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Cover Story

Grades 4-6

A Forum For Kids

Delegate Gabriela Azurduy Arrieta, 13, from Bolivia, listens to a translation during a meeting.

This week, representatives from 150 countries will meet at the United Nations in New York City to discuss ways to improve the lives of children around the world. "Unfortunately, many governments don't give children the resources they deserve," said Carol Bellamy, head of the U.N.'s Children's Fund.

A new U.N. report revealed the following sad facts about the state of the world's kids:

One in four children lives in poverty.

More than 120 million kids never go to school. The majority of them are girls.

One in 12 children will die before age 5 from preventable diseases.

Child delegates listen to a panel of participants at the Special Session.

At the U.N.'s Special Session on Children, delegates will set goals to improve health care, education and other basic human rights for kids.

Nearly 400 kids will also take part in the meeting. Jehanzeb Khan, 15, is traveling from his village in Pakistan to address the conference. He suffers from polio, a disease that causes paralysis but can be prevented by a vaccine. Jehanzeb hopes to persuade leaders to improve health care in villages. "This [meeting] is important because it gives kids a chance to express our views about children's rights," he says.

Next: A Few Small Steps Toward Peace