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Twelve children, one of them from India, met the UN secretary general in New York on 7 May as part of a Nickelodeon effort to support Say Yes for Children, a children‘s rights initiative spearheaded by UNICEF.
During the 30 minute meeting, taped for broadcast by MTV Asia and Nick, the young people, hailing from Japan, Malaysia, Australia, Zambia, Hungary, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, UK, Brazil and India, asked Kofi Annan questions on children‘s rights and HIV/AIDS. The children later presented 95 million Say Yes for Children ballots submitted by young people worldwide to Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel and Nane Annan in a ceremony involving 370 young people from around the world. The ballots were presented officially to the UN secretary general at the opening of the United Nations Special Session on Children, which convened in New York on 8 May.
An Asian Youth Charter was also presented to the secretary general on the occasion. The charter is a compilation of ideas, views, issues and desires expressed by young people across Asia during the Speak Your Mind campaign, a joint pro-social initiative by UNICEF, MTV Asia and the Levi‘s brand.
