen happen to know exactly how long before a grenade blows up after the pin is pulled?" (Elden Carnahan, Laurel) OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER PORT-OF-SPAIN REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO December 22, 1994 Ms Melanne Verveer Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady The White House Washington D.C. 20500 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Dear Madam Re: Presentation by Mrs Hazel Manning - Special Programme on Children's Issues - Request for Videotape Further to the request made to the office of Mrs Manning on December 14th and to my conversation this week with Ms Nicole Rabner, please find enclosed five (5) copies of the video which was shown subsequent to Mrs Manning's presentation. I have also attached a further copy of the statement made by Mrs Manning on Saturday December 10, 1994. Yours sincerely Sandra He Honoré Braithwaite for Permanent Secretary Office of the Prime Minister Statement to be delivered at the Children of the Americas Opening Session on Saturday 10 December 1994 in Miami Chairman, First Lady, Mrs Hillary Rodham Clinton, Other distinguished guests: I should like, first of all, to commend Mrs Hillary Rodham Clinton for arranging this forum. It is fitting that as the Presidents and Prime Ministers are setting the agenda for the twenty- first century for the hemisphere, that Mrs Clinton should ensure that the panorama is complete by having us consider the social problems that accompany political and economic development. She is to be 2 She is to be warmly applauded for bringing us together!! In our own countries, we are not idle. Our circumstances simply do not permit it!! This assembly therefore gives us an opportunity to share our experiences and to derive strength from the fact that we have a great deal in common, despite our differences. This is especially true when we think about our young people. West Indian youth, for example, enjoy the same music as do their counterparts throughout the hemisphere. They wear the same blue jeans. They wear the same tee shirts. Alas, they also have the same problems. When a group 3 When a group of concerned persons in Trinidad and Tobago came together to consider the trials which our youngsters have to endure, we found that they stemmed, in large measure, from a diminished sense of self-esteem. We have been able to make this diagnosis the foundation of many remedial projects, the most recent of which attacks poor youth self-esteem in our school system. We are, however, acutely aware of the fact that many of the most urgent and pressing youth problems have little to do with the classroom. These are the youngsters who, throughout the region, have dropped out. They have no skills; many are homeless; most are jobless and a very large number are hopeless. As a consequence 4 As a consequence, scarce resources are drawn away from our stronger, gifted children. This, in turn, prevents us from giving them the headstart which they deserve and which we all so desperately need. At no time in our history have we ever been free from tribulation and constraint. Today, it takes the form of structural adjustment. In the process, our social services have been dealt a severe blow which has adversely affected education, health care and all the various outreach programmes for the disadvantaged. The requirement to tighten the fiscal belt has pinched our poorest people, the women and children especially, more than they can bear. However necessary an evil the economic stringencies of these times may be, the truth is that the region is reeling beneath the lash of them. At the same time, 5 At the same time, we are all increasingly aware of the rich, young and beautiful life which the foreign media portrays to us every day, in every way. Self-esteem does not thrive in environments which fall short of these television images, however inaccurate they might be. In such circumstances, our young people abandon the countryside to become urban problems. Our old people are set aside and no longer form a crucial part of the nurturing, caring team which the extended, traditional family used to be. Today, Granny had better have her own hustle if she wishes to survive and, speaking for myself, I find this situation appalling. Urban drift 6 Urban drift is consequently intensified. Our young increasingly fall easy prey to drugs, crime, violence and lawlessness of all kinds. What capacity there might be to resist and fight back is threatened daily. If I could, I would make the world over. In this new world, the countryside would be fertile and innovative cottage agro-industry would put interesting and useful work into young hands. In my new world, the old, restored to dignity, would again be the moral and cultural force which they used to be. The young would benefit from their wisdom and, at the same time learn how to live, and live well, from the land. In my new world, 7 In my new world, we would see the dimension of indigenous culture stylishly factored into the media so that we could begin to feel good about ourselves and our roots. We would value our rich heritage born out of the confluence of diverse ethnic origins. We would be sharing our life ways with our brothers and sisters in the metropolitan North, who need them just as much as we do. In my new world, we would see all of the social partners - government, labour, business, the non- governmental agencies, the rural populations and those in the towns united in a common recognition that we can, in fact, solve our problems. And because I believe that my new world can be achieved, I want to advocate two kinds of action - action to correct what is wrong and action to prevent things from going 8 things from going wrong. We need the two kinds of activity to occur simultaneously and we need them to begin now. I have brought with me a carefully worked out project for a halfway house which will accommodate youngsters who are leaving the orphanage for the world of work. I want to table this project for your kind consideration. I also want to share some of the many projects which we are putting in place for building youth self-esteem. I am certain that we can all bring to the table useful examples of work in progress for the salvation of our young people. Taken singly, they won't do enough - quickly enough. But taken together, with a little help from our friends and a great deal 9 great deal of energy and will-power, I believe that we can truly begin to make a new world in this New World. I am rolling up my sleeves for this mighty task. Will you join me? LETTER BY MRS. LUCIA MARTINS FLECHA DE LIMA, BRAZILIAN OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO THE FIRST LADIES'S SEMINAR ON YOUTH IN THE AMERICAS MIAMI, DECEMBER 10, 1994 The situation of children and adolescents in Brazil has always been a matter of great concern for me, as a woman, a mother, a grandmother and a citizen. Most of the problems we face are shared throughout the Hemisphere and demand collective action and increased solidarity. Brazilians are a warm, friendly, compassionate people. We are a multi- ethnic, multi-cultural society. We have been endowed, as a nation, with extraordinary riches and beauties. And we had always pursued a resourceful and creative approach in face of a challenge. One can morally define a society by the degree of solidarity, care and concern it devotes to its most vulnerable members to the poor, the destitute, the young, the elder. We have in Brazil consistently felt that our children and youth are our more precious and invaluable asset, not really in the material acception of the word, but rather in its more transcendental meaning. The Summit of the Americas is an unique opportunity to address fundamental issues which are at the very foundation of our societies. Meetings of Presidents will be of very little impact if they fail to offer adequate alternatives for the future generations. It is most appropriate that the Summit has devoted its attention to the creation of a "Partnership for Development and Prosperity", for only a new cycle of sustained growth in the Americas may provide us with the adequate tools for fighting back the manifestations of extreme poverty and social exclusion in the Western Hemisphere. We could share at this occasion a number of social indicators, telling about 60 million of Brazilian children and adolescents, fifteen million of whom live in poverty. One could speak about infant mortality and school drop-outs, or about drug use and teen pregnancy. There are endless sad stories that happen in Brazil and all over America. Child destitution is a tragic face of modernity and in this sense it is a transboundary phenomenon. Let us focus on hope instead and mention the great success story of the children's rights advocacy movement in Brazil. This movement could almost be called revolutionary, because it changed, in less than a decade, the whole approach of children's issues in my country, opening brand new avenues for us to build a better world for our young. It started with the recognition that "cold charity" coupled with patronizing repression would never help to build strong personalities and happy individuals. It insisted that you could not approach a destitute child stressing his or her handicaps.. you could not tell a child "well, you've got no parents, no school, no love, but you have to go out there and do the best you can, and you have to abide by the rules and be a good citizen and so forth". Such a system would never work, and it did not work while it was in place. But then there came those engaged, committed, and sensitive individuals -- we call them "street educators" -- who felt that, if only you could give the youth a sense of identity, a sense of self-respect, a little help, then you could empower those children to become agents of change, you could succeed. So they did. They told those children that they were strong because they could face so much adversity and still be able to smile. They started to build some safety nets, a place for a kid to come when he or she needed help or shelter, food or counselling. They adapted their approach to the very "unstructured" way of life in the streets, not too much rules or requirements, some ludic activities that would teach solidary work and solidary achievements. And guess what the "street educators" found? They found that it worked. Kids would initially be quite uneasy, even aggressive, but they would gradually realize that they were being befriended (so someone did like them after all!...), that they were being regarded as individuals, that they had a space for themselves, that they had a say. Besides, children would learn they had the right to denounce and mourn the injustices and violence that had victimized them. They did not need to simply accept suffering and recycle it into despair or anti-social behaviour. Brazilians are proud to say that the effort by so many individuals and organizations, public and private -- and a word of recognition must be placed for the Catholic Church and its grass-roots movement and to our Constituent Assembly back in 1988, who were both fundamental to bring to term this undertaking -- is such a great success. The Federal Constitution of 1988 defines health as a right of all persons and attention to health issues as a duty of the State, establishing social and economic policies aimed at reducing the risk of disease and ensuring universal and equal access to services and activities for the promotion, protection and recovery of health. Our current legislation for childhood and adolescence incorporates the full recognition of children and adolescents as citizens, not anymore as objects of "intervention" on the part of the State. It guarantees the children a vast array of special rights derived from their peculiar developmental needs. And it gives our youth the prospects of a better and fruitful life. Much remains to be done, of course, intertwined with the need to address overall social inequalities and promote economic and social development for all Brazilians. But the winds of change have started to blow in Brazil, and I am confident that social progress will be a natural consequence of such change. This is not to say that we are not supposed to deal with the hard numbers of reality. There are for instance health trends in Brazil that continue to require urgent attention. In spite of a steady drop during the 80's, infant mortality continues to be extremely high in impoverished parts of the country. There is continuing concern for the causes of death in the perinatal period, deaths caused by vaccine-preventable diseases and infant mortality from diarrhea, acute respiratory infections and malnutrition. One of the major achievements of the First Ladies at the Summit of the Americas would be to adopt a formal pledge to personally monitor and help to implement the goals of the World Summit for Children, held in 1990. If we could only guarantee that the first three goals were fully implemented, then, by the year 2000, infant and under-5 mortality would have been reduced by one third, maternal mortality would be cut by half and severe malnutrition among children under five would also be reduced by half. These alone would be spectacular results. Just imagine that the Summit for Children has identified 26 goals in total to realize how much work to be done the First Ladies will have ahead of them if they accept this moral endeavour of becoming the guardians of the Children in the Americas. Rappateur's Report: Letter from Mrs. Clinton: --comment on success and importance of Summit; purpose of the Symposium; role for spouses of leaders to help promote the initiatives; importance of summit for children "James Agee, "In every child that is born, under no matter what circumstances, and of no matter what parents, the potentiality of the human race is born again"; the Summit initiatives represent hope for the children of our hemisphere, mapping out goals to improve the health and education of our children. Broad outline of the Summit of the Americas Event-by-event summary of the Symposium, with tons of quotes: from remarks of HRC, Dr. Alleyne and all first ladies in attendence. Quotes from UNICEF video Exact summit goals in health and education from Summit document. Photos from the Symposium as well as photos of children to be provided by UNICEF 02/14/95 08:05 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR $ 001 BANCO INTERAMERICANO DE DESARROLLO INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK BANCO INTERAMERICANO DE DESENVOLVIMENTO BANQUE INTERAMERICAINE DE DEVELOPPEMENT DOCUMENT TRANSMISSION FORM (LEAD PAGE) DATE: LEAD PAGE PLUS MESSAGE: SEND TO FAX ACCESS NUMBER: (Enter total number of pages) Feb. 14,1975 30 202-456-6244 To: Office of the (Name) First Lady (City & Country) Attention: Nicole CC: From: Nan Burroughs Phone: (202) 623-1396 Government Affairs Fax: (202) 623-140.1 Office of External Relations (EXR) Subject: NOTE: TRANSMISSION AUTHORIZED BY: If message-received is garbled or incomplete, Nan B. Durroughs (Name) please call Telephone No: 202-623-1396 EXR - Stop W1212 (Unit & Stop No.) (202) 623 1396 (lelephone No.) 02/14/95 08:05 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 002 1 FIRST TAPE Si les parece tocar algunos temas de los que estábamos proponiendo o algo que ustedes consideren positivo resaltar para poder ayudar a nuestros jóvenes a salir adelante. Alguien tiene que empezar, voy a apagar esto. URUGUAY Sra. Julita Voun Bueno me adhiero a lo que dice la señora de XXXXX en cuanto al agradecimiento a Mrs. Clinton y a este pais que nos da hospitalidad hoy para convocarnos justamente en lo que yo diría una conversación paralela pero que en algún momento se a juntar porque en este mundo tenemos esos absurdos geométricos a veces donde por suerte las paralelas se juntas, y quizás el espiritu y las reflexiones que podamos estar haciendo nosotras aquí o en algún momento va a encontrar la intersección justa, necesaria y posible con lo que seguramente los jefes de estado estén debatiendo y tratando de construir a unos metros. Yo quisiera hacer algunas reflexiones un poco salpicadas en algunos de los temas que la Sra. de Frey ha tocado haciendo unas referencias minimas a nuestro país, considerando que ni a veces no tienen demasiado interés en sentido en que nuestras realidades en cuanto a dimensión de país. en cuanto a diferentes coordenadas sociales, económicas y políticas puedan ser diferente pero la experiencia después de 5 años me dicen que aun así, uno tiene mucho que dar y mucho que recibir, así que me voy a permitir, empezando por el tema de la educación. que quizás esta en las raices de todo lo que pueda florecer o frustrarse después. En este caso me gustaria señalar las dos instancias de la educación: En primer lugar, lo que es la educación formal, por los carriles de la educación inicial la educación primaria, secundaria, que en nuestro país RS gratuita y obligatoria, desde hace ya muchos años, para toda nuestra gente, nuestros niños y jóvenes, pero que hoy en día se replantea porque lamentablemente vemos que no solamente son problemas económicos O numéricos de cuantos chicos o si todos cumplen con esta educación formal, sino que es para que, como y cuando enseñar determinadas cosas. Nuestro país ha hecho una experiencia muy interesante, aparte de 10 que 68 la educación formal que se está todo el tiempo reingenierizando, y permítanme que acuñe un término, porque cota do moda hacerlo, y croo que a V0000 sacude un poco el polvo de la terminologia corriente. Yo daría que aparte de esta reingeniería el sistema educativo adecuándolo B los nuevos desafios que van El toner los niños y los jóvenes, se ha intentado, sobretodo, en un ámbito de discriminación positiva, que es un término que nos gusta mucho usar y lo vamos a repetir mas adelante con respecto a otra experiencia educando a los jóvenes de determinadas zonas del pais, con menos accesos, menos posibilidades, en temas económicos, en temas laborales y en aquellos que hemos bautizado quizás no muy originalmente, educación para la vida. Durants los meses de verano, durante los meses de vacaciones, se trata no solamente de tratar de suplantar ese tiempo que en estos chicos ILO esta cublerto por una Infraestructura familiar adecuada, justamente con temas que les puedan indicar desde lo que es un balance, que es ir a un banco, que es un cheque, cual es el dinero que Liene ques entrar y salir, el equilibrio necesario; es decir educarlo para sus propias vidas y para sus propias familias después. Ha sido un plan may exitoso que se ha hecho con alguna dificultad a veces, porque a veces los sectores mas progresistas de la sociedad, suelen ser mas conservadores. Se Luvo que comper 02/14/95 08:06 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 003 2 muchos moldes, pero creo que los resultados, la cosecha hecha de este elogio de esta semilla, y esperemos que se pueda seguir con ello; en un convencimiento de que en la vida hay cosas importantes y cosas que importan y a veces son vasos comunicantes en las vidas de estos jóvenes. También la educación para la vida incluye el tema de educación para La salud. Nuestra infraestructura para la salud ha sido triplicada durante esta administración, cifras parecidas pueden mostrar la administración pasada, y sin embargo nunca es suficiente, porque por suerte vemos que ha pesar que algunas veces estamos un poco cosificados, las líneas importantes de la salud no pasan estricta y unicamente por lo material. Y es en esto que con la colaboración de muchos institutos, de los cuales la Fundación Panamericana para la Salud hemos iniciado una tarea pedagógica muy importante. Quiero señalar un ejemplo para irnos de aquí con una esperanza fundada en el sentido que educando para la salud se obtienen éxitos, a veces que ni el propio pais los espera. El caso de Uruguay, un país pequeño, país bisagra entre esos dos gigantes que son Argentina y Brasil, compartiendo con Paraguay un poco el hecho de ser el balance, estamos rodeados, incluso tenemos fronteras terrestres con países que tienen cólera, ese terrible flagelo que generalmente en Latino América ha sido muy dificil de radicar. Nuestro pais hizo un intento, quizás a veces hasta con poca esperanza de sus propias fuerzas, usando el sistema ganglionar mas importante que tiene el país que es la cadena de escuelas publicas y gratuitas que cubre todo nuestro territorio atendiendo en forma gratuita, por supuesto obligatoria a todos nuestros niños, y nosotros logramos que en nuestro país no entrara el cólera. No es poca cosa, porque seguimos rodeados, y simplemente fue un mensaje razonable, era cierto, era comprensible que a través de la escuela permiando la sociedad llego a las familias. Yo creo que este ejemplo nosotros tenemos que tomarlo y queremos compartirlo con ustedes, porque creo que es quizás una forma nueva de educar hacia arriba, el utilizar a las escuelas donde generalmente las familias tienen a los que mas quieren, que son a sus niños para transmitir estos mensajes en materia de salud, que son tan importantes. Quisiera hacer aquí una referencia a lo que ha sido el proyecto CAIF con el auspicio de UNICEF, nosotros hemos duplicado en esta administración, quadriplicado perdón, los centros de atención a la infancia y a 1я familia, un poco con la misma dinámica y estrategia que hemos utilizado para el tema del cólera; alli se stienden chicos, nuevamente con discriminación positiva en barrios de todos los ámbitos de Montevideo y del interior del país, alimontándolos, so atienden niños de o a 5 sños, posibilitando además, que esas madres, esas mujeres puedan incorporarse al mercado laboral, pero además utilizando también cata institución magnifica que nosotros quisiéramos divulgar lo mas posible, porque realmente ha producido efectos milagrosos en algunos sectores de nuestra sociedad y realments alli no solamente se atendi6 la salud, la salud preventiva, es decir allí se les enseña desde como lavarse los dientes, hasta como dar cariño, que a VCCC3 03 increible algo que tan naturalmente siente el ser humano, pero en determinadas esferas socioculturales no sabe como manifestarse. Allí también se ha hecho una estupenda labor de viabilizar la manifestación de sentimientos tan primitivos en todos nosotros como ese. For supuesto, el tema que nos ocupa hoy, 00 el tema de los jóvenes, esos jóvenes anteriormente han sido niños, por eso me pareció que habia que hacer una referencia, aunque sea pasajera, al teme de la niñez, porque estos jóvenes nuestros, hace 5 años eran niños, y es decirles que, Gabriela Mistral por supuesto 10 dijo mejor que yo, y hoy ya la 02/14/95 08:07 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 004 3 mencionaron, pero ha sido nuestra obsesión señalar que todos ellos, los niños y los jóvenes son el presente del país, muchas veces oímos sobretodo en organismos internacionales, hablar, referirse a los niños y a los jóvenes como e1 futuro de nuestros países y quizás eso nos ha hecho caer en una trampa mortal creyendo tener mas tiempo que en realidad tenemos. Son el presente de nuestros países, porque si no los educamos hoy, formalmente e informalmente si no los educamos hoy para la salud, ya dentro de 5 o 6 años ya habrá otros jóvenes y niños a quienes también le estaremos diciendo que son el presente. Yo creo que, ya que la tecnologia nos ha enseñado a trabajar, en tiempo real, vamos a aprender socialmente a pensar en tiempo real, seguramente es un desafio más difícil, pero creo que vamos a estar trabajando mucho más con los dedos adentro de la tierra. Yo creo que a la juventud, nosotros tenemos que dirigirnos en dos esferas, la primera sin duda, con la palabra, buscando que sean protagonistas. buscando también una de ellos una definición de que mundo quieren pero sin abricar, como adultos, cuales han sido nuestras frustraciones y experiencias porque creo que esto también es una obligación ética que todos tenemos. Quizás diciéndoles que no piensen tanto en el porvenir sino en el por haner, y quizás alli los tengamos mas naturalmente protagonistas. Y quisiera referirme a un ejemplo, que es de la literatura y no es nuestro, pero que en nuestra vida personal y familiar nos ha realmente movido a cosas buenas y lo hemos compartido en otras oportunidades, hay una magnífica novela de un escritor español GIRONELLA que se habia dedicado a escribir sobre la guerra española, y la post-guerra española, y después que hizo toda la historia de la guerra española, se concentró en una historia familiar en ese mismo escenario y allí en pocas convulcionadas como fue la post-guerra, y hoy a aprendemos que las ópocas son todas convulcionadas y todas parecen que hubieran estado precedidas por una guerra. Un padre de familia, quizá en una estereotipación de rolles recibe do ou ceñora, de su esposa, la indicación que tiene que hablar con su hijo mayor, porque ahora ya dejo de ser un niño , empezó a ser un joven, y como era un varón, 1c tocada al padre referirse = las cosas importantes de la vida. Y ese padre que en su vida personal no había sido una persona demasiado estricta en sus negocios, no había sido demasiado ortodoxa en sus relaciones y bueno en casi ninguno de los otros capítulos de la vida, signts a ese niño, a ese adolescente ya, y cmpioza como si dictara los 10 mandamientos a decirle todo lo que no se debe, lo que no se puede y ese joven, en esa actitud muy de los jóvenes lo escucha mucho rato callado, y cuando termina la dice "padre lo que tu haces, no me deja escuchar lo que tu me dices" es un renglón muy cortito de ese libro, pero creo que enciorra la filosofia mas importantes, que todos nosotros como adultos deberíamos reflexionar todas las mañanas, porque mucho mas de lo que nosotros digamos hoy aquí, que es lo que se pueda publicar BS lo que nosotros hacemos lo que esos jovenes van a estar tomando como la gran lección de la vida, mucho mas nuestros hechos y nuestras actitudes que nuestras palabras. Y aquí llegamos para mi el tema mas importante, por suerte, yo ya estoy en una etapa de la vida, que en general en vez de decir porque hable hablado, digo porque me habre callado, es una etapa peligrosa, pero uno ya tiene menos pudores de hablar de las cosas que importan porque bueno se acortan los plazos. Yo deria que en todo esto, la atmosfera que tiene que estar precediendo todo lo que nosotros podamos hacer 0 decir es el amor; y creo que aquí hay una variable género que creo que es muy importante, creo que de alguna manera la providencia nos hizo diferentes, nos hizo complementarios en cuanto a los sexos, pero seguramente algunas de las ventajas comparativas, que las mujeres 02/14/95 08:07 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 005 4 pueden tener es justamente la capacidad de generar amor y transmitir amor y de convocar amor. Y todas estas intenciones que nosotros vamos a estar exponiendo, compartiendo, dando y recibiendo hoy aquí, sino están envueltas en algo muy firme de amor, seguramente va ser muy dificil que ejerzan los efectos que yo se todos deseamos. Tanto documentos internacionales, nacionales, nuestra propia constitución, proclama todo el tiempo deberes y derechos de los ciudadanos, tenemos derecho a la vivienda, a la educación, somos iguales en una cantidad de cosas, siempre en papel, que a veces difiere de los países reales, sin embargo en ningún de estos documentos nos dice que en lo único en que los seres humanos somos todo iguales es en la necesidad de dar y recibir amor. Creo que quizá seria muy peligroso, ponerlo en los documentos, porque quizá daria lugar a desafíos que no se si estamos todos listos y dispuestos, pero quizá nosotros hoy acá, de hecho podamos hacerlo y podamos permear todas las reflexiones. que tratemos de incorporar. por supuesto. siempre dando sin recordar, pero recibiendo sin olvidar. MUCHAS GRACIAS. >Es muy importante todo lo que has dicho sobre el tema de la educación. sobre el tema del amor, y creo que todos estamos convencidos que la única forma que nuestros países que viven en la marginación. en la pobreza, las personas que están en la marginación y la pobreza, la única forma de salir es a través de la educación, y creo que debemos ir cada día mas acercándonos a que tengamos una educación gratuita y obligatoria, que es lo que tu estas planteando. Ofrezco la palabra si alguien quiere bacer un comentario, decir algo >Madame Japersen TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Fellow delegates, its indeed a pleasure to participate in this workshop, on health and education challenges, facing this region. I am sure, Im speaking to the converted when I say that adolecents comprise the most significant percentage of our human resources, it is vital therefore that we institute measures which cnable adolecents to succesfully deal with the challenges that they face at this most critical time of their developments. Given this perspective therefore, in respect to health and education which adolescents facel; the purpose of my discusion is to start with education and follow with health. As we are all aware the importance of education in development of children and initial building, can never be overemphasized, indeed the propondorance of evidence is clear, being fully apraise of this fact, being in Trinidad and Tobago have placed maximum emphasis on facilitating universal access to primary level education. Education at the primary level is therefore free and mandatory, for all children between the ages of 5 to 12 and at secondary level, free education is provided for 98% of the population. Technical vocational training is also provided, for some students at the secondary and terciary levels. One note of about a world wide Crend, it is reflected in T & T, where by education system is still in crisis. The quality of education that students receive, very often negatively impact in students behaviour and fosters frustration and unrealistic expectations, and lose self esteem. In particular the fall out is often notisable in terms of the engagement of an incresing number of students in the acts of violence, violence in schools, failure to find employment, and leaving school, and therefore and involvement in youth crime. Being cognicent of this situation the Government of T&T, appointed a national task force in education, to 02/14/95 08:08 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 006 5 examine all dimensions of education systems and make recommendations. The task force consulted widely, individual groups and institutions for approximately 3 years and produced a basic education policy paper for the years 1993 to 2003. This was recently the subject of a national consultation chaired by the Prime Minister. Some of the measures we are planning to implement, in 1995, araising out of this task force are: one, curriculum reform to XXXXXX a classroom instructions more relevant to the need of students; the establishment of centers in each educational districts to facilitate early detection and provide intervention strategies to assist children at risk; introductional programs to provide unsuccessfull students at examinations with skill trainings and life skills and the instroduction of a school-wide self esteem program. This latter area, self esteem is one of which i am perticularly interested, and I have been personally involved since 1992. Several results from randoms samplers of youth have suggested that individuals self esteem within this group is very low and young people suffer from a lack of self worth. loss of hope and mutual respect. More extensive survey data and feedback on youth requirements is expected from a national survey on youth. currently being conducted in the country. In the interim, however, my group has been engaged in a variety of activities get boosting self esteem in youth. for example, we have held a number of workshops to train facilitators to promote self esteem, we've organized sensedazation programs for teacher, we have arrange the airing of & television program involving students, and a psychologist engaged in discussions and issues put on to youth, and we have successfully promoted implementation of a pilot project, relating to the often mentioned self esteem program. The main objectives of this project which is XXXXXXX for implementation in 1995, includes the training of educators in the skills required to enhance the principles of positive self esteem in the school system. The training of local staff to conduct a program to design literature and material, and the provision of support for strategies to ensure that we are modivated. Encourgement of parents to become involved in the childs development. Implementation of the project would be a collaborative effort, as not only government, but cooperate citizens, as well as other groups in the society, would be involve in funding the project and other support services. It is ambicious that following the implementation and evaluation of the pilot project an adapted program will be developed and nutrilized in all interested schools in the country. I wish at this juncture to move from the area of education to that of health. The World Health Organization defines health in its broadest sense, as a complete state of physical, mental and social well being; and not merely the absence of desease or XXXXXXX. Based on this definition, it is possible to highlight a number of health challenges for adolescents, however, I wish just to highlight just a few, which I think of a country thing is critical. While adolescents is normally the healthy spirit of a person life, is also a time when the nature of the challenges change, and there is a blurring of lines between health problems and social problems. One of the key challenges which adolescents faces is copping with their sexuality, perticularly giving the impact of peer presure and the fact that young people today, seems to mature physically and emotionally at all early age, than in the past. Failure to deal successfully with this challenge often manisfests in early sexual activity and sometimes promiscuity. Adolescents then become at risk for sexually transmited deseases and a particularly concern task is the HIV Aids virus. The aids virus has attracted great attention in recent Limes, 02/14/95 08:09 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 007 6 because of its high mortality rate, an absent of XXXX none kill and social implecations, associated with this spredable desease. A recent WHO statistic indicates that female adolescents as one group at particularly risk, because the cervics are still inmature. All adolescents, however, are at risk, and again because of the delay nature of the desease the effects are made only visible in later life. In T & T for the year 1994, there where 8 diagnosed cases, in the age 10 to 19 age group, and another 43 in the 20 to 29 age group. Given the gestation period, many of those in the latter group will have contracted the desease in adolesce. If I include younger children, IL Is not worthy that at the end of 1992, 91 cases of aids had been diagnosed in children under 15 year of age, constituting 1.4% of all cases. The implication of this trend as regard health care another social support system is tremendous. The incidents of adolescents pregnancy is another out come of failure to cope with the child in sexuality. The well of evidence indicates quite clearly, that the age of which a woman begins having children is one of the vital determinants of a health status. So say economic status is also invariable affected, since the mother must, very often leave school, XXXXXX consecuences for educational level and career perspectives. However, our region continues to be plague with the serious problem of adolescent pregnancies, which threatens the health of both mother and child. And by evidence XXX effect on the mother, the male is also affected, as it struggles with fatherhood at a period where he is inequipped psychologically to deal with it. This situation not only has implications for the structure of all family planning programs, but also places an additional XXXX in our already burden health and welfare services. Permit to share with you at this juncture. brief details at the programs that we have implemented i T&T as a means of resolving the situation. This programs and compass, both preventative and rehabilitated development components. Great enphasis has been placed and has been reduced incidents of teenage pregnancy through the provision of family life education and schools, public educations programs by the print and non-print media, are given documents and in all the documents you find some of the material that we use. Discussion of the population development is used and distribution of material conveing messages on topics, such as fatherhood and parenting. You may know from the latter topic that the targetting of the young males is also being given promenance. Our NGO's have also been involved, they have trained their counselors and teachers to access information and develop skills to help adoslescents to face problems related to human sexuality. One endure has also been implementing of program called the Young Adult and Sexuality. However, given the high incidents of teens that already become pregnant, the need to also target this group and provide copping mechanism, has been recognized. One of the significant programs, which WC are implementing 1s called Choices Adolescents Mothers, this program which targets adolescent mothers is a joint project of the Ministry of Health and an NGO with support from the government, the private sector and the community. It involves the provision of social support groups, for the pregnant adolescents, thereby reducing the risk of pre-natal problems and the imparting of parents cares, oriented to a growth of competence in child care, self esteem and social functions in adolescents mothers and their families of origin. This program also ames to assist teenagers to postpone subsiquent pregnancies and facilitate the continuation of the education. On a regional basis I am aware that one result of the meeting of the wise of the heads of states and government of the americas; 2 Forum of which many of you 02/14/95 08:10 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 008 7 participated, it is an iniciation of another project targetting adolescents entitled "Prevention Adolescent Preganancies" which it would be financed by the United Nations. This project involves exchange of information and knowledge at the subregional and regional levels on adolescents reproductive health and other issues affecting adolescents. Another health challenge facing adolescents which has assume critical significance in recent times is the society of white trend of involvement and consumption ot dependancy producing substancies. Date on the use of ilicit substances by adolescents is limited. However, the available services data suggest that in T&T new patterns and trends of substance abuse among schools children maybe merging. Drugs has been traditionally consume by adults and now being used by students. In a 1980 study, 84% admitted to the use of alcohol, 35% to tabacco, 8% marihuana and 2% to cocaine. This situation has two mayor implications, the first is susceptibility to entries that may kill them or disable them before adulthood. In T&T, deaths by accidents are the leading cause of fatality, of the percentage being highest of the 3%, in the 10 to 14 year age group. Further many of the death of the older and adolescents cycle, result from fatal automobile crashes, alcoholism and speed, that is also the issue of the susceptibility to mental illness and cronic deseases in later years. I believe that the situation in T&T is replicated in the rest of the region and the statistics maybe even more clearing. To help adolescents face this challenge, we need to implement a variety of programs targetting the specific group, in T&T our efforts have sent around in schools and community base programs. A key aspect of the former is the mountain of work shops for children and the disamination of drug awareness materials, such as information folders, bookmarks, buttons. videos, etc. Sample of these are available for your XXX in the documents. xxxX respect to the community base programs our NGOs activities we provide parcial funding in many cases have been using media, such as drama, awareness with drugs, sporting activities, to highlight the problems caused hy substance abuse, and provide estimulating lessons time activities as a return engagement and healthy behaviour in the respective communities. We have also recent been involved in mounting seminars for religious leaders, to enhance their capacity to assist in drug demand reduction activities with the latest being held earlier this week. The most vital aspect of our demand reduction program has been a showing of musical vidoo in television. The music video entitled a Future Relongs to me, utilices a services of a leading Calipsonians and young dancers, and the benefits of being drug free. It is intended to capture the attention of young people and feedback suggests that has been very effective, and the National Alcoholic Drug Abuse Provention Program has receive several request for copies from all through out the Caribbean. I consider this an opportune moment to share the visual with you. THANK YOU >Mientras vemos el video podiamos empezar a resumir un poco lo que hemos estado viendo, que tiene que ver con la autoestima de loc jóvenes, con su imagen, con la centrabilidad de la educación. AFTER THE VIDEO >Yo creo que podíamos empezar a resumir un poco lo que se ha hablado hasta acá y. creo que todas Cememos una visión lo que hemos visto hasta ahora, de la 02/14/95 08:10 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 009 8 realidad de la juventud y de 10s problemas que vamos viendo en ellos. Picnso que tenemos que empezar a proponer acciones positivas, como podemos ir avanzando en pos de 1r ayudando a la juventud BIL su auto-estima, lo que hablaba usted enantes en como rescatar la auto-estima y la imagen de los jovenes, la centrabilidad de la educación, osea lo que significa invertir en los jóvenes, la importancia de invertir en ellos, en la tremenda fuerza que tiene la familia, mujeres y hombres, por ende la juventud, que es la beneficiaria; es la que entra a lo que hablaba Julita del amor, toda esa parte de alli, el amor, la democracia parte por la familia. En la participación de los jóvenes en escucharlos, no darles pautas nosotros desde arriba sino saber que es lo que realmente ellos quieren y requieren de nosotros, tener unos oídos grandes para poder oirlos; y la acción preventiva que tiene que ver con la pobreza, la educación, los derechos, pero también obviamente con atención especial a los grupos de más riesgo. Darles información y la acción concertada que viene a ser una labor conjunta de iglesia, gobierno, los medios y el sector privado. Creo que alli estaríamos resumiendo y sedo la palabra. y bienvenida Mrs. Clinton a nuestra reunión. >I was quickly reading your statement and I could understand what had you've been discussing and I think the points that you make and that I heard Mrs. Manning making, that we saw in the video, are so important because we focus a lot on children, particularly very young children, but it is our adolescents, our youth who are the ones who manisfest all of the problems that WE dont address earlier, and then we have to help where we can at an early age, and I am very pleased that you are particularly interested in the youth; and it is sometimes difficult to know, what's to be done, but it is not very complicated. I think, young people need the same love, attention and discipline today, that they had always needed; but we are not fully equipped right now, in modern societies as adults, to know how best to deliver that family environment, that supported environment, that transition environment between childhood and adulthood. So I hope that we will pay more attention to young people, because very often in international conferences we focus on children, but I think all of us feel a little bit of confusion about what to do when we get to adolescents and how best to deal with the problems of youth. So the danger of alcohol and drug abuse and early sexual relations and pregnancy and aids and violence and XXXXXXXXX problems with becoming fully productive adults are ones that are going to be increasingly problems in our societies, because we have the split between not only rich and poor, but between educated and uneducated; and it is going to be more and more difficult to find and create jobs for young people who are not well educated, and so we have to address all of this issues if we expect to do something positive for youth, and I would like a copy of that video Mrs. Manning, I thought there was a very important line in there, had many important lines where the singer aknowledge the need for youth to feel rebellious. If XXXX but not with drugs and T think that's the message somehow, we've got to let our children as they mature, break away and be rebelious, as I am sure, each of us did in our own ways as we where growing up, but not at the risk of becoming pregnant too soon, contracting aids, having a fatal accident because of drugs or alcohol, engaging in violence. Those are the challenges, it seems to me. 02/14/95 08:11 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 010 9 >Muchas gracias por su aporte. Mrs. Compthon. BAHAMAS >Since we are now running a little behind, I am not going to go to my original text, I'll leave some out of it. What I would just like to say that, and listening to all the comments this morning and now that we have Marta Xxxxxxxxxx today; one of the things we've done in Saint Lucia is to, this year, is to have a serious of work shops in all the regions of St. Lucia, working with UNICEF, which you would know about and those work shops where, we'll get towards day care centers and the participants were teachers, nurses, police, parents and this was funded jointly by the XXXXXXXXXx government, by UNICEF and by our daycare centers. And the objectives of that were to assist parents on facing their responsibilities for the future and helping children to become more aware of who they are; and the subjects that they discussed where child abuse, the rights of the child and parents responsibilities, self awareness, bringing higher self-esteem level: and I dont know if any of you have this, I dont know XXXX anybody else is doing this, but it really has made quiet a difference and when you read the, as our internation XXXXXXX the 50% of our birth in our hemisphere come from children, 15 to 19 years olds, what can they, without some help teach those babies, and is up to us really, to provide something that will help them. THANK YOU. >Gracias Sr. Compthon. Agredezco mucho su limitación del tiempo, porque estamos un poquito atrazados en realidad. Sra. Samper. >A mi me gustaria que de la evolución de la reunión de hoy, en respecto al tema de la juventud, tal vez la Sra. Campthon y la Sra. LaCalle que han venido trabajando con lo de las primeras damas, habian sacado como 4 propuestas basicas, lo de nutricion, la lactancia materna, 4 propuestas para desarrollarlas en los países y traiamos todas como una evolución de esas propuestas, los resultados que hemos obtenido. Como esta es la primera oportunidad que se nos presenta en presentar una propuesta hemisférica para la juventud, porque no sacamos esta comisión con la ayuda de UNICEF y de la agencias internacionales. una propuesta concreta, para ayudar & los problemas actuales de nuestra juventud, que como vemos en todas partes son las mismas; in análisis de la recuperación de valores 0 si es que ellos, la juventud actual no quiere recuperar los valores que nosotros pensábamos que son los correctos y no quieren que les establescamos otros valores: por eso están llendo al embarazo precoz, consumiendo las drogas, porque ellos están esperando un sueño que 1a sociedad actual no es capaz de darles: un sueño cultural que no hemos sido capaces de llenar, entonces ellos 10 suplen con otras series de cosas; se salen de sus familias prematuramente, quedando embarazadas las chicas, por la violencia que sufren entre familiar, o empiezan con el abuso del alcohol y de drogas, porque quieren huscar Algo definitivo y diferente. Escaparse de un mundo real. Entonces porque no proponemos que a traves de UNICEF, tratar de que ese sueño que elles persiguen sea una cosa real. Podria ser o el compromiso que tu decias al principio, Sra. Freddy, el de tu intervención que me parecio muy válido, estamos viendo A los jóvenes unicamente como problemas; cuando se nos presenta el problema en el joven, con e1 embarazo precoz, con todas las series de problemas que ellos tienen, 02/14/95 08:12 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 011 10 entonces es que analizamos al joven y los vemos alla; pero estamos llendo al efecto y no a la causa. A ver si de este comité hemisférico tan importante sacamos una propuesta para la plenaria de ir mas END OF TAPE SECOND TAPE Y el tema de la familia y los valores, yo creo que es algo importantisimo y pienso que con la salida de la mujer al mundo del trabajo, con este mundo tan rápido y dinámico, estamos dejando un poco de lado, oir a nuestros hijos a ver que es lo que ellos realmente quieren. hay que compatilizar alguna forma. Quiero dejar a Marta Maurasqui quiere decir alguna palabrita acerca de lo que hablaste en la UNICEF, inmediatamente le doy la palabra sobre el tema, >Gracias, permítanme que sea un poco mas informal, allow me. Me gustaria acotar en términos quizás ya de ir tratando de buscar acciones un poco mas concretas a partir de lo que se ha dicho esta mañana. En primer lugar a mi me parece que el tema que han planteado todos ustedes respecto de la auto estima y la imagen del joven, tiene que vivir con una verdadera revolución cultural, que tenemos que iniciar. y me parece a mi que quizás e1 primer paso y e1 mas esencial, es recocer que el niño y el joven, la niña y la joven, la adolescente, son sujetos de derecho, y no son objeto de piedad o de caridad. Es decir la convención internacional de los derechos del niño, y de la niña, es e1 primer instrumento que tenemos, tanto formal como cultural para comenzar a hacer esa revolución. Entonces me parece que la primera acción concreta, ciertamente por parte de las esposas de los jefes de Estado. seria la de asegurarse de que la ratificación que ha sido hecha en casi todos los países, excepto dos, Estados Unidos y Haiti, la ratificación de esa compensión. es primero asegurarse, ojalá, de que en Haiti y USA se pueda efectivamente dar DDC paso, que es un paso importantisimo: pero en todo el resto de los países. donde se ha ratificado la verdadera implimentación, no pasa solo por una reforme legislativa que se necesita, en muchos casos, sino por una revolución cultural. Y eso se logra por los medios de comunicación en primer lugar, y la Sra. Manning nos lo ha demostrado; en segundo lugar, absolutamente A través de la escuela, no cabe ninguna duda como lo han dicho muchas de ustedes; que es en la escuela, o a través de la educación, porque la escuela tanto en la formal como en lo no formal, es a través de la educación que se logrará; y en Lercer lugar realmente rescatando el panel de la familia, y a mi me pareció muy importante, Jackie me parece que fue, 0 la Sra. Compthon, hablara de los hombres, WE HAVE LOST OUR MEN, and in the caribboan, you have been looking at the problem for a long time, and there is there a challenge, I believe, to get the men back Into the families, into caring for children and to realizing their own roll. Es un primer lugar que quería señalarlo, porque me parece que as una dirección en la cual tenemos que caminar, y si de esta reunión se pudiera señalar aquello, de los derechos y consecuencias que eso ticno, me parece muy importante. En segundo lugar, yo creo que es muy importante que también como lo han dicho ustedes, evIdentemente que e1 embarazo temprano, la drogadicción, 02/14/95 08:12 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 012 11 la violencia son problemas que afectan a un gran número de nuestros jóvenes; pero en la medida que tengamos el 46% de las familiar bajo la linea de pobreza, por lo mucho que hagamos programas contra la drogadicción, o contra la violencia, no las mejorarán, porque esos son simplemente paleativos. La acción central es la radicacion de 1a pobreza, pero más que la radicación de la pobreza, yo diría realmente, la integración de la sociedad, la integración social, la disminución de las diferencias entre los mas ricos y los mas pobres, y eso es a través de la inversión social; y allí a mi me gustaría ligarlo con lo que estan discutiendo los jefes de estado en el otro lado. Lo que decía la Sra. Clinton esta mañana, la integración económica, el comercio, incluso la gubernabilidad y la democracia, no son mas que medios para que tengamos mejor calidad de vida. Y yo creo que tenemos que respetar la centralidad de este tema, para que los propios jefes de estado lo asuman como, no en una consecuencia posterior del crecimiento economico, sino una condición absolutamente necesaria para el crecimiento económico; y de alli retomamos entonces la centralidad de la educación. Sin educación no va a ver mayor productividad, no va a ver mayor competitividad y en consecuencia la integración económica no la vamos a lograr. Yo creo que ese es un segundo tema. El tercer tema que quiero, sin abusar del tiempo que quisiera tocar, es que ustedes también a tocado, que me parece importantisimo, que es el de la participación del joven. Como decia Martita, abrir los cidos, escuchar a los jóvenes; pero entonces como, and I think maybe the mechanisms we could try to spell out. You where just saying Janice, in St. Lucia, the idea maybe of having a the municipality or district level, thousand of adolescents and youth participating in issues that have to do with the life of every day, not only their own concerns; I dont see why youth has to be only worried about Bluejeans and about Rock concerts, of course that 's very important for them, but there are also worried about whose going to be the next mayor, you know, and what is the educational reform all about, they do know things that sometimes we dont listen. Entonces lo que quiero proponer es que pensemos en por ejemplo, consejos comunales o municipales de adolescentes. E1 voto consultativo del joven menor de 18 años, en casi todos nuestros países los jóvenes pueden votar despues de los 18 años, pero y antes de los 18 años, entre 12 y 18 años, acaso no tienen algo que decir? sobre el destino de nuestros países, sahen mucho y quieren decir mucho, porque no podemos inventar una forma paralela de consulta, y así empezar a escuchar que quieren decir los jóvenes. Esas tres cosas, los tres aspectos, me parece a mi que a lo mejor podriamos empezar a discutirlo, y proponerlos como algunas posibilidades de acciones completas basadas en las experiencias que ustedes mismas ya han mostrado. GRACIAS. HONDURAS Sra. REINA >Por razones de tiempo voy a ser muy breve. Honduras tiene una población joven muy grando, el país tiene una población de 5.3 millones de habitantes, de los cuales el 28% es de jóvenes, entre 13 y. 25 años. Tenemos el plan nacional de la juventud, recientemente aprovado y que reúne 6 programas para la juventud, solamente les voy a numerar. Primero, programa de planificación, investigación, supervisión, evaluación de actividades de la juventud. 02/14/95 08:13 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 013 12 Segundo, promoción y fomento de las organizaciones juveniles y de la capacitación de los jóvenes. Tercer, promoción y desarrollo del servicio voluntario y utilizacion constructiva del tiempo libre de los jovenes. Cuarto, fomento del empleo juvenil. Cinco, mejoramiento de la calidad de vida de los jóvenes y desarrollo humano integral. Seis, programa de difusión e información para la juventud. Esos son los seis programas que ya están en curso. También tenemos la política social del estado hacia la juventud. Nosotros, aunque esto verdad, ya es, ya no es de la juventud sino de la niñez, pero nosotros nos sentimos muy orgullosas de que Honduras es el primer país que ha firmado el impacto por la infancia. Este pacto, la estrategia es la descentralización del poder político y la participación de las comunidades como los municipios, gobernadores y las fuerzas vivas del país. Nosotras de esto nos sentimos sumamente orgullosas porque como ya les dije antes, somos el primer país que ha firmado, GRACIAS. >Felicitaciones Sra. Versig. >J just liked to mention that. not until this social and economic condition, of origin improve, we still have our problems with our youth. In the caribbean we have house holds with one parent working, so how can we get time to listen to them and to find all your needs, because we are not there; we are out busy trying to make a living, so equals back ultimately to improving the welfare of our economic situation, so that then, keeping at least one parent in the home, so we can listen to them and find what their needs are. BAHAMAS >In St. Lucia, one of the other things we have is through our drug center. we have a program in our secondary schools of where the students form drug free groups in their school and they speak to the other students, and it has been quiet successfull in St. Lucia. They also do ads on the television similar to what Hazel showed through out drug program and in many of the secondary schools we have this. So children talk to children about drugs and XXXXX awareness. >Gracias. Nosotros pensamos que siempre es mucho mas problema, es más problemático combatir personas y ayudar a las personas que ya entraron a la drogadicción y que ya están en el sistema, porque es muy caro y la recuperación es muy baja. Entonces podríamos a 10 mejor pensar como una propuesta esta reunión, el hecho de hacer algo bastante agresivo en la escuela basica. Yo creo que los niños son los grandes receptores y son como esponjas que van nutriéndose de todo lo que tiene que ver con la ecología y la salud, son ellos los que están en contra del cigarrillo, en contra de cnsuciar la naturaleza, cortar los árboles. Yo pienso que se podria aprovechar con una propuesta nuestra, hacla nuestros países, hacia los sistomas educativos de nuestros países, que introduzcan en la educación básica a los ni;os, todo riesgo, pero en forma bastance Cuerte, que a ellos les choque, XXXXX un organismo sano, como un organismo enfermo, en quien fluye, con laminas, colores, atractivos, en que ellos vayan desde chicos rechazando estc flojol 02/14/95 08:14 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 014 13 tremendo, para no tener que entrar en los programas después para ir rescatándolos de la droga, pienso que se podría hacer algo XXXXX. > Yo quería decir que nuestros hijos han crecido practicamente enchufados a la televisión, no se como se diga ese termino. Las campañas masivas de televisión son 10 mas efectivo para el cambio de valores institucionales y en la recuperación de valores familiares. Si pudiéramos proponer aquí una campaña institucional como e1 video que nos acaba de traer Trinidad and Tobago, con artistas de renombre mundial, como alguna vez se hizo por la paz en el mundo, si podemos proponer de esa reunión, algo así para prevenir el consumo y el uso de las drogas por la juventud, por gente que les llegue a ellos que les trasmite, que les comunique sus mensajes y a través del medio que ellos permanecen viéndolo, lo veo en mi experiencia como madre, es que mis hijos me cuestan mucho trabajo sacarlos de otra actividad que no sea de la television; entonces, si ese es el medio de comunicación moderno, usémoslo en nuestro propio beneficio. >Yo solamente queria decirles que yo creo que es en torno de la prevención de los riesgos sociales en los que se ven envueltos los adolescentes que nosotros podemos contribuir a fortalecer nuestra sociedad, identificar bien dentro de los diferentes países, cuales son las situaciones donde se, ven envueltos nuestros adolescentes, que creo que ninguno se escapa del problema de la droga y creo que es uno de los mas importantes en los que tenemos que enfocar, después de los embarazos en adolescentes y las enfermedades transmisibles sexualmente. Considero que en lo que los adolescente se refiere, eso serian los dos temas mas fuertes a desarrollar. MUCHAS GRACIAS. >Respecto a eso yo en lo personal, lo mas logrado que me ha tocado ver en beneficio a la juventud es Я través de las iglesias, porque las personas tienes cierta capacidad de convocar, de hablarle a los jóvenes en un idioma que ellos SQ sienten llamados y han hecho, por lo menos en mi país. y en los paises que me han tocado ver, acciones fantásticas a través de distintas iglosiac con 10s jóvenes que los convocan a bacer algo positivo. solidaridad. valores que son, que han sido durante un tiempo y que los jóvenes tomen muy bion y DO vuelcan en esc. >Yo quiero hacer dos o tros referencias a estos temas, a partir del video. que nos hicieron disfrutar. por supuesto es la importancia de los medios de comunicación en la cumbre de los niños en el año 1991, hubo alguien que dijo, que cuando un joven de nuestro hemisferio cumple los 16 años, ha visto más de 20,000 muertes a través de la televisión. Es decir, tiene la violencia incorporada por algo que es esencialmente malo, visto repetidamente 16 mil veces, va llmando lo que nuestras conciencias, y porsupuesto las conciencias de los jóvenes podrian tener de rechazo hacia eso, entonces, al contrario pienso que lo podamos mostrarle 16,000 veces a un joven de una manera positiva seguramente va a pernear mucho mas esa conciencia y esa vida. Y cambién quisiera publicarxxxx que tenemos que cer honestos, nuestro país ha visto que no necesariamente el mejorar las condiciones económicas de la vida a mejorado los Indices de todos esto temas, puode decir quizás con un poco de 02/14/95 08:14 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 015 14 retapo, que mas bien, hemos comprobado que es al revés. En general los jóvenes que tienen menos problemas de dinero, menos problemas socio- económicos, culturas, de alguna manera están indicandonos que igual alli está faltando algo; vuelvo creo al tema del amor y al tema de sentirse comprendidos. El término adolescente, su origen latino, en su timologia quiere decir que adolecen, que de alguna manera es alguien que está sufriendo porque 1e falta algo, y que hay que ayudarlo. Como decia la Sra. Samper, lo que hay que detectar, decodificar, es que es lo que les está faltando. Quizás no es lo mismo que nos faltaba a nosotros a esa edad, 0 quizas pueda ser algo parecido, pero a mi me parece importante, siempre que ha habido revoluciones en otros planos, ha habido contra revoluciones, y quizá, a lo que a nosotros nos toque del día sea, encabezarlo, estimular la contra revolución, pero hecha por los mismo jóvenes. Y alli si tomar la idea de que sean los propios jóvenes que liberen de alguna manera, siempre sea XXXX y al joven le gusta, entonces quizá lamentablemente están tan extendido este mal, este flajelo, que estemos en condiciones de iniciar la contra-revolución. As1 que creo que si redondeáramos un poquitito la cosa en la cual estamos todos de acuerdo, yo creo que iniciar D provocar que jóvenes lideres, porque creo que en esto no tenemos que abdicar que en todas las sociedades tienen necesidad de lideres. Quizá los lideres juveniles no están lo suficientemente estimulados primero, perdón, detectados primero y estimulados después. Nosotros tenemos un país donde las cerezas no juegan papel quizá demasiado importante, pero tomamos si el concepto en lo personal que el evangelización del medio siempre ha sido la más eficaz. Entonces quizá trasladando esto al tema de la juventud, quizá detectar, estimular y hacer protagonistas a los lideres juveniles sea lo más importante en esto. GRACIAS. ARGUMENTO >Habla de los lideres juveniles que, de pronto el problema que hemos detectado nosotros es que los lideres juveniles no son los correctos, no son con los valores que queremos transmitir. Los héroes juveniles son los que están matando. >Yo pensaba que cuando hablabas delante del programa de televisión y de lo importante que era los medio de comunicación, que muchos de los cantantes famosos de los lideres juveniles, se han suicidado, están metidos en clínicas sacándose la droga >[stimularlos a que SC revelon contra esto, que ya parece ser mayoria Va las contra revoluciones empiezan así, revelándose contra una mayoria. Yo creo quizá, no se si serán la mayoria, pero son volúmenes importantes de jóvenes ya involucrados en estos temas y quizás podamos detectar alli sí, los adultos para detectarlos y estimularlos para que después coan protagonistas. >Los niños puedan provocar cambios, cllos, que nosotros no les demos las cosas, que ellos vayan, porque todos cuando hemos sido adolescentes, hemos sido XXXX y todos hemos dicho, ESTE MUNDO NO ME SIRVE, ES UNA PORQUERIA, YO VOY A FORMAR UN MUNDO ESTUPENDO, eso nos ha pasado a todos. Yo creo que hay que dejar a los jóvenes que sueñen, que miren, que puedan transformar e1 02/14/95 08:15 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 016 15 mundo, pero dentro de un marco, donde no se dañen a si mismo y a nucotra sociedad. > self esteem project, we started in the first Instance with schools, to enter the teachers and we did the strategies with them. We are going on to the parents, and then to the communities, to the church leaders, and all leaders within the community, XXXX, the communities leaders and all of them guiding the yound people as to what to do and how LO go about it. So we are both being reactive and proactive and thats all this is >In terms of leaders probably what another term could use is positive roll models for use. We enlist the of the media to project those people in our society who have done well, achieve great things, legal side of the law, and ask them to help us to encourage young people. >Yo soy editora familiar y juvenil, y he trabajado con chicos jovenes de m1 pais, y se que algo me quedo muy marcado, llama mucho la atención, que yo trabajaba mucho en grupos con él, y al escucharlo, ellos decian, "nosotros discutimos con nuestros papás, y estamos permanentemente peleando, por ejemplo con los horarios de llegado, que si tenemos que llegar a las doce de la noche a las 4 de la mañana, y vivimos en esa pelea tremenda. Vivimos pidiéndolas a nuestros padres que nos compren determinadas marcas de zapatillas 0 de dietas. Pero que la verdad, a nosotros no nos importa nada de eso, lo único que nosotros queremos es que nuestros papás nos escuchen, nada más. Cuando nosotros volvemos a la casa y tenemos una alegria inmensa, una pena, algo que contar, algo novedoso, llega la mama, ella dice ESTOY TAN CANSADA, DESPUES NO PUEDO ESCUCHARTE AHORA van donde el papa. ESTOY VIENDO LA TELEVISION. Entonces el después, después se va quedando y se rompe el nexo de comunicación entre ellos y sus padres, y ellos se sienten extremadamente solos y van derivando en amistades, en salir afuera de la casa, a buscar otro tipo de acciones que realmente pienso que si los padres tuvieran conciencia que los niños son chicos, que sólo tienen que oirlos, tendríamos otro mundo. >Dealing with youth, we have to deal with their parents and thexxxxxx and to be able to convince them, they need to change their attitudes and approaches. >Por lo menos en mi pais, cada vez que me dan tribuna 0 me entrevistan en alguna parte, aprovecho para decir, yo insto a los padres a que escuchen a los padres a que escuchen a sus hijos. Siempre permanentemente estoy en esa campaña porque yo XXXX familiar y juvenil entonces me toca escuchar las dos partes. A la familia que conoce a los hijos y a los hijos que conoce a sus padres. >This is when we come back to what T WAS saying about the . XXXXX workshops, where you include parents and the communities leaders and so on. The other thing I went real near defining is to come back to this values, becuase Hazel said something very important this morning about the media, which we've been discussing a that is the invation that comes merely from United States. of a 02/14/95 08:16 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 017 16 different life, of this very grant life, which is very far away, from what we can hope for and this are the values that are being talked to our children. It is important if we teach them, even true world, true world is not how many dollars you have, is about education and health, you know, happy tamily, and all this other things. >Además tendriamos que empezar a pensar que es una familia. Porque generalmente vemos como familia, padre, madre, hijos, situación ideal. Y en la realidad, por lo menos en nuestros paises no es as1; son madres solteras, madres jefas de hogar; padres ausentes, 0 madres ausentes, niños que se han quedados con sus padres; abuelos que crian a sus nietos; hermanos que viven entre s1. Entonces yo creo también que toda esta definición de familia es único. >They have 16 types of families in Trinidad. At what we have done is define it as a support system, so it doesn't matter, whether you had a mother, father or grandmother or grandfather in charge, you have a support system and refer very often to the african proverb takes a village to raise up a child. And if the support exists within the community, that hopefully as it was long ago, that the family will survive >In Barbados we have family education, which is introduce from the primer school level and that level we teach the children health education and then for the adolescents we teach a little bit more, about FBS, drug abuse. The family. in Latin American terms are different from in the Caribbean is most the mothers who are there, and like I said before if the mothers are out working. so then you need the extended family, the grandmother, aunt and the village comes into place, that's important for us. >I was telling that she is the right line. Porque cuando se han hecho estudios en nuestro país sobre la realidad de los chicos y sus comportamientos posteriores, cuando desde chicos, en los libros de lectura se los situa en una familia ideal, y el chico ya no la reconoce porque seguramente es hijo de madre soltera; ya está fuera del sistema, entonces le cuesta mucho menos en todo los demás, goza estar fuera del pattern. fuera del modelo ideal. Por eso me pareció interesante pensar hay gente que ha logrado en detectar 16 modelos, 00 decir, es más prohable que en 16 modelos el niño siente que alguno es el suyo, y que el también tiene algún modelo ético en la sociedad para estar incluido, y no ya derepente de los 5 o 6 años en cuanto empieza a leer y está diciendo que la familia se compone de un padre, una madre e hijos, y derepente como decis la Sra. XXXXX, determinado modelo de vida con determinadas facilidades, que parece que le están diciendo tanto tienes, tanto eres, tanto valos. Mc parece importante abrir un poco e1 espectro XXXXXXXXX en los medios de comunicación considerando sistemas de soporte, en lugar de familia, me parece que C3 un concepto que tiende a igualar desde más abajo, y seguramente. dejar más adentro del sistema, chicos a quienes seguramente estén, desde los libros de lectura, ya los estamos marginando. >Bueno, me catán diciondo que tenemos que pararnos y yo pido disculpas, porque el resúmen dicen que está en el otro edificio, así que se va a demorar un poco, tienc que ir ID tipiarlo allá, y que si por mientras, queremos ir al 02/14/95 08:16 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 018 17 baño. >Un millón de gracias por haber participado en esto, estoy muy contenta haber estado con usted y espero que tengamos una muy buena conclusión. END OF TAPE >Para racionalizar la utilización de los recursos naturales y la consientisación de las nuevas generaciones de que sus decisiones tienen efectos que trascienden los límites de sus propias generaciones. Señora Bolivia, por favor Gracias señora presidenta, bueno yo para profundizar, en realidad como también participé en la plenaria e hice una DISCONNECTED Gracias (Belize, nos acompaña porfavor) BELIZE Good Morning. I do not have anything prepared, remarks, not at all, I would just say A few things since I'm here. I think that very often in our educational systems, we are dealing with 19th Centuries structures that came about through the history of the development of education, and that these structures are somehow we are trying to fit them in someway to fit the needs of the 21st. Century. Its almost like we have a patchwork quilt, so we put a patch here and a patch there. I think there is probably a need for structure changes rethinking of the whole system. the kind of situation where there are no secret issues, where every single thing is open to question by everybody in society, because very often, people want to ask the schools to solve all the problems of society, but the schools are only a part of society, and in order to colve the problems, they need the toolsto do so. And so although we need better teacher training, we need all kind of things, we also need to think about what education is about. And we need to be able to set aside some time for that to happen, and unfortunately time is always a thing we dont have. In my country, we have found that unlike other countries our literacy rate in recent years has actually been falling, and the reason is that Belize has the highest percentage population of refugees and immigrants of any country in the world. Because our country is only two hundred thousand, 20% of our population is made up of refugees, many of them illegal, we havent yet had a California resolution, but it is placing a severe strain, specially on our health and education services, perticularly since these refugees are mostly from Central American countries and the official language of Belize is english, the official language of education is english and most of these people do not speak english. And it has placed severe strain and we would like to ask funding agencies, even though we are a very tiny country to take in 02/14/95 08:17 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 019 18 consideration the things that We are doing and to help us to be able to educate this young people who will become the citizens of Belize. Hopefully, since the situation in Central America is Improving; there will be a clow down, because, however, much we would like to welcome you neighbours we have really been swamped by the number that have code in. Muchas Gracias. GUATEMALA MICROPHONE DISCONNECTED. Eduque a la nina. Este programa creemos nosotros que es muy importante en Guatemala, porque tenemos el 60% de Indigenas, el conflicto armado por 30 años, 34 años, también nos ha dejado mucho niño y nina huérfana. Entonces creemos que la educacion y la salud es necesario para el desarrollo humano de un pais, y Guatemala está en vías de desarrollo. Entonces este programa si es una experiencia muy bonita para Guatemala porque están involucrados varios sectores. Está el sector privado, el empresarial, las organizaciones no gubernamentales, instituciones de sector público, agencias de cooperación internacional y organismos comunales. Si me permiten les voy a decir mas 0 menos en que consiste, pero a todos les vamos a dar una copia. Entre los datos mas relevantes pueden mencionarse los siguientes: Guatemala tiene la tasa de analfabetismo de mujeres más alta de América. Una de cada 2 mujeres guatemaltecas no sabe leer ni escribir. Este programa está especialmente enfocado en la niña, no porque seamos feministas, sino que creemos que educando a la niña se educa a una familia; pues porque para nosotros esto es muy básico. El analfabetismo es tres veces mayor 71.9% en mujeres Mayas que en mujeres no Mayas que es de 24.6%. En las escuelas del área rural por cada cien niños inscritos hay solamente 66 niñas inscritas. 500,000 niñas en edad escolar no asisten a la escuela, por cada 7 niños que llegann a sexto grado de educación primaria hay solamente tres niñas. El 45.6% de mujeres guatemaltecas 1.4 millones no ha aprobado siquiera un año de educación formal. El propósito: el plan se orientó en primer lugar hacia la sensibilización de la población en relación al tema de la educación de la niña, con el fin de involucrar a todos los sectores en el esfuerzo por incrementar la matricula escolar femenina en la población mayor de 6 años, y aumentar la proporción de niñas con énfasis en la población del área rural. predominantemente Maya que completa entre 4 y 6 años de educación primaria antes de cumplir los 14 años. A1 mismo tiempo se elaboraron 37 perfiles de proyecto con los que pretende hacer frente a los principales factores que se oponen a que las niñas terminen al menos la enseñanza primaria Los logroo: E1 primero de los proyectos diseñados concebido como proyecto piloto con una duración de tres años se propone propiciar la represión de las niñas en la cacuela hasts alcanzar la promoción de sexto grado de primaria, mediante la aplicación de modalidades de acciones comunitarias y educativas de apoyo, contribuir a la reducción de las harreras que obstaculizan las asistencias regular de las niñas a la escuela y que no les permite complementar el cexto grado de educación primaria. En los cuatro años transcurridos desde la formulacion del diagnóstico y plan de acción para la 02/14/95 08:18 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 020 19 educación de la niña, se han conseguido diversos e importantes logros: Sensibilización de los lideres de los sectores públicos y privados en relación al tema. Esta labor condujo a la emision de las referencias políticas de estrategias para la educación de las niñas publicado por el Ministerio de Educación para el período 93-98; creación de un programa de becas para niñas en e1 Ministerio de Educación: propuesta en marcha de varios proyectos entre ellos e1 proyecto EDUQUE A LA NIÑA en 36 municipios de 6 departamentos del pais. Beneficio directo, hasta ahora, 4,000 niñas de manera indirecta se ha beneficiado también a un número similar de niños como consecuencia de la mayor relación que se ha procurado fomentar entre los padres de familia y la escuela. Como les decia este proyecto es muy importante en Guatemala, mas que todo por el conflicto armado que tenemos muchos niños y niñas huèrfanas. Muchas Gracias. MEXICO >No sé si. la Señora Clinton puede acompañarnos 5 minutos más 0, porque mi intervención si dura al rededor de unos 3 o 6 4 minutos? Muchas gracias. En México como en todos los países la educación ha sido especialmente importante para multiplicar las oportunidades de superación individual y comunitaria. y promover la equidad social. En siete decadas al tiempo que la población crecia del 14 a 90 millones de personas, el analfabetismo se redujo de más del 70 a cerca del 10%: se extendio la cobertura de la enseñanza primaria de una quinta parte de los niños en edad de cursarla a casi el 90%. La escolaridad promedio pasó de 1 a casi 7 años, en ese lapso las instituciones de enseñanza media y educación superior se multiplicaron en todo el territorio nacional. E1 sistema escolar mejicano pasó de menos de un millón a mas de 26 millones de alumnos, y el total de instituciones educativas de 12,000 a más de 155,000. Y sin embargo no podemos estar satisfechos, falta mucho por hacer subsisten problemas y limitaciones educativas que detienen el desarrollo integral de las regiones y frustran el talento y la capacidad de hombre y mujeres. Debemos abatir el analfabetismo, asegurar que la educación básica llegue a todos en especial en las zonas más pobres. extender la educación media, la tecnológica y la capacitación para el trabajo; impulsar la educación cuperior y la investigación cientifica, tecnológica y humanistica. El reto mas formidable consiste en elevar sustancialmente la calidad de todo el sistema aducative. De shi que recientemente Méjico haya emprendido una profunda transformación educativa, esta ha comprendido, entre otros aspectos, un rápido y radical proceso de descentralización de la educación básica, lo que hasta hace poco era controlada casi en su totalidad por el gobierno federal; se establecieron nuevas reglac para la participación social en apoyo de la educación. Por vez primera en décadas, se reformó sustancialmente el curriculum de la educación basica, SC renovaron los libros de textn y materiales de apoyo didactico para la primaria, de los que el gobierno mejicano distribuye anualmente más do cien millones de ejemplares gratuitos. Se creo un sistema de promoción magisterial, basado en el desempeño docente y la continua capacitación y no solo on la antiguedad de los maestros. La transformación educativa se acelerará con el nuevo gobierno mejicano, se han fijado melas ambiciosas pero alcanzables para el año 2,000; para lograrlas 02/14/95 08:19 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 021 20 sociedad y gobierno nos milewos en una cruzada por la educación pars todos. Aspiramos a abatir e1 analfabetismo a porcentajes similares al de los países plenamente desarrollados, aspiramos a que ningún niño mejicano quode sin enseñanza pre-escolar primaria y secundaria, aspiramos a estender significativamente las oportunidades de educación superior, así como la investigación bajo criterio de excelencia determinados por la propia comunidad científica, aspiramos a promover como nunca antes la educación tecnologica y la capacitación para el trabajo. Vemos, en este aspecto una de las claves para el nuevo desarrollo mejicano, para alcanzar las nueva metas educativas será decisivo el apoyo especial a los grupos y regiones mas rezagados y pobres de nuestro país. Tenemos muy claro que para impulsar la educación en esos segmentos amplios de la población, no basta con establecer escuelas, hay que mejorar los factores extra escolares que incluyen criticamente en e1 desempeño educativo, como son la nutrición, la salud, los servicios básicos y el empleo. En pocas palabras, lo que ha propuesto el Presidente de México, es llevar a cabo una ambiciosa política de desarrollo social, que rompa el círculo vicioso de ignorancia, enfermedad, e incapacidad productiva. Apreciable señoras, los mejicanos somos herederos de una civilización de mas de 20 siglos, que ha despertado la admiración del mundo, en México se establecieron la primera imprenta y el primer hospital de toda América, nuestra capital fue sede del primer colegio para indigenas, una de las primerisimas universidades, y la primera academia de artes del continente. Tenemos fundadas razones para anhelar que los niños y jóvenes mejicanos crezcan más sanos y mejor educados, mas seguros de sí mismos, y con mayor conciencia de su país, mas adecuadamente capacitados para el exigente mundo en que vivirán y mas conscientes de sus derechos y responsabilidades. Queremos que los mejicanos del mañana crezcan mas felices de su existencia diaria, mas orgullosos de sus pertenencia en México y mas solidarios con los hombres y mujeres con quienes comparten nuestro hemisferio. Por eso es muy satisfactorio, y debe ser motivo de aliento que en esta reunión de jefes de Estado, la educación sea un tema de interés prioritario, como mujeres. como madres de familia, debemos alentar que ese interés esté siempre presente. GRACIAS. Mrs. CLINTON Perhaps T could suggest. a few themes. which will help us pull together the points that you've made in describing your own experience and your own objectives. So I've put down 3 or 4 ideas, I think maybe some of you, will have other ideas, but it might be a wait to think toward what you would want to report to the group as a whole at the lunch. The first thought I had was to try to translate the objective you've mention in your own countries, to relate them to the goal in the draft plan of action of the Summit. There is one very especifical, which is to achieve a universal completion rates in primary school, and 75% enrollment in secondary school by the year 2010. And now what I was thinking is that, it would be a possibility for the first ladies to humanize this skull, which is now, its a goal about numbers, but the real issue is in terms of children, that the quality of education, specially in primary school is very poor in many countries and therefore many children never complete primary school. So the way I often think of it, is that in much of Latin America, one out of every 3 children, is told after one or 2 02/14/95 08:19 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 022 21 years of school, "you have failed", "you must repeat the grade", which is very dehumanizing, and it sends a message to the children that they have failed when sometimes is the system that has failed. So to take this goal of completion, 100% completion of primary school and try to shape it as an effort to make schools better for the children, and to make sure that the children succeed, would be, perhaps one theme; many of you have mentioned the efforts in your countries, to improve essentially we are talking about improving the quality of the schools, and examples like in Nicaragua, focusing on the individual, in Bolivia, ensuring that children when they start school, are learning in their own language; this all have to do with improving quality. So that one suggestion, is to think about other ways and other approaches to improving quality. The second theme that I heard is about a whole new approach for governments to schools. This is the ideas of incorporating civil society, and making sure that parents play a roll, "PARTICIPACION POPULAR", is the expression in Bolivia, I think there are probably other examples from other countries of new efforts to ensure that the central government does not try to manage and do everything, but it passes more responsibility to communities and to parents. So this could be a second theme, that is related to the idea of real, not instead of addressing in a patchwork way as one of you said, thinking about the system as a whole, it could be seen as a kind of revolution, in thinking, which as the first ladies, I believe you could push forward, a little faster, this idea of putting the schools back into the hands of the parents and the children and making sure that is not a top down approach to education. A third theme, which none of you mentioned specifically, is about which Dr. Alene mentioned. is about indicators, and I think Mrs. Clinton also echoed his point, that is important to know whats happening, and for example, even the indicator of completion of primary school, which you might want to focus on, doesn't exist in most countries, the typical indicator is enrollment and Brazil as an example. has 88% enrollment in primary school, and 25% completion. So it goes back to the theme of humanizing the system, there are million of children. who believe they have failed. So if the first ladies where to call for more attention to completion rates and thus to quality, as an addition to the conventional attention to enrollment, I think this would be a very good step. And a fourth theme which is less well formed for me is, because this is a symposium on children, is to call attention to the needs to pre-school, and the needs for a special programs for adolescents. Now there another group, which is talking about adolescents, that means that you might have the opportunity from this group to focus on pre-school and to suggest if you think its appropriate that in many countries, with more women working, and with more female at the house holds it becomes more important for society and communities to invest in children, before they are 6 or 7 years old, through childeare and pre-school programs, and this could also be tied to the idea of quality of primary education. So those where 4 ideas, the focus on quality, and on humanizing the goal of the summit, so that it speaks to children and making children successful, the focus on a new roll for parents "PARTICIPACION POPULAR", sort of idea, well I've lost now my four, I mixed them up a bit; a focus on pre-school, and the indicators cxactly, the third is indicators a new approach to data and indicators, which could be taken up by statistical agencies; for example in your countries with support from International Organizations and finally, at 02/14/95 08:20 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 023 22 least some discussion of pre-school. >Nos sugieres entonces que para las conclusiones, empecemos a trabajar ahorita, para que las conclusiones que presentemos en el Lunch sea algo conforme a lo que tu dijiste. El procedimiento que hicimos un poquito fue pedir anticipadamente la participación de cada una de las señoras, el tiempo es demasiado corto, para hacer un trabajo, entonces yo voy a turnar con el senor Verruga, a tu persona, porque solicitamos la participación de todas anteriormente para hacer un especie de escrito; el que se va a presentar a la hora del Lunch, desde luego todas las personas que leen español lo pueden leer en este momento, y dar su opinión. No tenemos copias verdad?, podriamos a lo mejor conseguir copias? y además no recibimos todas las participaciones, pero recibimos las mayoria de ellas. Me pareció muy interesante lo que dijo la señora de Belize, y podemos de alguna manera, incrustarlo aquí, entonces si nos ayudas en ese aspecto. MUCHAS GRACIAS. En Mexico, como en muchos otros países, lo que pasa es que tampoco lo vimos ahorita (the microfone went off). Entonces también seria una experiencia diferente, yo creo que también todos los países de alguna manera están pretendiendo involucrar a los padres de familia y aquí oí un poquito sobretodo de Bolivia, este, que estamos pretendiendo que los padres de familia participen un poco más en la educación con relación a las escuelas. >Yo no sé si fui muy clara, pero mi idea era solamente de asegurar que todo mundo fuera discutir aqui, algunos temas como esos temas o otras. No exactamente para imponer nada para las tarde, pero para saber exactamente las reacciones de todos de ustedes. En términos de las estadisticas la idea no seria de indicar aquí las estadisticas, pero de emfatizar la idea de asegurar la intuición en todos los paises del hemisferio, un enfasis sobre, no solamente enrollment (no se como decir) matricula, sino tambien... NO SE ENTIENDE. >A mi mc parcee, que tal vez mientras leemos el documento final, la señora muy gentilmente como que nos a enmarcado la posibilidad de poder enriquecer nuestros conocimientos y nucotra experiencia, atra vez de uhicar 4 metas especificas que globalizan mucho lo que contiene la educacion y el desarrollo For ejemplo ahora que hablabamos todas, yo sentia que teniamos unas metas en comun que se podian lograr apesar de las grandes diferencias que pueden existir en nuestros paises y nuestra ideosincrasia. Por ejemplo, cuando hablabamos de reducir la descercion escolar, el unico indicador que contamos cualquier pais en estc momento, 00 la matricula, sin embargn, sabemos que hay 02/14/95 08:21 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 024 23 ninos en Costa Rica, por ejemplo, el 100% de los niños entra a la escucla, sin embargo a los 2 0 3 meses esos niños van a salir. Entonces que mecanismos a travez de un sistema educativo son los que se van & utilizar para que esos niños no solamente continue en la escuela, sino que la escuela sirva como un polo de atraccion y los vaya rescatando de las calles. Nosotrus pensabamos que habia varios elementos que se podian usar, por ejemplo, el incertar en las escuelas mas pobres, que son las de mayores descerciones, los comedores escolares, porque. porque atravez de los comedores escolares la escuela se convierte en un medio de atraccion para las familias, porque es un mecanismo para que los niños reciban por lo menos una vez al dia, una buena nutricion. Un segundo punto en eso, es el cambiar el curriculum de la educacion formal, y hacerlo mas activo, para que los niños no se aburran y por lo menos terminen hasta tercer año de colegio. Y otro que me parece muy importante es que en estas escuelas de mayor descercion que son las mas pobres, uno mantiene el contacto con los niños durante el periodo escolar, pero sin embargo hay un periodo de tres meses que son las vacaciones, y en ese periodo nosotros perdemos contacto con esos niños, y esos son los niños que en las vacaciones o van a estar expuestos a la drogadiccion, a deambular en las calles, a la desnutricion, entonces como podemos convertir nuevamente en las escuelas en polo de atraccion; nosotros tambien estamos ahora proponiendo un nuevo sistema que son los campamentos de verano en las escuelas, para que en esos 3 meses, los niños en primer instancia, no pierdan el contacto con la escuela. Cuando termina el ciclo escolar, y los niños van a vacaciones 3 meses, que la escuela. sobretodo, en las comunidades mas pobres, se mantengan abierta, con 2 digamos objetivos: primero, el seguir manteniendo un control de esos niños que sabemos que van a estar mayormente expuestos a las drogas, a deambular en las calles y a no tener una buena nutricion. El que las escuelas de las barriadas marginales y las zonas rurales se mantengan abiertas en las vacacion, les sigue proveyendo a los niños de esas comunidades la posibilidad de la alimentacion para que ellos no pierdan ese ciclo que empieza desde que empiezan la escuela hasta que termina. Y segundo, atravez de campamentos que les van a dar la posibilidad de practicar deporte, de capacitarse, y de mantenerlos entretenidos un poco, pues estas logrando que en esos 3 meses el niño y la niña, se mantenga en un lugar seguro. y eso hace que no se de tanto en la descercion como se esta dando en este momento. Eso es lo que nosotros proponiamos. >Tiene la palabra la señora de Belize >Thank you. Listening to just now, comes back to what I was saying about thinking about the total structures, and the concerned about the and by the way, I've been a teacher for 25 years, and I am still a teacher, that's why I'm returning tomorrow, because I think teaching is the probably more important than being here. I think I can do more by actually teaching, than maybe being here. It's very concerning to me, because what happens is that by the time the children come back after their long holiday, they have forgotten everything you taught them, they forgot how to learn, they have been involve with drugs, they have become pregnant, they have done things that we 02/14/95 08:21 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 025 24 don't want, and the response has been, let's have summer programs, lets have this. I think, we should think the whole idea of a 3 months vacation, comes historical from a time when children were taken into hobbies, this is no longer true. Why should we develop summer programs when instead we could change the whole basis of the school year. Instead of having a 3 months vacations we can split the year differently, many of us have problems with over crowding in our schools and stack of classes we could also have school years. So I would like to think of a basic rethinking of what we are doing with education, we don't need a 3 month vacation. of course the problem is the teachers are going to want to, but the parents don't know what to do, they summer vacations, they said. OH GOD WHAT AM I GOING TO DO, I HAVE TO GO TO WORK, MY CHILDREN WILL BE ON THE STREETS, so we have to think about that, and that's one of the basic structures I think we have Lu address. > Señora porfavor. BOLIVIA >Bueno, justamente en mi país, en Bolivia, a habido una educacion que era una fabricacion de cuadernos, no consultaba los interes locales y regionales, por lo tanto, habia que cambiarla, y yo quiero decirles, hay muchisimas buenas ideas. pero a veces la economia y la parte del crecimiento economico es 10 que va a influir a mejorar, pero basado un poquito en lo que ahora con nuestra reforma educativa estamos haciendo, quiero sin participar así prevemente, en que como hacemos; la educacion diseña un curriculum, un programa de enseñanza que parte de las necesidades de los alumnos y la comunidad y del desarrollo del pais. Es una educacion en la vida para la vida, que permite que el alumno se desenvuelva con creatividad y aprenda a pensar, ser, valerse por si mismo, y a superarse, abandonando examenes de memoria, un poco haciendo también que no repitan el año. tiene que irse dependiendo del contenido de lo que han aprendido, no de haber finalizado un programa que los profesores han venido realizando. Nosotros acabamos a fines de noviembre, las clases, y empiezan en febrero, y en septiembre hay muchos profesores que dicen yo he acabado el programa, pero no sabemos si los niños han aprendido, entonces eso hace que se aplazen, hay deserción, no ven el avance de lo que aprenden. La educación basada en 1a vida cotidiana, también es muy importante con un enfoque intercultural, comunitario, interdisciplinario que así va a formar alumnos con capacidad, e idoneidad para desempeñarse con eficiencia en la vida, con respeto a los valores nacionales, humanos, culturales, dentro de una igualdad entre hombre y mujeres. Yo digo, efectivamente si, no invertimos en darles una educación atractiva donde ellos participen, puedan realizar ellos varias cosas, incluso mucho deporte, bibliotecas en las aulas, los cuadernos adecuados a las necesidades del país, siempre han estado estudiando, por ejemplo on mi pais, con libros de españa n argentina, muy buenos. pero no estaban adecuados a la cultura realmente, y las necesidades. Entonces se va a evitar que hallan drogas y otras actividades. Pero, por ejemplo, en mi pais, quiero comunicarles, y yo quisiera también el apoyo internacional, de las instituciones, 00 loc niños de la calle, en mi país, trabajan, porque es una 02/14/95 08:22 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 026 25 forma de supervivencia, y queremos hacer un proyecto que se pueda dar hecas a esos niños que trabajan para que vayan a la escuela, porque prefieren trabajar y no quieren estudiar. Entonces alli, es donde dospués se dedican a una serie de actividades que la vida los va llevando, no tienen familia, sus padres no tiene trabajo, también la economia es importante, porque aci los padres van a tener mas trabajo, no van a tener que echar a sus hijos a que salgan a trabajar. Porque esa CS una realided, los niños en muchos paises, trabajan, pero tenemos que apoyar algún proyecto que yo quiero presentar a la comunidad internacional que aquí lo he comentado antes, de poder o ver como puode cer para ayudar a todos los niños de la calle a que estudien y por supuesto con alimento que tengan comida, pero todo eso, por 10 menos en mi país, todavía no se puede hacer. Damos desayuno, pero ya almuerzo y todo eso, ya es todo un plan, espero, a largo plazo. GRACIAS. NICARAGUA Yo me queria referir un poco a los comentarios de la Señora Sanchez, y lo que dijo Nancy, en cuanto a lo de como ver en nuestros países para 1a retención de los niños en la educación primaria. En Nicaragua nosotros tenemos la experiencia que en estos 4 años de gobierno, pues hemos incrementado la matrícula en un 21% y además de las políticas globales generales ha sido posible esto por algunas cosas que son muy concretas, y es como por ejemplo, mantener un programa en las escuelas del vaso de leche y 1a galleta nutritiva y entonces los níños se ven obligados a retenerse y a ir al colegio. Tambien se ha visto la necesidad de buscar como captar mas maestros y como procurar que a los maestros empiricos profesionalisarlos de esa manera ellos están mas relacionados con los niños. También cosas muy concretas como ha sido el apoyo que hemos conseguido del BID y otros organismos para la dotación de textos, para la dotación de pupitre, porque la mayoria de los niños estaban sentados en el suelo, y ahora pues ya esta allá. Y luego otro aspecto importante que contribuye para que los niños se queden en el colegio, es la reparación de sus propias infraestructuras, porque obviamente entre mas pobre es la infraestructura. pues es mas alentado se sienten para llegar, y la utilización de los métodos y duración de escuela. En el caso, a lo que se referia el Señor Sanchez, estos niños que están en la calle, nosotros también tenemos el mismo problema, y estamos orientados a establecer estos comedores infantiles donde allá también se les de las clases para que pero es un problema común en todo américa latina, y como dicen las madres, aunque tengan los comedores, los mandan a trabajar. porque es una manera de hacerse 1a vida. Yo creo que los 4 puntos que resalto Nancy, son bien importantes, deberian de estar contenidos en cualquier conclusión a las que se lleve para un programa de acción en el futuro. Yo tengo una pregunta a la mesa, y es que a raiz de esta discusión va a quedar algo concreto? Algún acuerdo O algunas acciones definidas para los países nuestros? >Yo 10 que esta sesión In único que vetencia es que hay mucho trabajo por hacer, el trabajo es, yo creo que, hay cosas que hay muy generales en la educación, la educación As un problema de todo el mundo, pero hay cosas muy 02/14/95 08:23 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 027 26 particulares que coto lo único que nos va hacer es regresar a nuestros países y trabajar mas duro, cada quien con sus cosas y unirnos en cosas que sean mas generalicen en cuestiones de educación. Para mi 1n único que me queda claro. es que esto es como el primer escalón de una escalera muy alta. Yo creo que s1 va a ver un trabajo de la cumbre que será presentado a todos los países. Pero eso ya es cosa de Nancy, nos puede informar acerca de eso. GRACIAS. >Lo que yo entiendo, es que después 10 van a poner juntos los distintos informes de los tres grupos, juntos con las declaraciones de la mañana de la plenaria, y las declaraciones durante el almuerzo, como de un informe final que no van a tener para todos los países. GRACIAS. >N. BIRDSALL: la idea seria para este grupo de llegar a algunas conclusiones. >Pues si es basicamente, 10 que les acabamos de pasar. Insisto que el tiempo es tan corto, que pedimos la ponencia de todas a la participación de todas entre anoche y hoy en la mañana, entonces las que logramos conseguir fueron las que utilizamos para hacer el informe. BELIZE >Excuse me, I would like to ask, that somebody al least reads this in english translation. >Distinguidas primeras damas, señoras y señores, es un alto privilegio para México y para mi en lo personal dirigirme a ustedes en esta sesión plenaria, a lado de todos ustedes. Celebro la iniciativa de la señora Clinton, de habernos convocado a intercambiar experiencias y preocupaciones sobre la problematica que enfrenta la niñez de nuestros paises. Fomentar la conciencia sobre sus requerimientos, sobre sus derechos y sobre sus aspiraciones, constituye una responsabilidad que sé, asumimos con atencion y ahinco. Esta mañana he tenido el honor de coordinar la mesa de trabajo acerca de la perspectivas y la realidad de la educacion en nuetro continente. Dicha mesa se beneficio de las intervenciones de las primeras damas, de Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, y las representantes de Nicaragua y Perú. A todas y cada una de ellas extiendo m1 reconocimiento por sus aportaciones a un debato rico en ideas y propuestas. Deseo compartir con ustedes algunas de las principales conclusiones de esta mesa de trabajo. La educación es la principal palanca para el desarrollo, el bienestar genuino de nuestras naciones. la paz y el avance en la democracia. En los niños se forja el futuro, se cimienta una convivencia civilizada y una vida digan para la sociedad y las familias. Coincidimos que en que el gasto en la educación es en e1 mediano y largo plazo una de la inversiones mas rentables y eficaces para alentar la equidad social, la productividad y el empleo. En la mesa de trabajo hubo un acuerdo pleno en que la educación debe ser respetuosa de la diversidad de pensamientos y formas de ver la vida, tanto al interior de nuestros países, como en los vinculos entre las naciones del continente. Este respeto al pluralismo alienta la tolerancia, previene la discriminación y fomenta la libre expresión y el desarrollo de las culturas que son distintas 02/14/95 08:24 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 028 27 de 1a rica diversidad de américa y el caribe Sin desconocer la reciente interdependencia de nuestra época, nos promunciamos por mantener la identidad propia, valiosa e instituible que nos a legado R nuestra historia y que eso esta primordial de la unidad de nuestras naciones. Existe consenso sobre la necesidad de radicar a la brovedad el analfabetismo, este es un grave obstáculo para el desarrollo y constituye una frenta a las posibilidades de alcanzar una vida digna y plena para todo ser humano. Todos reconocemos la necesidad de lograr que cada niño complete su educación básica; en este sentido, Bahamas ha hecho énfasis en 1a importancia de fomentar la educación inicial y la formación pre-escolar. La nueva ley educativa en Bolivia estimula la participación (change tape) La obligatoriedad de la educación hasta el nivel de secundaria, buscando universalizar el acceso a la escuela, señaladamente en las zonas mas pobres y elevar la calidad de los contenidos educativos. Costa Rica ha hecho un esquema de desarrollo sostenible donde la preservación del medio ambiente comienza en las actitudes y patrones de conducts que son inculcados desde los primeros años de la escuela. Guatemala a subrayado la importancia de acercar a las niñas a la educación porque después como madres transmiten valores y conocimientos a sus hijos. Advertimes que la formación de los maestros es fundamental para una educación de calidad; en la medida en que los maestros eleven su capacitación, puedan aplicar mejores métodos pedagógicos, y aprovechen las nuevas tecnologias; contribuirán decisivamente a transmitir mejores conocimientos y habilidades en nuestrus niños y jóvenes. Por allo nuestras sociedades y gobiernos deben velar por la revaloración social y el resuelto apoyo a las tareas del magisterio. Con especial beneplácito saludamos a que durante nuestra estancia aquí en Miami la Organización de las Naciones Unidas, inicie el deseño de los pueblos indigenas, nuestro continente es un mosaico de culturas que se enriquece de los valores, las costumbres y la sabiduria milenaria de nuestras distintas èpocas. En nuestras sesión do trabajo destacó este tema, subrayando que la educación indigena reclama e1 respeto a la libersidad, la ideosincracia y las lenguas que son fundamento do su cultura. Para ser frente a la competencia reciente en que nuestros niños y jóvenes habrán de vivir, coincidimos en la necesidad de estimular novedosos programas de capacitación para el trabajo, de actualización periódica para obtener empleos dignos, y ampliar las opciones que deben acompañas el desarrollo tecnológico. Coincidimos en que la educación no puede conformarse ni reducirse a formar hombre y mujeres eficaces, debe orientarse a [omentar los valores de la democracia, el respeto a los derechos humanos, 1a solidaridad social, la importancia de la familia, el estimulo a la sensibilidad. la conciencia sobre la paz y la protección del medio ambiente. Eficacia no puede divorciarse de la ética, la productividad no es enigma del humanismo ni de las responsabilidades hacia la sociedad y la familia. Señoras y señores, deseo agregar que la educación debe concebirse como uno de los derechos humanos mas preciados y respetados. Como una garantia universal de todo individuo, independientemente de su origen ético, de su extracción social y de su ubicación geográfica, es preciso reconocer que la educación enaltece por igual a la persona que la recibe, que a la sociedad que la procura. Estoy segura que las deliberaciones a que nos a convocado la señora Clinton, fortalecerán nuestra convicción de impulsar el desarrollo educativo en nuestras naciones y renovara la conciencia y el compromiso de nuestros gobiernos para seguir formando nuestros ciudadanos en los valores de la 02/14/95 08:24 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 029 28 libertad, la tolerancia, y el respeto a la diversidad. Celebro muy sinceramente e1 espiritu de cooperación y amistad que ha enmarcado este dialogo, y quedara un firme impulso de entendimiento entre todas las naciones del hemisferio. MUCHAS GRACIAS. COMENTARIOS >Aunque no Lodos los paises hicieron llegar sus documentos para poder hacer este primer documento, me parace que las intervenciones que han habido de los otros países altora, son bastanto valiosos. Yo sugeriria que, en vez de poner en la página donde hablamos de los países específicamente la página 3 y la pagina 4, desde el ultimo párrafo hasta e1 segundo párrafo de la pag. 4. Que hiciéramos aquí mas o menos un resumen de todas, porque en realidad lo que va a salir de la mesa, no es la posición do cada uno de nuestros países, sino de todas las que hemos participado en esta mesa, y de una u otra manera lo que se ha dicho se entrelaza con la posición sobretodo que hay en las escuelas polos de desarrollo. >I dont know if it might be possible, I think the state that captures much of what we've been talking about, and perhaps one way to proceed with me to add a page, which could address some of the points and concerns, in the discussions, to have an example from each country for example. >Lo que a mi no me parece justo, es de que solamente se mencione 4 países cuando en realidad somos varios los que estamos sentados on la mesa, entonces un poco como integrar, cuales fueron los paises que estuvieron presentes y un poco entrelazar. osea como, toda la esencia de 10 que dijimos cota enmarcado en esto, yo siento que en ese sentido, talvez, no solo borrar los nombres, decir en este sentido Bahamas, an este sentido Mexico, Costa Rica, Bolivia... entonces en este sentido decir, que se ha hecho enfasis en la importancia de fomentar la educacion inicial. Borrar los nombres de los paises, on cote sentido se ha hecho enfasis en la importancia de fomentar la educacion inicial y fomentar la formacion pre-escolar, existe legislacion que estimula la participacion social: porque en todos nuestros paises existe legislacion. Y todos de una manera u otra como paises tenemos un compromiso con el cuído del medio ambiente, y constitucionalmente, nuestros paises han elevado a rango la obligatoriedad de la educacion. Entonces yo diria que en vez de eso nada mas, con solo tocar ese parrafo no mas, integramos todos los componentes de la mesa. >Tal vez, si todas te damos un voto de confianza y nosotros confiamos en la redaccion del documento, y con eso despues devolverios, de integrarlo. >La razon, por lo que no tengo las intervenciones de las demas señoras, es porque, en el transcurso de la noche no las recibi. Si yo hubiese sabido de que iban a hablar habriamos hecho una conclusion mas adecuada a todo lo que dijeron. Finalmente, hubo mucha improvisacion, lo cual enriquece mucho la 02/14/95 08:25 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 030 29 participacion de la mesa. Pero esa es la razon por la que esta fuera, y ahorita estamos tratando de meter en el documento, esas participaciones que fueron шиу interesantes. >Bueno, pues damos concluida la sesion. Muchas gracias. URUGUAY Well, I join myself with what Mrs. XXXXX said about thanking Mrs. Clinton and this country for their hospitality for joining us, is what I would call, a parallel conversation, but that at some point, it will join; because in this world, sometimes, we have some geometric XXXXXX, where luckily, the paralells meet; and maybe the soul and reflexions that we are doing today here or in some other time, is going to find the perfect intersection, necessary and possible with which, surely enough, the presidents are taking and trying to build, a few feet away. I would like to mention some reflexions, a little bit scattered around in Mrs. de Frey speech, that she has made minimum references to our country, considering, that sometimes our realities of how big is the country, of our different societies, economies and political differences; can after 5 years of experience, tell me that we have a lot to give and receive. So I'm going to start with the education, that maybe this is the root that can grow someday or get frustrated. In this case, I would like to mention the two types of education: In first place: what a formal educationis, through the inicial education, primary education, secondary, that in our country is free and mandatory, for many years now, for all our people, children and adolescents; but that nowadays is being XXXXXX, because unfortunatelly, we see that not only there is economic problems or numeric, of how many children get to complete formal education; but how and when to determine things. Our country has done a very interesting experiment, apart from what the formal education is. XXXXXXXX, I would say, that apart from this XXXXX, the educational system adjusting it to the new XXXX that the children and adolescents are going to face in life; we have tried to educate the young people from specific parts of the country, with less access, less possibilities, in economic terms, in labour and in those whom we have named education for life. During the summer months, vacations, we are trying, not only to replace the time that children are not being protected by an adecuate family infraestructure, but teaching them what is a balance, what is to go to a bank, what is a check, the money taht should go in or out; in other words to educate them for their own life and their own family in a near future. This has been a very XXXXXX plan, that we have done with some difficulties, because sometimes in some sectors of society, society tends to be more conservative. We had to break moldes, but I think that the results of this seeds are set, and hopefully we will be able to carry on with it, trying to convince people, that in life there are important things and things that are important. Also, the education for life, includes the health education. Our infraestructure for health has been tripled during this administration, similar numbers can be shown by the last adiministration, and still this is not enough, because the important line in health, are not stright and go only through material things; and is in this, with the collaboration of many institutes, like the Panamerican Health Organization we have started a XXXX very important. I want to show an example, i norder to be able to leave from here, with hope funded in the sense that educating for health, we can obtain XXXXXX; sometimes, not even the country expect it. In the case of Uruguay, a small country, in between those two big ones that are Argentina and Brazil, sharing with Paraguay a little bit of taht balance; we are surrounded, we even have terrestrial frontiers with countries that have the colera, that terrible desease that has 2 URUGUAY Well, I join myself with what Mrs. XXXXX said about thanking Mrs. Clinton and this country for their hospitality for joining us, is what I would call, a parallel conversation, but that at some point, it will join; because in this world, sometimes, we have some geometric XXXXXX, where luckily, the paralells meet; and maybe the soul and reflexions that we are doing today here or in some other time, is going to find the perfect intersection, necessary and possible with which, surely enough, the presidents are taking and trying to build, a few feet away. I would like to mention some reflexions, a little bit scattered around in Mrs. de Frey speech, that she has made minimum references to our country, considering, that sometimes our realities of how big is the country, of our different societies, economies and political differences; can after 5 years of experience, tell me that we have a lot to give and receive. So I'm going to start with the education, that maybe this is the root that can grow someday or get frustrated. In this case, I would like to mention the two types of education: In first place: what a formal educationis, through the inicial education, primary education, secondary, that in our country is free and mandatory, for many years now, for all our people, children and adolescents; but that nowadays is being XXXXXX, because unfortunatelly, we see that not only there is economic problems or numeric, of how many children get to complete formal education; but how and when to determine things. Our country has done a very interesting experiment, apart from what the formal education is. XXXXXXXX, I would say, that apart from this XXXXX, the educational system adjusting it to the new XXXX that the children and adolescents are going to face in life; we have tried to educate the young people from specific parts of the country, with less access, less possibilities, in economic terms, in labour and in those whom we have named education for life. During the summer months, vacations, we are trying, not only to replace the time that children are not being protected by an adecuate family infraestructure, but teaching them what is a balance, what is to go to a bank, what is a check, the money taht should go in or out; in other words to educate them for their own life and their own family in a near future. This has been a very XXXXXX plan, that we have done with some difficulties, because sometimes in some sectors of society, society tends to be more conservative. We had to break moldes, but I think that the results of this seeds are set, and hopefully we will be able to carry on with it, trying to convince people, that in life there are important things and things that are important. Also, the education for life, includes the health education. Our infraestructure for health has been tripled during this administration, similar numbers can be shown by the last adiministration, and still this is not enough, because the important line in health, are not stright and go only through material things; and is in this, with the collaboration of many institutes, like the Panamerican Health Organization we have started a XXXX very important. I want to show an example, i norder to be able to leave from here, with hope funded in the sense that educating for health, we can obtain XXXXXX; sometimes, not even the country expect it. In the case of Uruguay, a small country, in between those two big ones that are Argentina and Brazil, sharing with Paraguay a little bit of taht balance; we are surrounded, we even have terrestrial frontiers with countries that have the colera, that terrible desease that has 3 been very difficult to stop in Latin America. Our country, tried using the XXXXXX system more important that has the country, which are schools being public and free that covers all our territory, mandatory to all our children, and we stopped XXXXX the coera from entering our country. Is not a simple task, because we are still surrounded, but through the schools, we reached the society, the families. We want to take this example and share it with all of you, because I think that this is a new form of educating and reaching people; using schools, where generally, the families have the ones they love, which are their children, to transmit this messages of health, that are so importants. I would like at this point, to make a reference of what the project CAIF is, which is XXXXX by UNICEF; we have doubled in this administration, sorry quadrupled the centers for infants and for families, with the same dinamic and strategy that we used for the colera; there we assist the children, again with some positive discrimination in different regions in Montevideo and the interior of the country; feeding them, attending children from 0 to 5 years old, trying also, that those mothers, those women be able to go back to work, but also using this institution, that we would like to spread as much as possible, because it has really produced very good efects in some sectors of our society and there we not only assist the health, the preventive health, we teach them how to brush their teeth, even how to give love, that sometimes is something so natural that the human being feels, but that sometimes they dont know how to express it. The topic that we are covering today, are the adolescents, those adolescents have been children, that's why I thought of doing just a reference about the topic of children, because those adolescents, 5 years ago where children, and all of them, children and adolescents are our present; many times we hear of International Organizations, talk about the children and the adolescents like the future of our nation and maybe that has made us fall into this mortal tramp, believing that we have more time than we really do. They are our present, because if we dont teach them today, formally and informally, if we dont teach them today about health, in the next 5 or 6 years there would be other adolescents and children whom we will also be saying that they are our present. I think, that as the technology has shown us to work in real time, we have to learn socially, to think in real time; it's going to be difficult, but I think it would enable us to work with our fingers inside the earth. I think that to the adolescents we have get to them through two ways: the first one, without doubt, talking to them, trying to make them che actors of the scenes, also trying to find out what kind of world they want; like adults, which have been our frustrations and experiences, because I think that this is also and ethic obligation that we all have. Maybe telling them not to think too much in the future, but in what to do today, and maybe then, we'll have them as XXXXXX. And I would like to refer, for example, that is from the literature and not ours, but that in our personal and familiar life, it has taken us to good things and we have shared in other oportunities; there is a great novel, from a spanish writer called GIRONELLA, that he had dedicated himself to write about the spanish war, and the post-war; he concentrated in the life of one family inside that scenario. A father, received from his wife, an indication that he should talk, or he has to talk to his eldest son, because he stopped being a kid, he started to grow and is turning into an adolescent, as since he is male, that's the father's duty to talk to him about life. And that father, that in his personal life had never been strict in his bisinessess, hadn't been faithfull in his relationships, and in hardly any other stage of his life; sats down with his son, and starts saying things to him, like dictating the 10 commandments, to say everything that you 4 should do and shouldn't do in life. In that attitude of the adolescents, the son listened to his father and after letting his father finish, he says "Father, what you do and did in life, doesn't let me understand what you are saying now"; it's a very small paragraph from that book, but I think that covers the most important philosophy, that all of us as adults should think about it every morning; because more than we can say here today, and be published, is what we do what the adolescents are going to take as a lecture of life, what we do, our attitudes, the things we say. And here, for me, we have reached the most important topic, luckily I am in a stage of life, than instead of regretting what I said, I regret what I didn't say. I would say that everything that surrounds us, everything that we say or do, has to be done with love; and I think that God made us somehow differents, compatible in many ways, but the advantage of women is being capable and having the capability to generate love and give love. And all this intentions that we are going to be exposing, giving, sharing and receiving today, if they are not surrounded by love, surelly enough, is going to be very difficult to put them together. So many internationals, nationals documents, our own constitution proclames all the time our rights and privileges, right to have a home, educations, that we are all the same; all in paper, written down, but nevertheless not even in one documents says that all human being have the need to give and receive love. I think it would be dangerous to write this things in documents, because this might cause problems that maybe we are not prepared to confront; but maybe here, today, we could think a little bit more, and try to add this, always trying to give without remembering, but receiving without forgetting. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >Madame Japersen TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Fellow delegates, its indeed a pleasure to participate in this workshop, on health and education challenges, facing this region. I am sure, Im speaking to the converted when I say that adolecents comprise the most significant percentage of our human resources, it is vital therefore that we institute measures which enable adolecents to succesfully deal with the challenges that they face at this most critical time of their developments. Given this perspective therefore, in respect to health and education which adolescents facel; the purpose of my discusion is to start with education and follow with health. As we are all aware the importance of education in development of children and initial building, can never be overemphasized, indeed the propondorance of evidence is clear, being fully apraise of this fact, being in Trinidad and Tobago have placed maximum emphasis on facilitating universal access to primary level education. Education at the primary level is therefore free and mandatory, for all children between the ages of 5 to 12 and at secondary level, free education is provided for 98% of the population. Technical vocational training is also provided, for some students at the secondary and terciary levels. One note of about a world wide trend, it is reflected in T & T, where by education system is still in crisis. The quality of education that students receive, very often negatively impact in students behaviour and fosters frustration and unrealistic expectations, and lose self esteem. In particular the fall out is often notisable in terms of the engagement of an incresing number of students in the acts of violence, violence in schools, failure to find employment, and leaving school, and therefore and involvement in youth crime. Being cognicent of this situation the Government of T&T, appointed a national task force in education, to examine all dimensions of education systems and make recommendations. The task force consulted widely, 5 individual groups and institutions for approximately 3 years and produced a basic education policy paper for the years 1993 to 2003. This was recently the subject of a national consultation chaired by the Prime Minister. Some of the measures we are planning to implement, in 1995, araising out of this task force are: one, curriculum reform to XXXXXX a classroom instructions more relevant to the need of students; the establishment of centers in each educational districts to facilitate early detection and provide intervention strategies to assist children at risk; introductional programs to provide unsuccessfull students at examinations with skill trainings and life skills and the instroduction of a school-wide self esteem program. This latter area, self esteem is one of which i am perticularly interested, and I have been personally involved since 1992. Several results from randoms samplers of youth have suggested that individuals self esteem within this group is very low and young people suffer from a lack of self worth, loss of hope and mutual respect. More extensive survey data and feedback on youth requirements is expected from a national survey on youth, currently being conducted in the country. In the interim, however, my group has been engaged in a variety of activities get boosting self esteem in youth, for example, we have held a number of workshops to train facilitators to promote self esteem, we've organized sensedazation programs for teacher, we have arrange the airing of a television program involving students, and a psychologist engaged in discussions and issues put on to youth, and we have successfully promoted implementation of a pilot project, relating to the often mentioned self esteem program. The main objectives of this project which is XXXXXXX for implementation in 1995, includes the training of educators in the skills required to enhance the principles of positive self esteem in the school system. The training of local staff to conduct a program to design literature and material, and the provision of support for strategies to ensure that we are modivated. Encourgement of parents to become involved in the childs development. Implementation of the project would be a collaborative effort, as not only government, but cooperate citizens, as well as other groups in the society, would be involve in funding the project and other support services. It is ambicious that following the implementation and evaluation of the pilot project an adapted program will be developed and nutrilized in all interested schools in the country. I wish at this juncture to move from the area of education to that of health. The World Health Organization defines health in its broadest sense, as a complete state of physical, mental and social well being; and not merely the absence of desease or XXXXXXX. Based on this definition, it is possible to highlight a number of health challenges for adolescents, however, I wish just to highlight just a few, which I think of a country thing is critical. While adolescents is normally the healthy spirit of a person life, is also a time when the nature of the challenges change, and there is a blurring of lines between health problems and social problems. One of the key challenges which adolescents faces is copping with their sexuality, perticularly giving the impact of peer presure and the fact that young people today, seems to mature physically and emotionally at an early age, than in the past. Failure to deal successfully with this challenge often manisfests in early sexual activity and sometimes promiscuity. Adolescents then become at risk for sexually transmited deseases and a particularly concern task is the HIV Aids virus. The aids virus has attracted great attention in recent times, because of its high mortality rate, an absent of XXXX none kill and social implecations, associated with this spredable desease. A recent WHO statistic indicates that female adolescents as one group at particularly risk, because the cervics are still inmature. All adolescents, however, are at risk, and again because of the delay nature of the desease the effects are made only visible in later life. In T & T for the year 1994, there where 8 diagnosed cases, in the age 10 to 19 age group, and another 43 in the 20 to 29 age group. Given the gestation period, many of those in the latter group will have contracted the desease in adolesce. If I include younger children, it is not worthy that at the end of 1992, 91 cases of aids had been diagnosed in children under 15 year of age, constituting 7.4% of all cases. The implication of this trend as regard health care another social support system is tremendous. The incidents of adolescents pregnancy is another out come of failure to cope with the child in sexuality. The well of evidence indicates quite clearly, that the age of which a woman begins having children is one of the vital determinants of a health status. So say economic status is also invariable affected, since the mother must, very often leave school, XXXXXX consecuences for educational level and career perspectives. However, our region continues to be plague with the serious problem of adolescent pregnancies, which threatens the health of both mother and child. And by evidence XXX effect on the mother, the male is also affected, as it struggles with fatherhood at a period where he is inequipped psychologically to deal with it. This situation not only has implications for the structure of all family planning programs, but also places an additional XXXX in our already burden health and welfare services. Permit to share with you at this juncture, brief details at the programs that we have implemented i T&T as a means of resolving the situation. This programs and compass, both preventative and rehabilitated development components. Great enphasis has been placed and has been reduced incidents of teenage pregnancy through the provision of family life education and schools, public educations programs by the print and non-print media, are given documents and in all the documents you find some of the material that we use. Discussion of the population development is used and distribution of material conveing messages on topics, such as fatherhood and parenting. You may know from the latter topic that the targetting of the young males is also being given promenance. Our NGO's have also been involved, they have trained their counselors and teachers to access information and develop skills to help adoslescents to face problems related to human sexuality. One endure has also been implementing of program called the Young Adult and Sexuality. However, given the high incidents of teens that already become pregnant, the need to also target this group and provide copping mechanism, has been recognized. One of the significant programs, which we are implementing is called Choices Adolescents Mothers, this program which targets adolescent mothers is a joint project of the Ministry of Health and an NGO with support from the government, the private sector and the community. It involves the provision of social support groups, for the pregnant adolescents, thereby reducing the risk of pre-natal problems and the imparting of parents cares, oriented to a growth of competence in child care, self esteem and social functions in adolescents mothers and their families of origin. This program also ames to assist teenagers to postpone subsiquent pregnancies and facilitate the continuation of the education. On a regional basis I am aware that one result of the meeting of the wise of the heads of states and government of the americas; a Forum of which many of you participated, it is an iniciation of another project targetting adolescents entitled "Prevention Adolescent Preganancies" which it would be financed by the United Nations. This project involves exchange of information and knowledge at the subregional and regional levels on adolescents reproductive health and other issues affecting adolescents. Another health challenge facing adolescents which has assume critical significance in recent times is the society of white trend of involvement and consumption of dependancy producing substancies. Date on the use of ilicit substances by adolescents is limited. However, the available services data suggest that in T&T new patterns and trends of substance abuse among schools children maybe merging. Drugs has 7 been traditionally consume by adults and now being used by students. In a 1980 study, 84% admitted to the use of alcohol, 35% to tabacco, 8% marihuana and 2% to cocaine. This situation has two mayor implications, the first is susceptibility to entries that may kill them or disable them before adulthood. In T&T, deaths by accidents are the leading cause of fatality, of the percentage being highest of the 3% , in the 10 to 14 year age group. Further many of the death of the older and adolescents cycle, result from fatal automobile crashes, alcoholism and speed, that is also the issue of the susceptibility to mental illness and cronic deseases in later years. I believe that the situation in T&T is replicated in the rest of the region and the statistics maybe even more clearing. To help adolescents face this challenge, we need to implement a variety of programs targetting the specific group, in T&T our efforts have sent around in schools and community base programs. A key aspect of the former is the mountain of work shops for children and the disamination of drug awareness materials, such as information folders, bookmarks, buttons, videos, etc. Sample of these are available for your XXX in the documents. xxxX respect to the community base programs our NGOs activities we provide parcial funding in many cases have been using media, such as drama, awareness with drugs, sporting activities, to highlight the problems caused by substance abuse, and provide estimulating lessons time activities as a return engagement and healthy behaviour in the respective communities. We have also recent been involved in mounting seminars for religious leaders, to enhance their capacity to assist in drug demand reduction activities with the latest being held earlier this week. The most vital aspect of our demand reduction program has been a showing of musical video in television. The music video entitled a Future Belongs to me, utilices a services of a leading Calipsonians and young dancers, and the benefits of being drug free. It is intended to capture the attention of young people and feedback suggests that has been very effective, and the National Alcoholic Drug Abuse Prevention Program has receive several request for copies from all through out the Caribbean. I consider this an opportune moment to share the visual with you. THANK YOU AFTER THE VIDEO I think that we could start to resume what we have talked about, and I think that we all now have a vision of the reality of the young people, adolescents and their problems. I think that we have to start to give some positive actions, how can we help the adolescents in their self-esteem, how to save that self-esteem, and the image of the adolescents, to focus and center the education, what really means to invest in the adolescents, the importance of investing in them, in the strong will that the family has, women and men; all this is what Julita was talking about, love, the family love. We have to participate listening to the adolescents, not to give them orders from faraway, but to find out what they really want and what they want from us; and the preventive action that has to do with being poor, the education, the rights, but also with the special attention for those who are at more risk. Give them information and help together with the church, the government, the media and the private sector. Welcome Mrs. Clinton to our meeting. >I was quickly reading your statement and I could understand what had you've been discussing and I think the points that you make and that I heard Mrs. Manning 8 making, that we saw in the video, are so important because we focus a lot on children, particularly very young children, but it is our adolescents, our youth who are the ones who manisfest all of the problems that we dont address earlier, and then we have to help where we can at an early age, and I am very pleased that you are particularly interested in the youth; and it is sometimes difficult to know, what's to be done, but it is not very complicated, I think, young people need the same love, attention and discipline today, that they had always needed; but we are not fully equipped right now, in modern societies as adults, to know how best to deliver that family environment, that supported environment, that transition environment between childhood and adulthood. So I hope that we will pay more attention to young people, because very often in international conferences we focus on children, but I think all of us feel a little bit of confusion about what to do when we get to adolescents and how best to deal with the problems of youth. So the danger of alcohol and drug abuse and early sexual relations and pregnancy and aids and violence and XXXXXXXXX problems with becoming fully productive adults are ones that are going to be increasingly problems in our societies, because we have the split between not only rich and poor, but between educated and uneducated; and it is going to be more and more difficult to find and create jobs for young people who are not well educated, and so we have to address all of this issues if we expect to do something positive for youth, and I would like a copy of that video Mrs. Manning, I thought there was a very important line in there, had many important lines where the singer aknowledge the need for youth to feel rebellious. If XXXX but not with drugs and I think that's the message somehow, we've got to let our children as they mature, break away and be rebelious, as I am sure, each of us did in our own ways as we where growing up, but not at the risk of becoming pregnant too soon, contracting aids, having a fatal accident because of drugs or alcohol, engaging in violence. Those are the challenges, it seems to me. BAHAMAS >Since we are now running a little behind, I am not going to go to my original text, I'll leave some out of it. What I would just like to say that, and listening to all the comments this morning and now that we have Marta Xxxxxxxxxx today; one of the things we've done in Saint Lucia is to, this year, is to have a serious of work shops in all the regions of St. Lucia, working with UNICEF, which you would know about and those work shops where, we'll get towards day care centers and the participants were teachers, nurses, police, parents and this was funded jointly by the XXXXXXXXXx government, by UNICEF and by our daycare centers. And the objectives of that were to assist parents on facing their responsibilities for the future and helping children to become more aware of who they are; and the subjects that they discussed where child abuse, the rights of the child and parents responsibilities, self awareness, bringing higher self- esteem level; and I dont know if any of you have this, I dont know XXXX anybody else is doing this, but it really has made quiet a difference and when you read the, as our internation XXXXXXX the 50% of our birth in our hemisphere come from children, 15 to 19 years olds, what can they, without some help teach those babies, and is up to us really, to provide something that will help them. THANK YOU. >I would like that the evolution of this meeting today, about the topic of the adolescents, maybe Mrs. Campthon and Mrs. LaCalle that have been working with the 9 first ladies, had 4 basic propositions, nutrition, nursing, 4 propositions to develop in the countries and we all brought as an evolution of those propositions the results that we have obtained. As this is the first oportunity we have to present an hemispheric proposition for the youth, why dont with the help of UNICEF and the International Organizations, try to get a concrete proposition, to help the problems that the adolescents are facing, that as we all see, there are the same everywhere; an analysis of the recuperation of values or to see if the adolescents dont want to recuperate their values which we thought were the right ones, and dont want to be established new ones; that's why they are having early pregnancies, consuming drugs, because they are waiting for a dream that the society is not capable of giving them; a cultural dream that we haven't been able to fill, so that's why they fill it with other things; they leave their families in early stages, getting pregnants, start drinking or consuming drugs, because they want to look for something different and stable. Escape from a real world. Then, why don't we propose, that through UNICEF, try to bring that dream to reality. We are seeing the adolescents like problems, when we have to confront the problem in the adolescent, with the early pregnancy, with all the problems they have, then is when we analyze the adolescent and we see further; but we are going to the efect not to the cause. END OF TAPE SECOND TAPE the topic of the family and its values, I think is something important and I think that with the woman going out to work, we are leaving aside, listening to our children to find out what they really want. I want to leave Marta Maurasqui, who wants to say something about UNICEF. >Thank you, allow me to be informal. I would like to keep on trying to find actions a little more stable, of what we have said this morning. In first place, I think that the topic that all of you have said about the self-esteem and the image of the adolescent, has to live with a real cultural revolution, that we have to iniciate, and I think, that probably the first step and the essencial one, is that the adolescents, the children have rights, and are not objects of pity. The International Convention for the children's rights, is the first instrument we have, cultural and formal to start to make that revolution. I think that the first concrete action, from the wives of the Presidents, would be of assuring the XXXXXX that has been done in nearly every country, excepting two, United States and Haiti, the ratification, is first to be sure that in Haiti and USA, we can give that big step; but in all the other countries where it has been ratified a XXXXXXXX, it doesn't go through just one legislature reform, but through a cultural revolution. And that we can get it in first place, through the media, and Mrs. Manning has shown it to us; in second place, through schools, is in schools, or through education, because in school either formal or informal, is through the education that we will achieve; and in third place Jackie or Mrs. Compthon talked about the men, "WE HAVE LOST OUR MEN", and in the caribbean, you have been looking at the problem for a long time, and there is there a challenge, I believe, to get the men back into the families, into caring for children and to realizing their own roll. I want to show this, why I think this is the direction in which we have to walk, and if in this meeting we can show that, from rights and consequences that this has, it seems to me very important. In second place, I think it is very important, like you all said, obviously that the early pregnancy, the drug adictions and the violence are problems that affect a great number of our youths; but as long as we have the 46% of the families below the line of poverty, as much as we organize programs against drug adiction, or against violence, they won't get better. The main focus is to erradicate poverty, but more than irradicating poverty, I would stress the integration into society, social integration, diminishing the differences between the richest and the poorest, and this can be accomplished by social inversion. I would like to tie his in, with what is being discussed by the Head of States at this time. What Mrs. Clinton said this morning: economic integration, commerce, een government and democracy are simply means by which we can improve the quality of life. I think that we have to respect the central focus of this theme, so that the Head of States take it as an absolute necessity for economic development and not simply as a future consecuence of said economic development. This brings us back to our main focus on education; without education, there would be no increase in productivity and no greater competitivity; therefore we will not achieve economic integration. This I believe is the second thing. The third theme, I would like to discuss, without taking advantage of the time allowed, is something extremely important and that you have also touched upon and which is the participation of youth. As Martita said, open our ears and listen to our youth. However, I think maybe the mechanisms we could try to spell out. You where just saying Janice, in St. Lucia, the idea maybe of having a the municipality or district level, thousand of adolescents and youth participating in issues that have to do with the life of every day, not only their own concerns; I dont see why youth has to be only worried about Bluejeans and about Rock concerts, of course that 's very important for them, but there are also worried about whose going to be the next mayor, you know, and what is the educational reform all about, they do know things that sometimes we dont listen. What I would like to propose, as we think about community and municipal counsils for the youth; the joint voice of youth under the age of 18, in almost all our countries, youth can vote at the age of 18, but don;t youngsters between the age of 12 and 18 have something to say about the future or our countries? They know and want to say a lot, but we don't have a way by which we can start listening to their views. We could start discussing this three different aspects and making proposals for concrete actions based on the experiences that you yourselves have demonstrated. THANK YOU HONDURAS I will be brief; Honduras has a large juvenile population. The country has 5.3 million inhabitants of which 28% are young people between the age of 13 and 25 years of age. We have the National Youth Program recently approved which is composed of 6 programs which I would just briefly mention: First: Program for planning, research, supervision and evaluation of youth activities. Second: Promotion and development of youth organizations and training. Third: Promotion and development of the volunteer service and the constructive use of the youths free time. Fourth: Promotion of youth employment. Fifth: Improvement in the quality of life for the youth and overall human development. Sixth: Program for XXXXXX and information for youth. These are the 6 programs currently under way. We also have the states social policies towards youth, we although it covers not only youth, but chilhood as well, we feel very proud that Honduras is the first country to sign the "TREATY FOR CHILDHOOD". This treaty descentralizes political power and the participation of communities, municipalities and the actual people-power of the country. We feel very proud of this, because as I stated before we were the first country to sign this treaty. >I just liked to mention that, not until this social and economic condition, of origin improve, we still have our problems with our youth. In the caribbean we have house holds with one parent working, so how can we get time to listen to them and to find all your needs, because we are not there; we are out busy trying to make a living, so equals back ultimately to improving the welfare of our economic situation, so that then, keeping at least one parent in the home, so we can listen to them and find what their needs are. BAHAMAS >In St. Lucia, one of the other things we have is through our drug center, we have a program in our secondary schools of where the students form drug free groups in their school and they speak to the other students, and it has been quiet successfull in St. Lucia. They also do ads on the television similar to what Hazel showed through out drug program and in many of the secondary schools we have this. So children talk to children about drugs and XXXXX awareness. >Thank you. We often think that is much more difficult to help people that are already adicted to drugs, because it a lot more expensive and the recuperation is very low. I believe that the children are great receptors, they are like sponges absorbing everything that has to do with the ecology and health, they are the ones againts smoking, against pollution and cutting down trees. I believe that we could propose to our countries, to the educational systems in our countries, to strongly introduce the basic education for children, that way we get through them in an early stage, and they don't have to be send to this rehabilitation programs when they grow up. >I wanted to say that our children have grown, practically plugged in a TV. The massive campaigns through television programs are the most effective ones. If we could only propose, here, today, an institutional campaign like the video we saw from Trinidad and Tobago, if we could do something like that to prevent the use of drugs, done by famous, known people, so they can get through them; I see this in my own experience, as a mother, it is very difficult to unplugg the children from the television, it is very hard for me to do; therefore, if that is the modern way of communication, we should use it for our own benefit. >I only wanted to say that I believe that in order to get something in return from the preventions of social risks, we should be able to contribute and strenghten our society, try to find out, which are the situations that our youth 12 is facing, and I think that not even one escapes from the drug adiction problem, and I believe that this is the most important one that we have to focus on; then comes the early pregnancies, the transmitable sexual diseases. THANK YOU. >I want to make two or three references about these subjects, about the video that we have just seen. In the meeting, back in 1991, there was someone who said that when one adolescent from our hemisphere turns 16 years of age, he has seen more than 20,000 deaths through television programs. That means that the violence is incorporated, something taht has been seen continously 16,000 times, starts to change their minds, the way they think about all this, to see it in a different way, getting use to it. And I would also like to say, that we have to be honests, our country has seen that not necessarily by improving the economic conditions of life, our levels has generally improved in the other themes. In general the adolescents, who have less money problems, less socio-economic and cultural problems, somehow they are telling us that something is missing; I go back, I think, to the theme of love and feeling understanded by the people around them. The term ADOLESCENT, from latin origin, ADOLECEN, means that somehow they are suffering, they are hurting inside, because something is missing, that we have to help them. As Mrs. Samper was saying, what we have to find out, is what are they missing. Maybe it is not the same that was missing for us, when we were adolescents, maybe it is somehow alike, but not the same; I think it is important, always, when there has been revolutions, there has been counter revolutions, and maybe what we have to do, is to propitiate a counter revolution, estimulate a counter revolution, but done by the adolescents. I believe that if we try to focus a little bit more in the things that we all agree upon, we can estimulate adolescents to become leaders, having in mind that every society has the need for leaders. Therefore, to achieve this, we need to estimulate them so that they become the main characters in order to become leaders. THANK YOU. > self esteem project, we started in the first instance with schools, to enter the teachers and we did the strategies with them. We are going on to the parents, and then to the communities, to the church leaders, and all leaders within the community, xxxx, the communities leaders and all of them guiding the yound people as to what to do and how to go about it. So we are both being reactive and proactive and thats all this is >In terms of leaders probably what another term could use is positive roll models for use. We enlist the of the media to project those people in our society who have done well, achieve great things, legal side of the law, and ask them to help us to encourage young people. >I am an editor for family matters, and I have work with young people in my country, and one thing that caught my attention, was constant arguments with their parents: "We are always arguing with our parents, constantly fighting, for example with the courfew, asking them for certain brands of clothing. But the truth is that none of this really matters for us, the only thing we want is to be heard, that's all. When we get back home, and we have something exciting that we want to share with them, chances are that my mom is going to say that she is 13 tired, or say that not now, that she is busy. If we try to talk to our father, he will probably say he is watching TV." So by postponing the conversation, this link of communication between them is lost, and they start feeling extremely lonely and start avoiding being home. I believe that it is up to the parents to realize that their children need to be heard. The day this occurs we'll have a different world. >This is when we come back to what I was saying about the .XXXXX workshops, where you include parents and the communities leaders and so on. The other thing I went real near defining is to come back to this values, becuase Hazel said something very important this morning about the media, which we've been discussing a that is the invation that comes merely from United States, of a different life, of this very grant life, which is very far away, from what we can hope for and this are the values that are being talked to our children. It is important if we teach them, even true world, true world is not how many dollars you have, is about education and health, you know, happy family, and all this other things. >In addition, we would have to start thinking that this is a family. Usually, we see as a family, the father, mother, children, the ideal situation. And that the reality is, at least in our countries, that this is not the case; there are single mothers, mothers that are heads of households, absent fathers or mothers, children that don't have either parents, grandparents raising their grandchildren or brothers and sisters living on their own. Then I think that is also the definition of family. >They have 16 types of families in Trinidad. At what we have done is define it as a support system, so it doesn't matter, whether you had a mother, father or grandmother or grandfather in charge, you have a support system and refer very often to the african proverb takes a village to raise up a child. And if the support exists within the community, that hopefully as it was long ago, that the family will survive >In Barbados we have family education, which is introduce from the primer school level and that level we teach the children health education and then for the adolescents we teach a little bit more, about FBS, drug abuse. The family, in Latin American terms are different from in the Caribbean is most the mothers who are there, and like I said before if the mothers are out working, so then you need the extended family, the grandmother, aunt and the village comes into place, that's important for us. >I was telling that she is the right line. Because when studies have been conducted in our countries, on the reality faced by children and their subsequent behavior when even as children in their reading books the ideal family is portrayed that children cannot recognize this as they are in all likelihood the child of a single mother. This places them outside of the core system so its harder to understand not belonging to a pattern, not forming part of the ideal model. This is why I thought it was interesting that some people have detected 16 models which means that in all likelihood that the child will feel that he fits into one of these models and that he also has an ethical model in society 14 in which he can be included and not that when at the age of five or six when he starts reading that the family is composed of a mother, father, and children and as was said by Mrs. XXX a predetermined model of life with predetermined facilities that seem to say you have this much, you are this, and this is what you are worth. I think it is important to open up the spectrum in the means of communication considering support systems for the family; I think it's a concept that tends to equal from the bottom and would include in the system children that may have been excluded even from the initial stages when learning to read. Well, I'm being told that we must stop and I offer my apologies as the summary is in the other building so it's going to take a while so it has to be typed over there. In the meantime, we might want to go the ladies room. Thank you very much for participating in this session. I'm very happy to have been with you and I hope you have a good conclusion. BELIZE Good Morning. I do not have anything prepared, remarks, not at all, I would just say a few things since I'm here. I think that very often in our educational systems, we are dealing with 19th Centuries structures that came about through the history of the development of education, and that these structures are somehow we are trying to fit them in someway to fit the needs of the 21st. Century. Its almost like we have a patchwork quilt, so we put a patch here and a patch there. I think there is probably a need for structure changes rethinking of the whole system, the kind of situation where there are no secret issues, where every single thing is open to question by everybody in society, because very often, people want to ask the schools to solve all the problems of society, but the schools are only a part of society, and in order to solve the problems, they need the toolsto do so. And so although we need better teacher training, we need all kind of things, we also need to think about what education is about. And we need to be able to set aside some time for that to happen, and unfortunately time is always a thing we dont have. In my country, we have found that unlike other countries our literacy rate in recent years has actually been falling, and the reason is that Belize has the highest percentage population of refugees and immigrants of any country in the world. Because our country is only two hundred thousand, 20% of our population is made up of refugees, many of them illegal, we havent yet had a California resolution, but it is placing a severe strain, specially on our health and education services, perticularly since these refugees are mostly from Central American countries and the official language of Belize is english, the official language of education is english and most of these people do not speak english. And it has placed severe strain and we would like to ask funding agencies, even though we are a very tiny country to take in consideration the things that we are doing and to help us to be able to educate this young people who will become the citizens of Belize. Hopefully, since the situation in Central America is improving; there will be a slow down, because, however, much we would like to welcome you neighbours we have really been swamped by the number that have come in. 15 GUATEMALA Educate the girl. We think that this program is very important in Guatemala because we have 60% indigenous people, the armed conflict for 30 to 34 years has left us with many orphan children. Therefor, we believe that education and health is necessary for the human development of a country and Guatemala is in the process of developing. This program is a very nice experience for Guatemala as it involves various sectors. There's the private sector, business community, non-governmental organizations, public sector institutions, international aide agencies, and community organizations. If I may be allowed, I will tell you more or less what it consists of although we will give you each a copy. Among the most relevant points, the following are worth mentioning: Guatemala has the highest rate of illiteracy among women in America. One out of every two Guatemalan women does not know how to read or write. This program is especially focused towards girls, not because we are feminist but because we believe that by educating the girls you are educating the family. This is something very basic for us. Illiteracy is three times more, 71.9%, among the Myan woman than for other women, which is 24.6%. In the rural area schools, for each 100 children there are only 66 girls. 500,000 school-aged girls do not attend school. For every seven children that reach grade six of primary education there are only three girls. 45.6% of Guatemalan woman (1.4 million) have not completed one year of formal education. The purpose: The plans primary focus was to increase the awareness of the population regarding the education of girls with purpose of involving all sectors in an effort to increase the school enrollment of the female population over six years of age and to increase the proportion of girls in rural areas, predominantly Myan to complete between four and six years of primary education before reaching the age of 14. At the same time, 37 project profiles were elaborated in order to face the principle factors opposing that girls complete at least primary education. Achievements: The first of the projects considered the pilot project which will last three years supports the education of girls in school until they reach at least the sixth grade of primary education utilizing community and support actions contributing to the reduction of obstacles that block the attendance of girls and does not allow them to complete the sixth grade. In the four years lapsed, since the design of the program and the action plan for educating girls diverse and important achievements have been accomplished: increased sensitivity by the leaders of the private and public sectors regarding this issue. This task lead to strategic policies for the education of girls issued by the ministry of education for the 1993-1998 period; the creation of a scholarship program in the ministry of education for girls. Initiation of various projects, among them EDUCATE THE GIRL, in 36 municipalities and six states in the country. Up to 4,000 girls have directly benefitted from this program. Indirectly, it has also benefitted a similar amount of boys as it has contributed to increase the relationship between parents and the school. As I said before this project is very important in Guatemala mainly because due to the ongoing armed conflict we have many orphaned boys and girls. Thank you very much. 16 MEXICO I don't know if Mrs. Clinton could accompany us for five more minutes as my presentation lasts three to four minutes. In Mexico, like in other countries, education has been very important in order to increase the possibilities of individual and community achievements and the promotion of social equity. In the last seven decades, during which time the population increased from 14 to 90 million illiteracy decreased from about 70% to 10%; coverage of primary education was extended for school-aged children from 1/5 to almost 90%. Years of school attendance went from one to almost seven during which time intermediate and higher level of education increased in the national territory. The Mexican school system went from less than one million to more than 26 million students and the number of educational institutions went from 12,000 to more than 155,000. However, we cannot be satisfied for there is still alot more to be done. There still exists educational problems and limitations which slow down the integral development of the regions and frustrate the capacity of men and women. We must fight illetreacy, ensure that basic education reaches everyone especially the poorest; increased intermediate education, technology and training; promote higher education and scientific, technological and humanistic research. The most formidable goal is to substantially increase the quality of the whole education system. This is why Mexico has recently undergone a major change in the education system; among other things this has meant a fast and radical process of decentralization of basic education which up until recently was totally controlled by the federal government; new rules were established for social participation in support of education. For the fist time in decades, the curriculum for basic education was substantially improved, textbooks and teaching materials for basic education were renewed and of which one hundred million free copies are distributed by the government each year. A system was developed for the promotion of teachers based on performance and continued education and not solely on seniority. The transformation of education continues to accelerate with the new government and ambitious goals have been set to be accomplished by the year 2000. To achieve them, the society and government must join in a crusade for educating all. We hope to be able to bring the rate of illiteracy to percentages similar to those in developed countries and we hope that every Mexican child will have preschool, primary and secondary education; we hope to increase the opportunities for higher education as well as research based on criteria determined by the scientific community; we hope to promote technological education and job training. We see this as a key aspect of the new development of Mexico and to reach our new educational goals the special support to the far removed and poorest groups and regions will be critical. It is clear to us that to promote education in this wide segment of the population it is not enough just to establish schools but we also have to improve the extra curricular factors that critically influence the performance in education such as nutrition, health, basic services and employment. In other words, what has been proposed by the President of Mexico is to carry out an ambitious, social development policy which will interrupt the vicious circle of ignorance, sickness and lack of productivity. My distinguished ladies, the Mexicans have inherited a civilization older than 20 centuries that has brought admiration from the world. The first print shop and hospital in America were established in Mexico. The first school for indigenous people was opened in our capital along with one of the first universities and the first school of arts in the continent. We have sound reasons for hoping that are the Mexican children and youth grow up healthier and 17 better educated, more self secure, with a better knowledge of their country and better prepared to face the demanding world in which they live, and with an increased awareness of their rights and responsibilities. We want the Mexicans of the future to grow up being happier with their daily lives, prouder of being Mexicans and more supportive of the men and women of whom they share this hemisphere. This is very satisfying and should be a reason for hope in this meeting of the Heads of State in placing priority on education which as women and mothers we must encourage that this interest be constantly present. Thank you. >Perhaps I could suggest, a few themes, which will help us pull together the points that you've made in describing your own experience and your own objectives. So I've put down 3 or 4 ideas, I think maybe some of you, will have other ideas, but it might be a wait to think toward what you would want to report to the group as a whole at the lunch. The first thought I had was to try to translate the objective you've mention in your own countries, to relate them to the goal in the draft plan of action of the Summit. There is one very especifical, which is to achieve a universal completion rates in primary school, and 75% enrollment in secondary school by the year 2010. And now what I was thinking is that, it would be a possibility for the first ladies to humanize this skull, which is now, its a goal about numbers, but the real issue is in terms of children, that the quality of education, specially in primary school is very poor in many countries and therefore many children never complete primary school. So the way I often think of it, is that in much of Latin America, one out of every 3 children, is told after one or 2 years of school, "you have failed", "you must repeat the grade", which is very dehumanizing, and it sends a message to the children that they have failed when sometimes is the system that has failed. So to take this goal of completion, 100% completion of primary school and try to shape it as an effort to make schools better for the children, and to make sure that the children succeed, would be, perhaps one theme; many of you have mentioned the efforts in your countries, to improve essentially we are talking about improving the quality of the schools, and examples like in Nicaragua, focusing on the individual, in Bolivia, ensuring that children when they start school, are learning in their own language; this all have to do with improving quality. So that one suggestion, is to think about other ways and other approaches to improving quality. The second theme that I heard is about a whole new approach for governments to schools. This is the ideas of incorporating civil society, and making sure that parents play a roll, "PARTICIPACION POPULAR", is the expression in Bolivia, I think there are probably other examples from other countries of new efforts to ensure that the central government does not try to manage and do everything, but it passes more responsibility to communities and to parents. So this could be a second theme, that is related to the idea of real, not instead of addressing in a patchwork way as one of you said, thinking about the system as a whole, it could be seen as a kind of revolution, in thinking, which as the first ladies, I believe you could push forward, a little faster, this idea of putting the schools back into the hands of the parents and the children and making sure that is not a top down approach to education. A third theme, which none of you mentioned specifically, is about which Dr. Alene mentioned, is about indicators, and I think Mrs. Clinton also echoed his point, that is important to know whats happening, and for example, even the indicator 18 of completion of primary school, which you might want to focus on, doesn't exist in most countries, the typical indicator is enrollment and Brazil as an example, has 88% enrollment in primary school, and 25% completion. So it goes back to the theme of humanizing the system, there are million of children, who believe they have failed. So if the first ladies where to call for more attention to completion rates and thus to quality, as an addition to the conventional attention to enrollment, I think this would be a very good step. And a fourth theme which is less well formed for me is, because this is a symposium on children, is to call attention to the needs to pre-school, and the needs for a special programs for adolescents. Now there another group, which is talking about adolescents, that means that you might have the opportunity from this group to focus on pre-school and to suggest if you think its appropriate that in many countries, with more women working, and with more female at the house holds it becomes more important for society and communities to invest in children, before they are 6 or 7 years old, through childcare and pre-school programs, and this could also be tied to the idea of quality of primary education. So those where 4 ideas, the focus on quality, and on humanizing the goal of the summit, so that it speaks to children and making children successful, the focus on a new roll for parents "PARTICIPACION POPULAR", sort of idea, well I've lost now my four, I mixed them up a bit; a focus on pre-school, and the indicators exactly, the third is indicators a new approach to data and indicators, which could be taken up by statistical agencies; for example in your countries with support from International Organizations and finally, at least some discussion of pre-school. >You are suggesting that for the conclusions we should start working on right now so that what we present at lunch could be along the lines of what you suggested. The procedures we followed was to ask the participation of each one of the ladies; however, time is too short so I will take turns with Mr. Verruga and you as we have requested the participation to prepare something in writing which will be presented at the time of the lunch. For those who read Spanish, they can read it at that moment and give us their opinion. We don't have any copies, do we? Would it be also to get some? We have not received all the input, we have the majority of them. I thought that what the lady from Belize said was very interesting and we can somehow insert it here. Could you help us with this aspect? Thank you. In Mexico, like in other countries >It would be a different experience; I believe that all countries arte trying to get the parents involved and particularly in Bolivia where they are getting parents involved in the education and with the schools. >I'm not sure if I was clear, but my idea was simply to ensure that everyone here would be discussing some of these topics. Not exactly to program something for the afternoon, but simply to have everyone's reactions. Regarding statistics the idea would be not to include them at this time, but to emphasize the knowledge 19 in all countries of the hemisphere not only enrollment >I think that maybe while we are reading the final document, the lady has very kindly provided a possibility to enrich our knowledge and experience by establishing four specific goals that encompass what is contained in education and development. For example, now that we are all talking I felt that we had some common goals which I felt could be achieved even though there may be great differences between our countries and our idiocencricies. For example, when we were talking about reducing the rate of school dropouts the only indicator that we have in each country at this moment is enrollment. However, we know that there are children in Costa Rica where 100% of children enrolled, but after two or three months they drop out. Therefore, what mechanisms throughout the education system can be used so that these children continue in school and so that school is made attractive so that they can be resude from the streets. We believe that there are various elements that could be used; for example, in the poorest schools where ther is the greates number of dropouts include a school meal program because this program will make the school atteactive to families as it is a mechanism by which the children will receive at least once a day good nutrition. A second point is to change the formal curriculum making it more active so that the children will not get bored and so that at least they will finish their grade. Another aspect that is very important is that in schools that have the greatest drop out rate which are the poorest contact with the children is maintaind during thew school year but no contact exists during the three months of vacation. These are the children that during this vacation will be exposed to drugs, loitering, malnutrition. Once again we have to make our schools attractive; we are proposing a program for summer camps in thses schools so that the children will not lose contact with the schools over this three month period. When the school year is finished and the children go on a three month vacation that the school, particularly in the poorest communities, stay open with two obectives: first, to continue having control onm these children which we know will be exposed to drugs, loitering and will not recive proper nutrition. By the schools on the poorest and rural areas stayoing open during the vaction we will continue to provide for the children of thses communities the proper nutrition so that they will not break the cycle established during the school year. Second, through these camps they are given the possibiltiy of participating in sports, training and keeping them entertained while at the same time providing a safer environment for the girls and boys during this three month period. This also contibutes to a lesser amount of dropouts. This is what we are proposing. BELIZE >Thank you. Listening to just now, comes back to what I was saying about thinking about the total structures, and the concerned about the and by the way, I've been a teacher for 25 years, and I am still a teacher, that's why I'm returning tomorrow, because I think teaching is the probably more important than being here. I think I can do more by actually teaching, than maybe being here. It's very concerning to me, because what happens is that by the time the children come back after their long holiday, they have forgotten everything you taught them, they forgot how to learn, they have been involve with drugs, they have become pregnant, they have done things that we don't want, and the response 20 has been, let's have summer programs, lets have this. I think, we should think the whole idea of a 3 months vacation, comes historical from a time when children were taken into hobbies, this is no longer true. Why should we develop summer programs when instead we could change the whole basis of the school year. Instead of having a 3 months vacations we can split the year differently, many of us have problems with over crowding in our schools and stack of classes we could also have school years. So I would like to think of a basic rethinking of what we are doing with education, we don't need a 3 month vacation. Of course the problem is the teachers are going to want to, but the parents don't know what to do, they summer vacations, they said OH GOD WHAT AM I GOING TO DO, I HAVE TO GO TO WORK, MY CHILDREN WILL BE ON THE STREETS, so we have to think about that, and that's one of the basic structures I think we have to address. BOLIVIA >In my country, Bolivia, there was an education based on the production of books which did not take in local and regional interests and therefore needed to be changed. I wanted to tell you that there are very good ideas, but sometimes the economy and economic development are what really are going to influence improvement. However, based on our educational reform I would like to state what we do; education designs a curriculum, a teaching program based on the needs of the students, the community, and the development of the country. It is an education on living for living which allows a student to develop with creativity and to learn how to think, be, take care of himself and achieving leaving behind those tests which had to be memorized. This contributes to less repetition of grades and teaches them to depend on what they have learned not on simply completing a program that had been carried out by the teachers. Our school year finishes in November and classes begin in February; by September many teachers say they have completed the program, but we don't know if the children have learned. This causes them to repeat the year or drop out because they do not see the progress on what they have learned. Education based on daily life is also very important; by giving it an intercultural community an interdisciplinary focus it will form students capable of efficiently handling life as regards national, human and cultural values and equality between men and women. If we don't invest in giving them an attractive education in which they can participate, providing opportunities for sports, libraries, appropriate books tailored to the needs of the country. In my country, we have been using books from Spain or Argentina which although good are not tailored to the culture and needs. This will prevent the use of drugs and other activities. For example, I would like to let you know, and at the same time request support from the international community and institutions, that the children in the street, in my country, work as a means for survival, and we want to establish a program that would provide scholarships for these children that have to work so that they will be able to go to school; they prefer to work and not go to school. This is why they get into other sorts of activities; they have no family, their parents have no work. The economic part is also very important because if the parents had more work they would not have to force their children out on the streets to look for work. It is a reality that many children in many countries work. But we have to develop a project which I would like to present to the international community and which we have discussed here; a project by which we can held the street children so that they will be able to get an education and also nutrition; 21 however, this cannot be done in my country yet. We provide breakfast; but lunch and other things would be a totally different plan, a long-term goal. Thank you. NICARAGUA I would like to briefly refer to Mrs. Sanchez' comments, and what Nancy said, regarding as to what we can do in our countries to maintain children in primary education. In Nicaragua, based on the experience of these 4 years in government, we have increased enrollment by 21%; in addition to general policies, we have been able to accomplish this by other means, such as, a program in the schools which offers a glass of milk and a nutritional snack. This makes the children come and stay and school. It has also been necessary to develop means by which to attract more teachers and to provide further training to those existing ones, which allows them to relate to the students more closely. There are other concrete examples, such as the support we have received from the IDB and other organizations for the donations of books and desks, as before the majority of the children were sitting on the floor. Another important aspect that contributes to children remaining in school, is the improvement of the infrastructure itself; the better the infrastructure, the more attractive it will be for them to attend, in addition to the teaching methods used and the length of classes. As the case referred to by Mrs. Sanchez regarding the children that are loitering in the streets, we also have the same problem. That is why we are undertaking a program to establish these "dining rooms" for children in which classes are also taught. This is a common problem throughout Latin America, and like the mothers say, even if these dining halls are available, they still send the children out to work, as this is the way to earn a living. I think that the four issues raised by Nancy are very important and should included in any conclusions which may arise and which lead to any plan of action for the future. I have a question for those at the table; are we going to arrive at some concrete solution as a result of these discussions? Some kind of agreement or defined actions for our countries? What I gather from this session is that there is a lot of work that needs to be done; there are very general issues when talking about education; education is a problem world wide, but there are specific issues which we will work very hard on when we return to our countries; we each will deal with our own problems and join together on the more general issues of education. The one thing that is clear to me is that this is like to first step on a very high ladder. I do believe that there will be something coming out of this summit which will be presented to all countries. But this is up to Nancy and maybe she could inform us about this. Thank you. What I understand is that everything will be joined into one product: the reports from the three groups, along with the statements made this morning during the Plenary Session, and the statements made during lunch. Like a final report covering all countries. Thank you. >The idea would for this group to arrive at some conclusions. However, basically this is what we have just given you. Time was just too short, so we requested copies of everyone's statements, and between last night and this morning, we used what we had been able to obtain and put this report together. 22 >BELIZE >Excuse me, I would like to ask, that somebody at least reads this in english translation. >Distinguished First Ladies, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is a privilege for Mexico and for me personally to address you during this Plenary session, gathered here with all of you. I congratulate Mrs. Clinton on her initiative of gathering us to exchange our experiences and concerns surrounding the problems faced by children in our countries. To increase awareness of their requirements, their rights and ambitions, creates a responsibility which I know all of us take on eagerly and with interest. This morning I had the pleasure of coordinating the group working on the reality and prospects of education in our countries. This working group benefitted from the inputs of the First Ladies from The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the representatives from Nicaragua and Peru. I acknowledged each of their contributions which allowed for a very fruitful debate. I would like to share with you some of the conclusion of this group. Education can be seen as the greatest pulling-force for development, for the genuine improvement of our countries, for peace and democracy. The future is based on the children, built on a solid civilized foundation and a life worth living for society and families. We agreed that whatever is invested in education will yield high returns, and will prove effective in achieving social equity, productivity and employment. It was agreed that education should respect the diversity of ideas and forms of looking at life, within our countries and among the other nations of the continent. This respect towards diversity increase tolerance, prevents discrimination and encourage a freedom of expression and the continued development of various cultures, which are enrich the diversity of Latin America and the Caribbean. While recognition the inter-dependence of this era, we believe that we must maintain our own identity, which is valuable and irreplaceable, given to us by our past history and this is of primary importance for the unity of our nations. Agreement exists on the need to totally eradicate illiteracy as soon as possible; this is a great obstacle for development and blocks the possibilities for achieving a dignified and fulfilling life for every human being. We recognize the need of ensuring the each child completes his/her basic education; in this sense, The Bahamas has placed treat emphasis on promoting initial and pre-school education. The new education law in Bolivia encourages the participation The obligation of obtaining an education until the secondary level, trying to access to schools, particularly in the poorest zones, and the improve the quality of the contents of the education curricula. Costa Rica has come up with a program for a substantiable development in which the conversation of the environment starts with the attitudes and patterns of conduct which are taught in the first years of school. Guatemala has stressed the importance of educating girls because later on as mothers, they will pass on their values and knowledge to their children. We must be aware that the training of teachers is fundamental for a high-quality education; as teachers increase their training they can implement better teaching methods and make use of new technologies; they would, decisively, transmit improved knowledge and increased abilities to our children and youth. Because of this our societies and governments must continue to look after social values and continue the strong support to the teaching profession. It is with pleasure that we have seen during our stay here in Miami, the United Nations has initiated for our 23 indigenous; our continent is a mosaic of cultures which are enriched by the values, customs and wisdom from the different eras. During our working meeting, this topic was stressed, underlining that indigenous education demands the respect for diversity, idiosyncracies and languages which form the basis for their culture. In order to face the atmosphere of competitiveness in which our children and youth will have to live we agree that there is a need to encourage creative work-related training programs frequently updating their knowledge in order to enable them to obtain dignified employment and expanding the options that must accompany technological development. We agree that education cannot be limited to developing efficient men and women, but must also promote the values of democracy, the respect for human rights, social equality, the importance of family, increasing the awareness and consciousness about peace and environmental protection. Efficiencies and ethics cannot be separated, productivity cannot be treated separately from human factor and the responsibilities toward family and society. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to add that education should be looked at as one of the most precious and respected human right. Like a personal universal guarantee for each individual irrelevant of their ethnic background, social and geographical location; it is important to recognize equally in riches the person who is receiving it and the society that is providing it. I'm sure that the discussions we have participated in with Mrs. Clinton will strengthen our conviction to push for educational developments in our countries and will renew the commitment of our governments to continue developing our citizens with values of freedom, tolerance and respect towards diversity. I greatly appreciate the spirit of friendship and cooperation that has surrounded these discussions and I feel there will be a strong understanding among all the nations in this hemisphere. Thank you. COMMENTS >Although all countries did not provide us with their documents in time for the production of this initial document, I think that the contributions of the countries up until now have been very valuable. I would suggest that instead of putting the page where we talk about the specific countries (page 3 and 4 from the last paragraph of page 4) that we summarize each of them because the reality is that what has been discussed at this table is not necessarily the position of each one of our countries. >I dont know if it might be possible, I think the state that captures much of what we've been talking about, and perhaps one way to proceed with me to add a page, which could address some of the points and concerns, in the discussions, to have an example from each country for example. >What I don't think is fair is that we only mention four countries when the reality is that there were various countries represented at this table. We should try to integrate the comments of those countries that were present. Although we don not have to eliminate the names of those countries, maybe we could say in the case of The Bahamas, in the case of Mexico, Costa Rica, Bolivia this way emphasizing the importance of promoting basic and preschool education. Legislation exists in each of our countries which promotes social 24 participation. One way or another as countries we have the commitment to protect the environment and, constitutionally, we have made education an obligation. By adjusting this paragraph we could integrate the various components presented at our table. >If we give you our vote of confidence and we trust you with the drafting of the document >The reason I don't have the statements made by the other ladies is because I did not receive them during the course of the night. If I knew that oral presentations were going o be made we could have provided a more adequate conclusion to what has been said. Finally, a lot was improvised which substantially enriched participation at the table. This is the reason why these were left out and we are trying to include them at this moment as these interventions were very interesting. >Well the session is over. Thank you. 02/21/95 11:50 202 265 4795 EMB COSTA RICA 001 Embajada de Costa Rica 2114 f Street N.W. Washington. D.C. D. 20008 February 21, 1995 Miss Madge Henning Office of the First Lady The White House Washington, D. C. Dear Miss. Henning: It pleases me to transmit the text of the remarks made by Mrs. Josette de Fiqueres, First Lady of Costa Rica, at the Symposium "The Children of the Americas", in Miami, Florida, December 10, 1994. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. Sincerely, Witha Virginia Perea Mirtha Virginia Perea Minister Counselor, Cultural Affairs 02/21/95 11:51 202 265 4795 EMB COSTA RICA 002 A NATION FORGING ITS DESTINY Presentation by Mrs. Josette Altmann de Figueres, First Lady of Costa Rica, to the Plenary Session of the Symposium "The Children of the Americas" Miami, Florida, December 10,1994 I would like to express my appreciation to Mrs. Hillary Rudham Clinton, for her propitious initiative to invite us to this forum. We come to share our experiences and concerns on a topic of the utmost importance for our countries: the present situation and the future we are building for our children. Costa Rica is a small Central American country that ever since its emergence into independent life, opted to build on foundations based on strengthening education, as a path for its own development. Two points in time, separated by more than one hundred years in history, are examples of the educational calling of our nation: In 1884, on the threshold of the Twentieth Century, Costa Rica ventured into an integral reform of its public education. This reform established the bases that allowed us to forge our idiosyncrasy and to develop the people of Costa Rica during the new Century and allowed several generations to face new challenges. Today, on the threshold of the Twenty-first Century, we face new challenges. This new century brings with it a new millennium and merges the demands of two Eras that are converging on a globalized and competitive world: The Information Era and the Sustainability Era. The Information Era, with the Scientific and Technological Revolution and the information superhighways, and the Era of Sustainability, with the need to propose new relations between population, land and resources, demand of society intensified knowledge and the establishment of a different ethical order. Today, interpreting "the signs of the times", again Costa Rica turns to education to provide a response to the demands of these two Eras and to prepare the new generations to face the approaching challenges with dignity. 02/21/95 11:51 202 265 4795 EMB COSTA RICA 003 2 With an Educational Policy with a solid foundation, build on the concerted efforts of organizations and citizens, and within the context of President Figueres' social policy, our country seeks to promote sustainable development. The strategic programs of Costa Rica's educational policy of the Twenty-First Century orbit around four principal axes: First, the sustainability of human resources. It seeks to satisfy present needs, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own noods. Second, economic sustainability. We cook to build a productive culture compatible with sustainable development. Third, social and political sustainability. We aim to bring the strongest instruments to those places were the weakest individuals and groups are located. Fourth, environmental sustainability. In order to rationalize the use of natural resources and to make citizens aware of the fact that their decisions have effects that transcend the limits of thwie own generation. with regard to human resource sustainability, the Educational Computing Program at the primary school level is noteworthy. Today, this program covers more than 140.000 children, which is 30% of the school population in rural and marginal-urban zones. 158 computer laboratories have been installed in school in those zones. This decision, to approach the poorest population first, constituted a landmark among developing countries, and reaffirms our commitment to social sustainability. It is evident that computers are unable to change certain human conditions. However, when they are used to enrich educational ideas with a humanistic focus, they can achieve changes in schools and in communities, and also in the lives of children and teachers. The computer is the weapon we want to see in the hands of our children, because it is a tool of work, communication and education. An important aspect in the development of this program has been the gender component. The opportunity to participate in non- traditional roles has materialized for the more than 70,000 girls living in rural and urban areas. Also, the majority of teachers and monitors are women who had not had any previous computing experience. This brings to them a sense of self-steem and gives them prestige in their communities. 02/21/95 11:52 202 285 4795 EMB COSTA RICA 004 3 With regard to economic sustainability, it is worth-while to mention the Foreign Languagues Program begun by the Figuercc Administration, which seeks to prepare citizens that understand and respect the planet's cultural diversity. By 1998, 100,000 children will be receiving English lessons and 25,000 will be studying French. The social and political sustainability axis seeks to build equality of opportunities for those least advantaged. Within this area, the School Luch Program serves those that need most by feeding poor students and, in 1995, it will also give them uniforms and text books. With regard to environmental sustainability, a program is being implemented to involve the education sector in national campaigns for sustainable development and a program in which students participate in rescuing the country's river basins. Thus, with our illusions and dreams set on educating the people, and with a vision of solidarity with the needs of future generations, Costa Rica is now carefully preparing the way for sustainable development. We are not alone in this task. During the last decades of the closing Century, the people of Central America have fought inch by inch in defense of their economic independence, their pacifist convictions, and their aspirations for achieving a democracy based on solidarity and social justice. The years of conflict that we have suffered evant LUIE In this effort and we have established the Regional Commission on Social Affairs to institutionalize our commitment of solidarity with the new generations. This initiative has allowed us to develop important Social Sector programs that we look forward to sharing with you in detail in the working groups. To conclude, I wish to appeal to friendly governments and intornational organizations to continue to accompany us and to support our dream: to build a Central America free of hunger and without poverty. 02/21/95 11:52 202 265 4795 EMB COSTA RICA 005 4 We wish to have cooperation based on the spirit reflected by a thought of Robert F. Kennedy, which I would like to share with you: "The gross national product does not take into account the health of our children, nor the quality of their education or their joy in playing. It does not include the beauty of our poetry, nor the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debates or the integrity of our public officers. It does not measure our mental capacity, our compassion or our devotion to our country; in a few words, it measures everything, except everything that makes life worth living." Thank You. Nicole- These are my "notes" "from the Health Se ssion- - they are not very extensive = Hope they are useful! Barb x69131 SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS DISCUSSION SESSION ON CHILDREN'S HEALTH Mrs. Jagan (Guyana) There are many problems which can be addressed by joint efforts. Malaria is a growing threat; Colombia developed a vaccine for malaria. Infant mortality a way of measuring a nation's health. Poverty- - root cause. Mrs. Chretien (Canada) Prenatal nutrition and growth programs important; have reduced rate of low birth weight babies in Canada. Canada using a copy of a U.S. program--Headstart--to help native Indians. Mrs. Chretien thanked U.S. government for sharing experiences. Believe in interdisciplinary approach to health care. AIDS awareness programs established through PAHO and WHO for Commonwealth nations, especially women and girls. Integrated water and health programs. Basic education and training for street children. Mrs. Duran Ballen (Ecuador) Convention of the Rights of Children important. Nutrition for women and children. Personally involved in Instituto Nacional de Familia y ?? (INFANTA) - prenatal health Infant development (0-6 years) critical years for medical care and early intervention. 2 Preventative health education. Andean agreement and cooperation in immunization program Mrs. Flecha de Lima (Brazil) Children's rights important. Medical care and education necessary. Talked about some project the Brazilian Air Force did. Mrs. Morales (Dominican Republic) Education and health care necessary. Genuine concern for child. NGO participation. Balaguer already carrying out Summit Plan of Action and previous agreements. Dom.Rep. has 85% polio vaccination. Summit on Education: analysis of basic education system; 10-year education system Mrs. Wasmosy (Paraguay) All sectors should work together--public, ngos, PAHO, UNICEF. Paraguay has made progress in lowering infant mortality rates-- From 36.6/1,000 in 1986 to 21.3/1,000 in 1993. Programs to prevent pre-natal and neo-natal health risks, including breastfeeding programs. Disease-prevention programs: obtaining certification for eradicating polio; eliminating parasites among school children by providing pills twice a year; dealing with iodine deficiencies-- making ionization of salt mandatory; increasing availability of vitamin-enriched milk. Paraguay has high fertility rates and need to work on decreasing maternal mortality rates. 3 Many abortion-related deaths not reported. Need to strengthen health services. Mrs. Calderon Sol (El Salvador) Need to provide basic services: water, electricity, sanitation. Prevent intestinal and respiratory diseases. Provide better housing in both rural and urban areas (including access to clean water and electricity) to help prevent diseases like diarrhea. Need to reduce infant mortality. In 1994, El Salvador had 92% vaccination levels for diptheria, whooping cough, and measles--recognized by PAHO and UNICEF for this accomplishment. By 1995, hope to have 100% vaccination, including measles. Noted that even during civil war of the 1980's, were able to vaccinate children--ceasefires were honored in order to immunization children. Noted importance of support from agencies. Dr. Alleyne (PAHO) Believes that a good approach to dealing with problems is to have continental coverage by health organizations like PAHO. ROLE OF FIRST WIVES Mrs. Jagan gave example of how she went into rural/interior areas to see programs teaching indigenous peoples about health care and diptheria prevention. HRC: Expressed concern about viruses crossing borders (with increased trade and interaction); does it really mean we can learn more from each other? 4 Dr. Alleyne: Lesson learned from dealing with hemispheric problems- the answer is: strong leadership, good concrete plans, and money. HRC: What is the difference between polio and the measles (can the success of polio eradication be duplicated with the measles) ? Dr. Alleyne: A massive campaign has made measles also virtually disappear. The problem is now manageable. The same approach was taken with TB. Problems CAN be met. Mrs. Duran Ballen: Ecuador has 100% measles vaccination. By 1998, Ecuador hopes to eradicate measles. HRC: What about family planning? In Indonesia saw success of program emphasizing that the number of children was not as important as how you care for them. Mrs. Flecha de Lima: In Brazil, women have the right to decide about their own bodies. Fertility rates have been reduced by half in one generation. Important to education women to be responsible. Mrs. Calderon Sol: As noted in Cairo Conference: everyone has right to decide about own body. * HRC had to leave * The session concluded for lunch. STATEMENT OF FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON SUMMARIZING MIGHLIGHTS OF THE FIRST LADIES SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN Today, December 10, 1994, the First Ladies or their designees from throughout the hemisphere participated in a symposium on "Children of the Americas." The Children of the Americas Symposium paralleled the proposed Summit of the Americas goals in the areas of improving access to health care and education for children and adolescents. The First Ladies shared information on successful programs from their nations on a wide range of issues, including: ensuring universal access to primary education, improving primary and secondary school completion rates, reducing maternal and infant mortality rates, endorsing a basic package of health and services, increasing immunization and programs that combat communicable diseases, and treatment and prevention of narcotics use. The major gains that have been achieved in bringing adequate, affordable and quality health care and education to the millions of children of the hemisphere were highlighted. In particular, the First Ladies and others praised the success of immunization programs in preventing new cases of polio in the Western Hemisphere. However, there was also a recognition that many challenges remain -- challenges that the leaders of the hemisphere have made part of their agenda at the Summit and for the future. The First Ladies committed themselves to continuing to play a role -- whether as individuals, prominent persons, or the spouse of the nation's leader -- in helping their nations meet the needs of children. Mrs. Wasnosy of Paraguay graciously invited the other first ladies of the hemisphere to attend the Fifth Conference of Wives of Heade of State and Governments of the Americas, scheduled to be hald in October 1995. Mrs. Wasmosy stated that children's health and education issues would be a fundamental topic at the meeting. noting that, "We must not forget that they (children) are our tomorrow and the future of humanity will depend on them." SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS Symposium on Children of the Americas Introduction The Hemisphere's leaders and their spouses are coming together not only as the heads of their governments and people, but also as parents and members of families who recognize that one driving force behind the Summit is to ensure children's well-being now and in the future. Virtually every element of the Summit Plan of Action will have a direct or indirect impact on the economic, social, or physical well-being of the children of the hemisphere. The implementation of the Summit Plan of Action will bring about a better standard of living for the children of the hemisphere, through increased trade and jobs, improved access to health and education, and the protection of their rights. The Summit Initiatives: Impact on Children I. Preserving and Strenghtening the Community of Democracies of the Americas Strengthening Democracy * Helps prevent political violence, which has a profound effect on the well-being of our children. Promoting and Protecting Human Rights * Includes guarantees for the rights of children and calls for ratifying the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child Invigorating Society/Community Participation * Encourages the growth of civic-minded non-governmental organizations, including those which support children's issues, and notes the need to improve participation of young people. * Helps ensure that groups such as disabled, indigenous, and female children receive fair and equitable treatment. 2 Combating the Problem of Illegal Drugs and Related Crimes * In order to safeguard children's health and their futures, we must educate our children on the dangers of drug abuse and prevent them from using narcotics. * We must continue our efforts to protect children from this threat and prevent them from becoming involved in drug-related criminal activities. II. Promoting Prosperity Through Economic Integration and Free Trade Free Trade in the Americas/Capital Markets Development and Liberalization * Creates more jobs, allowing families to enjoy a higher standard of living. * Lessens need to depend on children to help augment the family's income, thus reducing child labor. * Provides more commodity variety at more competitive prices, helping to decrease malnutrition. Hemispheric Infrastructure * Increases access of all sectors of society to better transportation, electricity, and clean water. III. Eradicating Poverty and Discrimination in Our Hemisphere Universal Access to Education * All children, regardless of economic or social situation, will receive the basic tools necessary to become full, participatory members of society, especially girls, minorities, and indigenous groups. * Requiring children to attend primary school will help eradicate child labor. * Ensures that all children have the foundation necessary to compete in a modern economy and/or to go on to higher levels of education; secondary school will train students for more complex jobs, allowing them to be more competitive in the modern world economy. 3 Equitable Access to Basic Health Services * Reducing child, infant, and maternal mortality rates will clearly benefit children, who are particularly vulnerable to illness and unhealthy living conditions. * The success of immunization programs in eradicating the childhood disease of polio demonstrate the importance of universal access to such prevention programs. Strengthening the Role of Women in Society * Since many of the households in the hemisphere are headed by women, increasing their opportunities to participate in all spheres of political, social, and economic life will improve the well-being of the members of those households. IV. Guaranteeing Sustainable Development and Conserving Our Natural Environment for Future Generations Partnership for Sustainable Energy Use/Partnership for Pollution Prevention * Developing cleaner sources of energy will improve the health of our children. * We need to ensure that our children are left with options for renewable sources of energy. Partnership for Biodiversity * Ensures that we do not destroy the living resources or environment of our planet, but rather preserve them for the sake of future generations. Children: the Foundation for the Americas of the 21st Century The broad range of Summit objectives are aimed not only at helping children now, but also at giving children the tools they need to provide for themselves and their children in the future. Future generations will be called upon to continue the work initiated at the Miami Summit--we must prepare today's children to be the leaders of tomorrow's integrated and democratic Western Hemisphere. SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS Themes for Working Group Session On Children's Education Issues Summit Goals: A primary completion rate of 100 percent and a secondary enrollment rate of at least 75 percent by the year 2010. (See Summit Plan of Action Initiative 16, "Universal Access to Education," for the full text.) Universal literacy and access to education at all levels, without distinction of race, national origin or gender, is an indispensable basis for sustainable social and cultural development, economic growth and democratic stability. Although almost every country in the hemisphere has adult literacy rates of over 80 percent, there are still too many people who do not have a basic level of reading and writing skills. Eradicating illiteracy is best approached by ensuring that children are enrolled in and complete at least primary school. A number of factors impact on both enrollment and completion rates, including pre-school environment, the quality of the school's curriculum and the training received by the educators. The nurturing and nutrition children receive early in their lives dramatically impact on their ability to thrive when they reach school age, and can improve future performance and reduce costly repetition and drop-out rates. Approximately 8.9 million children in this hemisphere participate in early childhood programs. Primary school enrollment of children age 6-11 increased over the last 20 years in all countries in the region, especially in population centers. However, enrollment levels remain relatively low in certain regions and sub-groupings (girls, indigenous, urban minority and rural populations). The World Bank estimates that every year $2.5 billion are spent on grade repetition for 20 million children in Latin America. Countries are addressing drop-out and repetition rates by setting national goals in educational efficiency as well as relevance of what is taught. The Summit initiative on education calls for governments to work with the private sector and multilateral institutions to guarantee universal access to quality primary education; support strategies to overcome nutritional deficiencies of primary school children in order to enhance their learning ability; and create a 2 hemispheric partnership to reform educational policies and focus resources more efficiently. SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS Themes for Working Group Session On Children's Health Issues Summit Goals: To reduce child mortality by one-third and maternal mortality by one-half by the year 2000. (See Summit Plan of Action Initiative 17, "Equitable Access to Basic Health Services," for the full text.) The average infant mortality rate for the 34 countries attending the Summit is 33 deaths per 1,000 births. Major achievements in reducing that rate thus far have been in high-impact but simple technologies such as vaccinations and controlling diarrhea through oral rehydration. The challenge now is to move to more difficult and complex interventions such as managing pneumonia, improving nutritional status, and reducing neonatal mortality, while sustaining the gains already achieved. The region-wide effort to eradicate polio, which succeeded in interrupting transmission throughout the hemisphere, was a model of cooperation, partnership and participation. This model can be adapted to eliminating measles, or at least reducing incidences and deaths to the levels called for in the Narino Accord. Maternal death rates remain a significant problem in the Americas, with national rates ranging from a low of 5 to a high of about 600 per 100,000 live births. To reduce maternal mortality, we need to improve and expand access to prenatal and postnatal care and to provide safer delivery care. Community-based approaches such as training and deployment of midwives and family planning have reduced maternal mortality in some countries. In addition, inequities in access to health care contribute to the concentration of children's health problems in certain populations (e.g. rural areas, indigenous peoples). These inequities can be addressed through systemic reforms of health care delivery systems which can include essential community-based services for the poor, the disabled, and indigenous groups; stronger public health infrastructure; alternative means of financing, managing, and providing services; quality assurance; and greater use of non-governmental actors and organizations. The Summit Plan of Action calls for a number of actions involving the hemispheric governments, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the Pan-American Health Organization, and representatives of the private sector in focusing on and establishing a framework for health reform mechanisms. These actions include: developing or updating country action plans or programs for 2 reform; strengthening international fora for sharing technical expertise, information and experience on health reform efforts; and convening a special meeting of hemispheric governments with interested donors and international technical agencies to establish a framework for health reform mechanisms. SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS Themes for Working Group Session On Youth Health and Education Issues Summit Goals: Address the needs of adolescents through prevention programs for narcotics use and abuse, the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancies, and through enhanced vocational or college-preparatory programs. (See Summit Plan of Action Initiative 6, "Combating the Problem of Illegal Drugs and Related Crimes;" Initiative 16, "Universal Access to Education;" and Initiative 17, "Equitable Access to Basic Health Services," for full texts.) Youth in the hemisphere, who make up roughly a quarter of the population, must obtain the education and training needed to be productive adults and avoid often fatal health risks. At current birth rates, half of the hemisphere's female population will have a child between the ages of 15 and 19. In addition to the maternal mortality issues covered under the symposium's health theme, these young women are exposed to sexually- transmitted diseases--including AIDS/HIV, and often leave school to have or raise their babies. The Summit initiative on health includes a proposal to have a basic package of health services which includes maternal and reproductive health care, planning information and services, and HIV/AIDS prevention. Both female and male adolescents leave school early, for a number of reasons, resulting in an workforce unprepared for an increasingly high-technology world market. Educational programs aimed at keeping teenagers in school and curricula designed to prepare students for adulthood are needed. The Summit education initiative calls for promoting worker professional training, increasing access to and strengthening the quality of high education, and creating a hemispheric partnership to reform educational policies. The problem of narcotics consumption, production, and trafficking is a huge drain on our youth. In addition to the health problems and deaths caused by drug use, narcotics-related violence also affects a large number of young people. In addition, young adults without the education or training to support themselves are too often drawn to the narcotics-related crimes of selling or trafficking narcotics. The proposed initiative on narcotics includes a broad agenda to reduce both the demand and supply of narcotics throughout the hemisphere. FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON REMARKS FOR THE FIRST LADIES' SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS MIAMI, FLORIDA DECEMBER 10, 1994 Welcome to all of my colleagues and friends from across the Americas, and to all of our distinguished guests. It is an honor and privilege for me to host this wonderful symposium here in Miami. Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to the First Ladies of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada for your help and guidance in preparing for this session. Your extraordinary efforts in previous First Ladies' meetings in Colombia, Costa Rica, and most recently in St. Lucia, have provided a foundation for all of our work -- today and into the future. I hope that in the course of our gathering here, and in the weeks and months ahead, we will learn much from each other and find new inspiration to address the needs of children, families, and women across our hemisphere. Today, we live in an age of great promise -- and great peril -- for the 130 million children of the Americas. Great promise because our children are our lifeline to prosperity and democracy in the decades ahead. And we all take pleasure in knowing that there are millions of happy, healthy children across the Americas whose futures are filled with hope. But there are perils too, because from the Queen Elizabeth Islands to Tierra del Fuego, our children are shouldering burdens rarely encountered by older generations. Children suffering from hunger, poverty, homelessness, inadequate health care, disease, illiteracy, violence, and abuse are not confined to a single nation or a single continent. The cries of desperate children are sadly heard in every nation represented here. And it is the plight of those children that brings us together today, not just as the spouses of heads of state or as representatives of our governments, but as mothers, sisters, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, neighbors and friends who believe that every child in every country deserves a fair chance in life. The political leaders convening at this historic summit have set forth an agenda to promote prosperity and democracy throughout the hemisphere through trade initiatives, sustainable development, and more effective government. 1 This builds on Me gronadcord children Land all the 1990 world Sussit for d me 1994 Today, summit leaders are outlining goals to ensure the economic, social and physical well-being of children, which Dr. nariño Alleyne will outline later in greater detail: The proposed Summit Plan of Action calls for universal Accord. access to education so that all children, regardless of economic or social status, racial or ethnic origin, or gender, will receive the basic tools necessary to become full members of society. The goal of requiring children to attend and complete primary school is also under discussion. If this goal is achieved, it will help eradicate child labor and give children a greater hope of acquiring the skills and knowledge needed in a modern global economy. Beyond the important issue of school attendance, the Summit initiative on education also addresses the nutritional needs of children so they can learn more effectively. The proposed Summit Plan of Action calls for equitable access to basic health services, which will be particularly beneficial to children, who are most vulnerable to illnesses and unhealthy living conditions. Specific programs being recommended will address child, infant, and maternal. mortality rates, as well as increasing immunization efforts to eradicate childhood diseases, such as measles, that still afflict too many children. We need only look to the disappearance of new polio cases in the Western hemisphere to know the success of these immunization programs. We all know that the role of caregiver is crucial to the development of healthy and secure children. And we all know that the primary caregivers in society most often are women. The Summit proposal to strengthen the role of women will increase opportunities for women to participate in all spheres of life -- political, social, and economic. Empowering women with economic self-reliance, access to quality health care and education is not only a valuable step forward in itself. It's an important step forward for children. While we recognize that our political leaders are responsible for devising policies and programs to meet these important goals, we also know that, as First Ladies, we have a significant role to play. Just as advocacy organizations, social institutions, and dedicated individuals are critical to progress, we, too, can help push the agenda forward in our respective countries. When it comes to children's issues, women have a special calling. And that's why we have a duty to raise our voices for 2 the voiceless -- our children, the youngest and most vulnerable among us. This week I've had particular reason to think about the difference one woman alone can make on behalf of children, even against extraordinary odds. My friend, Elizabeth Glaeser, died last weekend after losing a long battle with AIDS. Elizabeth contracted HIV through a blood transfusion while hemorrhaging during the delivery of her first child, Ariel. Unbeknownst to her, her daughter, and then a son born later, also contracted the virus. When Elizabeth learned that she and her children had been infected with HIV, she dedicated herself to raising awareness about AIDS. From a small office in Los Angeles, she created the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, which has raised over $30 million since its founding in 1988. Elizabeth often said she was motivated and strengthened by the memory of her daughter, who died four years ago at the age of seven. Her son, now 10, lives with HIV every day. If Elizabeth could continue to contribute so much on behalf of children throughout her own illness, I know we can make our own contributions too. Of course, we will not all be involved in the same ways, or even on precisely the same issues. I know, for example, that AIDS is not as prevalent in many of your countries as it is in mine. That's why each of us must find a venue appropriate to our own situation as First Lady or government representative. But whatever role we choose represents a rare opportunity to make a difference in the lives of tens of millions of children -- and in the future of all of the Americas. There is an urgency to our mission. More than half of our population in this hemisphere is under age 23. Ushering children into the world is, of course, the province of families. But building safe and nurturing communities for them to grow up in making sure they have access to schools that teach them to read and write protecting them from avoidable diseases training them for productive adulthoods and honoring their rights in the face of violence and abuse -- these are our collective responsibilities. This concept was eloquently expressed in a pastoral letter issued in the United States several years ago by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. In that letter, entitled Putting Children and Families First, the bishops said: "No government can love a child, and no policy can substitute for a family's care. But, government can either support or undermine families. There has been an unfortunate, 3 unnecessary and unreal polarization in [the] discussion [of] how best to help families. The undeniable fact is that our children's future is shaped both by the values of their parents and the policies of our nation. As adults, we must take responsibility for our children so that they can learn to take responsibility for themselves. And we must insist that society's most vital institutions -- family, school, and church -- create the conditions necessary for our children to fulfill all their God-given potential. To be sure, our challenges differ from country to country, and our recipes for progress may require different ingredients. The purpose of this gathering is not to prescribe one solution, but to share ideas and opinions and learn from each other's experiences. Here in the United States, for example, we are not doing enough to ensure that women receive adequate pre- and post-natal health care, particularly poor women and teenagers. In 1992, 22 percent of pregnant women in this country received no pre-natal care. As the rest of the world knows all too well, my nation faces significant challenges in stopping an epidemic of gun violence that daily claims the lives of children in our cities and towns. Today, homicide is the leading cause of death for African American youth in the United States and violence is the second leading cause of death for youngsters between the ages of 10 and 14. Combined with violence is an equally disturbing scourge of narcotics use among our young people. Illegal drugs are readily available in too many communities in the United States, and even in some of our schools. Studies show that as many as seven million children abuse alcohol and drugs to some extent At the same time, we are making progress on behalf of some of our children -- progress that is visible right here in Miami. Just yesterday I had the opportunity to visit Jackson Memorial Hospital and Drew Elementary School -- two institutions that have achieved remarkable successes in disadvantaged communities. Jackson Memorial Medical Center, which is affiliated with the University of Miami, has the difficult task of caring for some of the poorest and neediest residents of this city. The newborn intensive care unit that I visited yesterday serves the highest risk population in Dade County -- but the hospital has achieved the lowest infant mortality rates in the state. The hospital also has devised innovative ways of serving its community. A mobile van brings doctors and nurses to those who 4 might otherwise go without necessary treatment and care. Drew Elementary School is located in a predominantly African-American neighborhood. Community leaders devised a cultural exchange program in which students from Drew, and a predominantly Hispanic school called Seminole Elementary come together for a variety of activities that promote tolerance and understanding. To enhance communication across cultures, students at Drew take Spanish from the second grade on. The positive educational climate at Drew is reflected in the student attendance rate: 95 percent of the school's students come to class every day. Drew has succeeded because parents, teachers, the school principal and community leaders have worked hard to create an environment where children feel safe, secure, and confident that they will thrive. The adults have taken responsibility; and the children are learning to take responsibility as well. In every one of our nations, dedicated, energetic, and caring people are battling on the front lines to solve some of society's most vexing problems. The purpose of this gathering is to educate each other about our challenges and our successes -- and to make our efforts more cooperative by sharing the knowledge and experience each of us holds within us. When we return to our capitals, I hope we will not be guided solely by documents, policy papers, and official pronouncements, but also by the desire in our hearts to see that all children have the gift of hope in their lives. In the words of Gabriela Mistral [Mee-strall], the visionary Chilean educator, poet, and Nobel prize winner for literature: "Let me be more maternal than a mother; able to love and defend with all of a mother's fervor the child that is not flesh of my flesh. N As she once said: "Many things we need can wait. The child cannot To him, we cannot say tomorrow. His name is today." Thank you for coming to Miami, and for joining together in this important cause. And now, let us go from words to deeds. [Introduce UNICEF video] 5 - IDB Counsel Symposium on Children of the Americas Participants No Photo Available Argentina Bahamas Barbados Ms. Zulemita Menem Mrs. Delores Ingraham Mrs. Beverley Arthur Daughter of the President Wife of Prime Minister Wife of Prime Minister No Photo Available Belize Bolivia Brazil Mrs. Kathleen Levy Esquivel Mrs. Ximena Sánchez de Lozada Mrs. Lucia Flecha de Lima Wife of Prime Minister Wife of the President Wife of Foreign Ambassador Canada Chile Colombia Mrs. Aline Chrétien Mrs. Marta Larraechea de Frei Mrs. Jacquin Samper Wife of Prime Minister Wife of President Wife of President Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador Mrs. Josette Figueres Mrs. Luisa Alba de Morales Mrs. Josefina Villalobos de Durán Ballén Wife of President Wife of Foreign Minister Wife of President El Salvador Guatemela Guyana Mrs. Elizabeth Calderón Sol Mrs. María Eugenia De Léon Mrs. Janet Jagan Wife of President Wife of President Wife of President Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Mrs. Bessie Reina Mrs. Nilda Patricia Zedillo Mrs. Cristiana Chamorro Wife of President Wife of President Daughter of President No Photo Available Panama Paraguay Peru Mrs. Dora Pérez Balladares Mrs. María Teresa de Wasmosy Ms. Keiko Sofia Fujimori Higuchi Wife of President Wife of President Daughter of the President No Photo Available St. Lucia Trinidad & Tobago United States Mrs. Janice Compton Mrs. Hazel Manning Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton Wife of the Prime Minister Wife of Prime Minister Wife of President No Photo Available United States Uruguay Mrs. Tipper Gore Mrs. María Julia Pou Lacalle Wife of Vice President Wife of President Mrs. Zedillo Mrs. Jagan Mrs. Wasmosy HRC Mrs. Compton Mrs. Frei (sehDEEoh) (JAYgehn) (wahsMOHsee) St. Lucia (FRAY) Mexico Guyana Paraguay Chile Mrs. Sanchez de Lozada Mrs. Figueres (SAHNchez deh lohSAHdah)| (feeGEHrehs) Bolivia Costa Rica Mrs. Manning Mrs. Samper Trinidad & Tobago (sahmPEHR) Colombia Mrs. Chretien Mrs. Arthur (crayteeyen) Barbados Canada Mrs. De Leon Mrs. Calderon Sol (deh LEHohn) (kahldeROHN SOHL) Guatemala El Salvador Mrs. Duran Ballen Mrs. Lacalle (dooRHAN bahYEN) (laCAHjay) Ecuador Uruguay Mrs. Esquivel Mrs. Reina (esskeeVELL) (RAYnah) Belize Honduras Mrs. Perez Balladares Mrs. Ingraham (PEHrehs bahyahDAHrehs) (INGgrum) Panama The Bahamas Mrs. Morales Ms. Fujimori (mahRAHLehs) (fooheeMOHree) Dominican Republic Peru Ms. Chamorro Mrs. Flecha de Lima (chaMOHroh) (FLAYcha deh leemah) Nicaragua Brazil Mrs. Gore Ms. Menem United States Argentina SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS Hosted by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton Saturday, December 10, 1994 Miami, Florida PLENARY SESSION Welcoming remarks by Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton of the United States Screening of a UNICEF video presentation Remarks by Dr. George Alleyne, Director-designate, Pan American Health Organization Remarks by Mrs. Hazel Manning of Trinidad and Tobago Remarks by Mrs. Ximena Iturralde Sanchez de Lozada of Bolivia Remarks by Mrs. Josette Altmann de Figueres of Costa Rica Closing Remarks by Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton of the United States Open Discussion Brief Intermission WORKING GROUP SESSION The First Ladies will break into three working groups: 1. Children's Health Issues, chaired by Mrs. Janet Jagan of Guyana 2. Children's Education Issues, chaired by Mrs. Nilda Patricia Velasco de Zedillo of Mexico 3. Challenges in Health and Education Facing Today's Adolescents, chaired by Mrs. Marta Larraechea de Frei of Chile WORKING LUNCHEON Reports from the Working Group Chairs: --Mrs. Janet Jagan of Guyana on Children's Health Issues --Mrs. Nilda Patricia Velasco de Zedillo of Mexico on Children's Education --Mrs. Marta Larraechea de Frei of Chile on Challenges in Health and Education Facing Today's Adolescents Remarks by Mrs. Maria Teresa de Wasmosy of Paraguay on the next convening of the Wives of Heads of State and Governments of the Americas Closing remarks by Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS Working Group Assignments CHILDREN'S EDUCATION Anastasia Room Chair: Mrs. Zedillo of Mexico Ms. Menem of Argentina Mrs. Ingraham of The Bahamas Mrs. Esquivel of Belize Mrs. Sánchez de Lozada of Bolivia Mrs. Figueres of Costa Rica Mrs. De Léon of Guatemala Ms. Chamorro of Nicaragua Ms. Fujimori of Peru CHILDREN'S HEALTH Majorca Room Chair: Mrs. Jagan of Guyana Mrs. Flecha de Lima of Brazil Mrs. Chrétien of Canada Mrs. Morales of the Dominican Republic Mrs. Durán Ballén of Ecuador Mrs. Calderón Sol of El Salvador Mrs. Wasmosy of Paraguay ADOLESCENT HEALTH AND EDUCATION Marbella Room Chair: Mrs. Frei of Chile Mrs. Arthur of Barbados Mrs. Samper of Colombia Mrs. Reina of Honduras Mrs. Pérez Balladares of Panama Mrs. Compton of St. Lucia Mrs. Manning of Trinidad and Tobago Mrs. Lacalle of Uruguay Mrs. Clinton will participate in each of the working groups. FROM UNICEF PLANNING OFFICE 01.26.1995 14:38 Cumbre de Las Americas Miami, 10 de diciembre de 1994 SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS Version no oficial de las conclusiones del grupo de trabajo de las Primeras Damas sobre el tema de la juventud. 1. Reconocemos que los jovenes tienen derechos en nuestras sociedades y que no son simplemente objetos de caridad 0 piedad. Esto lleva implicito un cambio en la imagen distinta de la actual, y una revaloración de gu autoestima. Debemos impulsar en nuestros paises una verdadera Revolucion cultural on esta materia. 2. Reeconociendo los problemas quo afectan a muchos jovenes de todos nuestros paises, entre los cuales estan la drogadiccion, la violencia V el embarazo temprano, GE necesario desarrollar una accion preventiva en materia de salud y educacion, lo que necesariamente nos compromete a combatir la pobreza y disminuir las grandes dsparidades economicas y sociales que afectan a todo el hemisferio. 3. Incentivemos a nuestros gobiernos para que realizen la inversion suficiente en areas sociales, especialmente salud y educacion, sin los cuales la integracion economica y el desarrollo sustentable y la democracia no seran mas que un sueño. 4. Rescatar la importancia que tiene la educacion recibida en la escuela tanto primaria como secundaria para mejorar la calidad de vida y prevenir los males que afectan a la juventud de la region. 5. Es imperativo abrir espacios de real participacion para los jovenes incorporandolos en el mundo de las decisiones, escuchando sus puntos de vista, rescatando los movimientos juveniles musicales y de recreacion y mejorando la informacion sobre los jovenes. 6. Creemos importante enfatizar el papel crucial que cumplen la familia y los medios de comunicacion que permanentemente transmiten a los jovenes estilos y normas que les influiran directamente en su desarrollo personal. V Por ultimo, se requiere la concertada accion de los gobiernos, la sociedad civil, las iglesias y el sector privado para realizar las acciones de prevencion y proteccion de los adolescentes y govenes ante los flagelos que los afectan y que han sido tratados en esta reunion. 02-22-01 WFN Gabruate 17:34 1.1000 Bolivian 1141 Fmhnssy WTIC P.02 DISCURSO LIC. XIMENA ITURRALDE DE SÁNCHEZ DE LOZADA PRIMERA DAMA DE LA REPÚBLICA DE BOLIVIA SIMPOSIO "NIÑOS DE LAS AMERICAS" MIAMI, DICIEMBRE 1994 EXCMA. SEÑORA HILLARY CLINTON, PRIMERA DAMA DE LOB ESTADOS UNIDOS: DISTINGUIDAS PRIMERAS DAMAS SEÑORAS Y SEÑORES: EN PRIMER LUGAR, QUIERO AGRADECER A LA PRIMERA DAMA, HILLARY CLINTON, POR INVITARNOS A PARTICIPAR EN ESTA DISCUSIÓN SOBRE LA EDUCACIÓN DE LOS NIÑOS EN LAS AMÉRICAS. INTENTARÉ TRANSMITIR A USTEDES LA EXPERIENCIA BOLIVIANA. ÜLTIMAMENTE, HEMOS APROBADO TRES LEYES QUE CONVIERTEN A BOLIVIA EN UN PAIS DE REFORMAS SOCIALES ÚNICAS EN LOS PAÍSES EN DESARROLLO: LA REFORMA EDUCATIVA, LA LEY DE PARTICIPACIÓN POPULAR, Y LA LEY DE CAPITALIZACIÓN. ESTAS REFORMAS CONTRIBUIRÁN DE UNA MANERA DECISIVA A LA EDUCACIÓN DE NUESTROS NIÑOS. WFN 17:34 Rolivian Fmhnssy wrr. Gabinets 1.Dono FOX 571-2-785359 TIME Los ROLIVIANOS NOS DIMOS CUENTA DE QUE NO PODRÍAMOS ASEGURAR UN RAPINO CRECIMIENTO ECONÓMICO CUANDO EL 20% DE LOS ADULTOS SON AÚN ANALFABETOS, Y SOLAMENTE EL 65% DE LOS NIÑOS ASISTEN A LA ESCUELA PRIMARIA. POR ESO. LA REFORMA EDUCACIONAL SE CONVIRTIÓ EN UNO DE LOS TRES PILARES DEL CAMBIO PROMOVIDO POR EL PRESIDENTE GONZALO SANCHEZ DE LUZAUA. GRACIAS A ESTALEY, PUR PRIMERA VEZ EN NUESTRA HISTORIA LOS MAESTROS ENSEÑARAN EN IDIOMAS NATIVOS A LOS MÑOS CUYO IDIOMA MATERNO ES EL AYMARA, El. QUECHUA, o EL GUARANI. LAS ESCUFLAS URBANAS Y RURALES ESTARÁN SUJETAS A LOS MISMOS PATRONES DE CALIDAD, Y TENDRÁN TEXTOS ESCOLARES ACTUALIZADOS, COMPUTADORAS, Y BIBLIOTECAS. CADA ESCUELA SERÁ UN TALLER DONDE SE MEZCLEN TODAS LAS CULTURAS, TODAS LA IDEAS, Y TODAS LAS VISIONES. LOS NIÑOS PENSARÁN EN TEMAS COMO LA ECOLOGÍA, LA IGUALDAD DE GÉNEROS, LA REVOLUCIÓN TECNOLÓGICA, Y EL RESPETO POR LA DIVERSIDAD HUMANA. LA REFORMA EDUCATIVA MEJORARÁ LA FORMACIÓN DE MAESTROS, Y PERMITIRÁ A GRADUADOS UNIVERSITARIOS IMPARTIR EDUCACIÓN. LA REFORMA PREVÉ AUMENTAR LOS SUELDOS DE LOS MAESTROS OF ACUERDO A SUS MÉRITOS. SE PRIURIZARÁ LA EDUCACIÓN PRIMARIA, PUESTO QUE SE HA DEMOSTRADO BU IMPACTO FAVORABLE EN EL DESARROLLO SOCIAL Y ECONÓMICO. 1 WFN Cabinets 17:35 1.Dane Bolivian 1AX 50% 2 700350 Fmhnssy wnr. SE BUSCARÁ GARANTIZAR UNA ASISTENCIA DEL 100% A LA ESCUELA PRIMARIA, Y FI IMINAR DEFINITIVAMENTE EL ANALFABETISMO EN LA PRÓXIMA DÊCADA. FINALMENTE, SE AUMENTARA SURSTANCIALMENTE LA INVERSIÓN EN INFRAESTRUCTURA EDUCATIVA, UN RUBRO DESCUIDADO EN LOS ÚLTIMOS 30 AÑOS. LA LEY DE PARTICIPACIÓN POPULAR ES OTRO PILAR DEL CAMBIO. ESTA LEY DIVIDIO EL PAIS EN 300 MUNICIPIOS RURALES Y URBANOS, CON AUTORIDADES DEMOCRÁTICAMENTE ELEGIDAS. DESDE JULIO DE ESTE AÑO, EL 20% DEL PRESUPUESTO NACIONAL SE DISTRIBUYE FNTRE ESOS MUNICIPIOS, DE ACUERDO A 5U POBLACIÓN. POR PRIMERA VEZ EN NUESTRA HISTORIA, LOS BARRIOS POBRES, LAS PROVINCIAS, Y LAS COMUNIDADES INDÍGENAS RECIBEN SUMAS IMPORTANTES OF DINERO, Y DECIDEN CÓMO INVERTIRLO. ESTA LEY DESCENTRALIZA EL PODER Y DEMOCRATIZA LA RIQUEZA, BENEFICIANDO ESPECIALMENTE A LOS NIÑOS MÁS AFECTADOS POR LA POBREZA: LOS NIÑOS CAMPESINOS. Los PRINCIPIOS DE PARTICIPACIÓN POPULAR TAMBIÉN SE APLICAN A LA EDUCACIÓN. LA COMUNIDAD DE LOS 300 MUNICIPIOS URBANOS Y RURALES INTERVENDRÁN DIRECTAMENTE EN LA ADMINISTRACIÓN Y CONTROL DE SUS ESCUELAS. ELLOS VELARAN PORQUE SUS NIÑOS RECIBAN LA EDUCACIÓN QUE MERECEN, Y PARTICIPARÁN EN LA CONTRATACIÓN DE LOS MAESTROS. 1 02-22-01 WFN Cobinete B.O.! Fmhnssy WTIC P.05 EL TERCER PILAR DEL PROCESO DE CAMBIO EN BOLMA, ES LA LEY DE CAPITALIZACIÓN. ESTA LEV CREA SOCIEDADES ENTRE EL PUEBLO BOLIVIANO v LOS INVERSIONISTAS PRIVADOS NACIONALES v EXTRANJEROS EN LAS EMPRESAS DF GAB, PETRÓLEO, ENERGÍA ELÉCTRICA, FERROCARRILES, TRANSPORTE AÉREO, FUNDICIÓN DE MINERALES, Y TELECOMUNICACIONES EN LOS PRÓXIMOS DOCE MESES, LA ADMINISTRACIÓN DE ESTA8 EMPRESAS, QUE GENERAN CASI LA MITAU DE LA RIQUEZA NACIONAL, SERA TRANSFERIDA A QUIENES QUIERAN INVERTIR EN ELLAS, Los INVERSIONISTAS NO PAGARAN NADA AL ESTADO; TODO SU DINERO IRA DIRECIAMENTE A MODERNIZAR NUESTRAS EMPRESAS. EL PUEBLO BOLIVIANO MANTENDRÁ LA PROPIEDAD DEL 50% DE LAS ACCIONES, QUE SERAN REPARTIDAS ENTRE TODOS LOS CIUDADANOS MAYORES DE 18 AÑOS. Los DIVIDENDOS FINANCIARÁN UN FONDO DE PENSIONES PRIVADO, QUE GARANTIZARÁ LA JUBILACIÓN A LOS ANCIANOS. LA CAPITALIZACIÓN TENDRA UN IMPACTO DIRECTO EN NUESTRUS NIÑOS; PUR LO MENOS 500,000 NUEVOS EMPLEOS PARA SUS PADRES, v DIGNIDAD PARA SUS ANUELOS. ESTA REFORMA POSIBILITARÁ FINANCIAR A LARGO PLAZO 1.A REFORMA EDUCACIONAL, PUESTO QUE SE ESPERA PRODUCIR UN SHOCK DE INVERSIONES QUE ELEVARÁ NUESTRO CRECIMIENTO ECONÓMICO A MÁS DEL 8% ANUAL. EL 5 DE NOVIEMBRE, EN UNA REUNIÓN ORGANIZADA EN PARIS POR EL BANCO MUNDIAL, LA COMUNIDAD FINANCIERA INTERNACIONAL DEMOSTRÓ SU WFN 17:36 Rolivinn Fmhnssy war: Gabinete 1.Dono FOX 591-2-786359 FOGE is P/A CONFIANZA EN LAS REFORMAS DEL PRESIDENTE GONZALO SANCHEZ DE LOZADA. BOLIVIA RECIBIRÁ EN LOS PRÓXIMOS TRES AÑOS UN FINANCIAMIENTO DE APROXIMADAMENTE 1.050 MILLONES DE DOLARES, PARA EJECUTAR ESTAS REFORMAS. Los NIÑOS BOLIVIANOS OBTUVIERON ASI EL MEJOR REGALO DE NAVIDAD: UNA INVERSIÓN PARA EL CAMBIO QUE ALCANZA CASI AL 20% DEL PRODUCTO INTERNO BRUTO, Y QUE GARANTIZARÁ LA REFORMA EDUCACIONAL. MUCHOS CREÍAN QUE ESTOS SUEÑOS ERAN IMPOSIBLES. MUCHOS TAMBIÉN CREIAN QUE ERA IMPOSIBLE BAJAR LA INFLACIÓN DEL 26,000 AL 7%, TENER UN VICE-PRESIDENTE AYMARA DE ORIGEN CAMPESINO, LOGRAR UN CRECIMIENTO ECONÓMICO DE MAS DE 4% ANUAL, Y REDUCIR A LA MITAD EL DÉFICIT FISCAL. SIN EMBARGO, BOLIVIA PUDO. PORQUE, COMO DIJO EL POETA, "POR LOS NIÑOS TRABAJAMOS, PORQUE LOS NIÑOS SON LOS QUE SABEN QUERER, PORQUE LOS NIÑOS SON LA ESPERANZA DEL MUNDO". MUCHAS GRACIAS. 5 FROM UNICEF PLANNING GFFICE 14:35 x656.90 unicef PLANNING OFFICE United Nation Californ's Fund Ponds National Units pour Passpase Posido de also Nacional Unides para la Infancia 3 U.N. Plaza, New York, NY, 10017 (212) 326-7783/7466 Fax: (212) 303-7959 UNICEF Fax # (212) 888-7465/7454 FAX TRANSMISSION COVER SHEET Date: January 26, 1995 To: Nicole Rabner Fax: (202) 456-6244 Subject: Notes from Working Group on Youth Sender: Robert J. Ledogar, Senior Planning Officer YOU SHOULD RECEIVE 7 PAGE(S), INCLUDING THIS COVER SHEET. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE ALL THE PAGES, PLEASE CALL (212) 326-7783/7466. Our film people are working on the photos for you. Here are my notes, some In Spanish and some In English, on the dialogue that went on in the working group on Youth during the Miami Symposlum. On page 6 Is the Spanish text of the conclusions that were presented by Mrs. Frei at the luncheon. Please let me know if you have any problem with the translation. I'm sure that Melanne and Mrs. Clinton have heard by now that Jim Grant has resigned as Executive Director of UNICEF. His condition continues to deterioriate. Regards. FROM UNICEF PLANNING OFFICE 01.26.1995 14:36 SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS Grupo de Trabajo sobre Salud y Educación de los Adolescentes Presidente: Sra Marta Larraechea de Frei (Chile) Participantes: Mrs. Lacalle Mrs. Manning Mrs. Compton Mrs. Samper Mrs. Reina Mrs. Mrs. Asesora: Dra. Marta Mauras, Directora Regional de UNICEF Bra. de Frei politica juvenil integración identidad contribuir con su participación s aspectos basicos: 1. peligro de los abusos de drogas y el alcool 2. relaciones sexuales precoces 3. violencia 6. posibilidad de entrada al mundo de trabajo Bra. de Lacalle (Uruguay) Educación formal reingenieria educacion para la vida durante la epoca de vacaciones aprender que es un banco, como escribir cheques, etc. educación para la salud rodeados de cólera, hemos evitado que entre al pais proyeto CAIF Centros de Atención Infantil y Familiar (con asistencia de UNICEF) niños de 0-5 anos FROM UNICEF PLANNING OFFICE 01.26.1995 14:36 P. 2 Re: juventud 1. como protagonistas, que no piensan en el porvenir sino en el por hacer. 2. Necesidad de dar y de recibir el amor Mrs.Manning (Trinidad) Universal education T &T created a task force on education curriculum reform to make more relevant establish centers life skills self-esteem Re self-esteem: Surveys show lack of it in youth Have held workshops Sentization programs for teachers Pilot project for implementation in 1995 training of educators materials encourage prents to become involved corporate participation Health: Coping with adolescent sexuality. AIDS - female adolescentes one group at particular risk 1984 - 8 diagnosed cases end 1992 - 91 cases among choldren under age of ? adolescent pregnancy not only mother but the male also affected programmes: family life education in schools young males targeted NGOs involved Program: "Choices for adolescent mothers" another UN financed program ? Ssubstance abuse by children susceptibility to injuries (leading cause of fatality) mental illness & chronic diseases in later years School & community based projects seminars, buttons, bookmarks, use of media stimulating recreation programs Musical video on TV using leading performers FROM UNICEF PLANNING OFFICE 01.26.1995 14:36 4 Mrs. Manning showed a video of a popular singer: Refrain: "It's so cool to be drug free. It's 80 cool to be healthy.' "I take full responsibility for all that goes down me..." inside of me." "No damn drug baron is going to tell Resúmen (Sra. Presidente) Centralidad de la educación La tremenda fuerza que es la familia Participación de los jovenes mismos Acción concertada de diferentes sectores de la sociedad. Mrs. Clinton Easier to focus on children. We all feel a bit of confusion when it comes to adolescents. Re. Mrs. Manning's video. Yes it is natural to be rebellious. Mrs. Compton (st. Lucia) Workshops in St. Lucia with UNICEF funding. Assist parents child abuse child rights awareness & self esteem Mrs. Samper (Colombia) Entre los temas tocados por las primenras damas, esta es la primera oportunidad para sacar una propuesta para la juventud. Porque no proponemos que, a traves de UNICEF, de ir mas a 1a causa de los problemas de la juventud. Cambiar los valores. Mrs. Frei: de acuerdo Marta Mauras 1. Ninos y jovenes son sujetos de derecho. La Convención sobre los Derecho del Nifo....Rescatar los valores de la familia a traves de la educación. Rescatar a los hombres. 2. Acción central es eliminación de la pobreza y la integración social. Rescatar la centralidad de la inversion en educación y salud. FROM UNICEF PLANNING OFFICE 01.26.1995 14:37 5 3. La participación de los jovenes. Re: Mrs Compton. Councils of consulta. youth to participate. Consejos municipales y comunales de Sra Reina (Honduras) Honduras: Plan nacional para la juventud 1 planificacion de actividade 2. 3. servicio voluntario 4. empleo 5. 6. formación e información Politica social del estado Pacto para la infancia Mrs. (Caribbean) A balance for women between home & work Mrs. Compton Drug free groups in schools Sra. de Frei propuesta: que los sistemas educativos introduscan tema ligado al problema del medio ambiente Sra. Samper uso de los medios: algo como Sra. de (Panama) Los dos temas mas importantes: problema de la droga embarazo en adolescentes Mrs. (Caribbean) role of the church FROM UNICEF PLANNING OFFICE 01.26.1995 14:38 P.6 5 Sra de Lacalle importancia de los medios. Violencia mejorar condiciones economicos no necesariamente elimina problems de la juventud. Necesidad del amor. Contrarevolución manejada por los jovenes mismos. Estimular líderes juveniles. Sra de Samper Los lideres juveniles actuales no son los mejores Lacalle: por eso la contrarevolución Mrs. Manning Self-esteem program begins with the school, then the parents, 02/22/95 12:30 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 001 BANCO INTERAMERICANO DE DESARROLLO INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK BANCO INTERAMERICANO DE DESENVOLVIMENTO BANQUE INTERAMERICAINE DE DEVELOPPEMENT DOCUMENT TRANSMISSION FORM (LEAD PAGE) DATE: LEAD PAGE PLUS MESSAGE: SEND TO FAX ACCESS NUMBER: 2/22/95 (Enter total number of pages) 25 456-6244 To: Nicole Rabner (Name) office of (City the & Country) First Lady Attention: From: Nan Burroughs Phone: (202) 623-1396 Government Affairs Officer Fax: (202) 623-1402 Office of External Relations (EXR) Subject: Hard copy sent via messenger to NEOB NOTE: TRANSMISSION AUTHORIZED BY: If message received is garbled or incomplete, Nan B. Burroughs (Namo) please call Telephone No: 202-623-1728 EXR - Stop W1212 (Unit & Stop No.) (202) 623 - 1396 (Telephone No.) 02/22/95 12:30 6231402 IDB EXO/EXR 002 URUGUAY Well, I join myself with what Mrs. XXXXX said about thanking Mrs. Clinton and this country for their hospitality for joining us, is what T would call, a parallel conversation, but that at some point, it will join; because in this world, sometimes, we have some geometric XXXXXX, where luckily, the paralells meet; and maybe the soul and reflexions that we are doing today here or in some other time, is going to find the perfect intersection, necessary and possible with which, surely enough, the presidents are taking and trying to build, a few feet away. I would like to mention some reflexions, a little bit scattered around in Mrs. de Frey speech, that she has made minimum references to our country, considering, that sometimes our realities of how big is the country, of our different societies, economies and political differences; can after 5 years of experience, tell me that we have a lot to give and receive. So I'm going to start with the education, that maybe this 15 the root that can grow someday or got frustrated. in this case, I would like to mention the two types of education: In first place: what a formal educationis, through the Inicial education, primary education, secondary, that in our country is free and mandatory, for many years now, for all our people, children and adolescents; but that nowadays is being XXXXXX, because unfortunatelly, we see that not only there is economic problems or numeric, of how many children get to complete formal education; but how and when to determine things. Our country has done a very interesting experiment, apart from what the formal education is XXXXXXXX, I would say, that apart from this XXXXX, the educational system adjusting it to the new XXXX that the children and adolescents are going to face in life; we have tried to educate the young people from specific parts of the country, with less access, less possibilities, in economic terms, in labour and In those whom we have named education for life. During the summer months, vacations, we are trying, not only to replace the time that children are not being protected by an adecuate family infraestructure, but teaching them what is a balance, what is to go to a bank, what 15 a check, the money taht should go in or out; in other words to educate them for their own life and their own family in a near future. This has been a very XXXXXX plan, that we have done with some difficulties, because sometimes in some sectors of society, society tends to be more conservative. We had to break moldes, but I think that the results of this seeds are set, and hopefully we will be able to carry on with it, trying to convince people, that in life there are important things and things that are important. Also, the education for life, includes the health education. Our infraestructure for health has been tripled during this administration, similar numbers can be shown by the last adiministration, and still this is not enough, because the important line in health, are not stright and go only through material things; and is in this, with the collaboration of many institutes, like the Panamerican Health Organization we have started a XXXX very important. I want to show an example, i norder to be able to leave from here, with hope funded in the sense that educating for health. we can obtain xxxxxx; sometimes, not even the country expect it. In the case of Uruguay, a small country, in between those two big ones that are Argentina and Brazil, sharing with Paraguay a little bit of taht balance; we are surrounded, we even have terrestrial frontiers with countries that have the colera, that terrible desease that has

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BB [Briefing Book] Children of the Americas [binder] [1]

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collections	Records of the First Lady's Office (Clinton Administration) Melanne Verveer's Subject Files
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