Children and Families of Ethnic Minorities, Immigrants and Indigenous Peoples

The seventh Innocenti Global Seminar, held in Florence in October 1996, brought together participants with a wide range of experiences and perspectives to discuss discrimination against ethnic minorities, immigrants and indigenous peoples and to suggest how their needs can be better accommodated in programming and advocacy. The Report emphasizes participation, education and empowerment and calls for systematic attention to be paid to minority populations in all situation analyses. While it recognizes that the political climate in many countries can make advocacy on behalf of minority groups difficult, it also stresses that the near-universal ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child brings with it an obligation to speak out for the rights of all children, and particularly the most disadvantaged.