DECLARATION OF THE III MEETING OF FIRST LADIES OF CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, PANAMA AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
20th August 2002, Guatemala City, Guatemala
We:
Leila de Pacheco, First Lady of the Republic of Costa Rica; Lourdes Rodríguez
de Flores, First Lady of the Republic of El Salvador; Evelyn Morataya de
Portillo, First Lady of the Republic of Guatemala; Carolina Maduro de
Villeda, First Lady of the Republic of Honduras; Lila Abaunza de Bolaños,
First Lady of the Republic of Nicaragua; Ruby Moscoso de Young, First Lady
of the Republic of Panama; Rosa Gómez de Mejía, First Lady of the
Dominican Republic and Joan Musa, Wife of the Prime Minister of Belize, in
this third meeting of First Ladies of Central America, Panama, Belize and
the Dominican Republic held in the city of Guatemala on August 20th,
2002.
CONSIDERING:
FIRST:
That it is a priority to fight for improving the conditions and quality of
life of children and adolescents, specially those who live in poverty.
SECOND:
That guaranteeing the rights of children and adolescents in our countries
demands deep analysis, planning, and the finding of viable solutions.
THIRD:
That fulfilling the rights of children and adolescents in our countries
demands deep analysis, planning, and the finding of viable solutions
FOURTH:
That there is a pressing need for strengthening the alliances among the
countries of the region in order to coordinate measures and supervise the
situation of the rights of children and adolescents within their families
and communities.
FIFTH:
That the ongoing meetings of First Ladies of Central America, Panama,
Belize and the Dominican Republic, started in El Salvador in the year 2000
with the purpose of using information as an instrument of action, have
triggered the adoption in our countries of several measures for the
protection of the rights of children in the Region.
SIXTH:
That in our countries the transit of people, particularly children and
adolescents have become more frequent, often showing the vulnerability of
the rights of children and adolescents in the region.
SEVENTH:
That to avoid infant mortality due to infectious diseases, especially
cases of classic and bleeding dengue, it is of paramount importance to
promote awareness among the whole population.
WE
AGREE:
1.
To support the development and execution of public policies,
programs and measures directed to improve the level and quality of life of
our children and adolescents, especially those living in conditions of
poverty.
2.
To promote the use of mass media as an instrument to sensitize
public opinion and especially to help children and adolescents to become
aware of their rights and obligations within their family and communities.
3.
To promote the enforcement and coordination of national juridical
norms and related international instruments within the legal framework of
each country.
4.
To acknowledge the efforts of the Inter-American Children's
Institute (IIN) to develop information systems and set up the Internet web
site for the monitoring and follow up of the application of policies to
help children.
5.
To encourage the countries which have not done so, to install the
Information System for the Monitoring of the Rights of the Child (SIPI) as
an instrument for the monitoring, evaluation and follow up on the
situation of children in our countries.
6.
To support measures that promote universal registry of births and
the creation of conditions that facilitate the registration immediately
after birth, within the local reality and legal norms of each country, in
order to comply with Art. 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
7.
To join efforts and coordinate measures to combat infectious
diseases, especially classic and bleeding dengue, by calling on the active
participation of the community and by pressing the institutions in charge
to ensure proper sanitary conditions of water, sewage, shelter and solid
waste treatment.
8.
To thank Ms. Evelyn Morataya de Portillo, First Lady of the
Republic of Guatemala, and all the Guatemala people for their hospitality
and for making this important event possible.
| Mr.
Alfonso Portillo, President of Guatemala, during the closing
ceremony of the III Meeting of First Ladies |
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| First Lady of the Republic of Panama, Ms. Ruby Moscoso de Young. |
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| Mr.
Alejandro Bonasso, IIN Director General, during the opening
ceremony of the III Meeting of First Ladies.
|
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| Living
statue during the opening ceremony of the III Meeting of First
Ladies.
|
|
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| First Lady of El Salvador, Ms. Lourdes Rodríguez de Flores. |
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| First Lady of Guatemala, Ms. Evelyn Morataya de Portillo |
