World Children’s Day 2023: Partnering to Advocate for Child Rights
UNICEF teamed up with old and new friends to raise awareness about the rights of children
In 2023, World Children’s Day in Kyrgyzstan featured chess games, a World Cup qualifying football match, the opening of new child-parent rooms at the airport, a takeover of national television and much more. Celebrated in partnership with old and new friends of UNICEF, this day has helped to bring the rights and prosperity of the children back into the spotlight.
Give Children Wings to Fly
Parents and children passing through Manas International Airport can now enjoy more comfortable and welcoming parent-child spaces. These spaces were revamped as part of a larger collaboration between UNICEF and Manas International Airport, commemorating World Children’s Day.
The rooms are now secluded and equipped breastfeeding areas, as well as play areas for children, with books and toys. They are adorned to create a more inviting atmosphere for young travellers. Passengers can easily spot the rooms in the main hall and the domestic flight zone, thanks to their vibrant colours and distinctive door signs.
Furthermore, passengers with children traveling through the airport on World Children’s Day received special gifts of aeroplanes to mark this day. This was part of the campaign titled "Give Children Wings to Fly," which aimed to encourage adults to support children in every possible way.
Local airlines TezJet and AviaTraffic joined the campaign by announcing this special day on their flights, and welcoming all children on board.
Kids Takeover
The partnership with Manas Airport was also featured in the news on the largest television network - the National Television and Radio Corporation (NTRC). But there was a twist – the reporter was a 12-year-old girl named Ayike Turatbekova.
In addition to renovated rooms at the airport, the young reporter showed viewers how a six-year-old boy took over some of the traditional jobs at the airport. On World Children’s Day, the boy checked passenger luggage through at a security checkpoint, stamped boarding passes and even welcomed passengers on a domestic flight.
“Kids Takeover” is a years-long tradition introduced by UNICEF to empower children and remind the world that children have their voices, and we must listen to them. Thousands of NTRC viewers learned about the tradition on this report.
World Cup Match and Children with Disabilities
On 21 November, Bishkek hosted a FIFA World Cup qualifying match between the national teams of Kyrgyzstan and Oman. The national teams were accompanied onto the field by 24 children, including children with disabilities. This initiative was a collaboration between UNICEF and the Kyrgyz Football Association, to mark World Children's Day.
The main goal is to draw public attention to children's rights, especially the rights of the most vulnerable children, and underscore the significance of sports and football in child development.
General Secretary of the Kyrgyz Football Union Nurdin Bukuev: “Events like this where children participate play an important role in drawing attention to issues related to development, health, education, and inclusion. Sports, and especially football, play an important role in the development of children. Every child is important to us, and we are glad that together with UNICEF we can remind the public about issues around children.”
Children with Incredible Abilities
On 17 November, more than 80 chess players with disabilities, including children, came together at a chess tournament in Bishkek. The tournament, dedicated to World Children’s Day, was organized by the Public Union “Chess Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic”, with support from UNICEF.
The goals of the three-day tournament included promoting chess, healthy lifestyles and engaging children with disabilities in sports.
Focusing on Child Rights
UNICEF also organized a number of events to raise awareness about the rights of children that were first laid out in the Convention of the Rights of the Child. Kyrgyzstan adopted and ratified this United Nations Convention almost 30 years ago.
Around World Children’s Day, UNICEF volunteers conducted lessons about the Convention for 30,000 students in 95 schools. They presented the history of the Convention, the main articles and who is responsible for making sure that children’s rights are protected.
UNICEF also partnered with Bashta Public Foundation to create a short and engaging video about the formal processes behind the Convention. The video explained what signing this convention means for Kyrgyzstan and how the United Nations Committee follows up the country’s obligations under the Convention. The video received over 60,000 views on social media.
All of the events were accompanied by social media posts by UNICEF and partners. More than 112 publications in social media reached over 200,000 people in a few days around 20 November.
