The Rights Of The Child

UNICEF is a charitable organisation set up to help children worldwide, in any way humanly possible. In 1989 they set up a treaty called The Convention On The Rights Of The Child, which is the most ratified Treaty in the world. It has reached its twenty year anniversary and has been responsible for spectacular changes to children’s rights, including their right to play, to express themselves and to have a say in decisions that affect them. Anyone who has heard Michael’s speech in 2001 to the University of Oxford Students’ Union will recognise the sentiments expressed by Michael that day. He spoke movingly and forcefully on just such rights, and it seems that his influence helped make children’s lives better.

Michael loved children unconditionally and his interest helped to put their rights on the global agenda. Many of his charitable contributions, which numbered millions of dollars, were specifically for children and he has improved radically the lives of many young people in the world.

To read more on the Convention please click here.

Source: UNICEF & MJWN with special thanks to Elizabeth Olney