U.N. Postpones Children's Summit; Release of State of the World Population Report

Sept. 14 - In the wake of Tuesday’s terror attacks in the United States, The United Nations postponed two events planned for this month and condemned the actions against U.S. targets, pledging to "bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors" of the devastation.

The General Assembly decided to postpone the Children's Summit, originally scheduled to take place on September 19-21 in New York, to an undetermined date. Also, the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) rescheduled the release of the 2001 State of the World Population Report, “Footprints and Milestones: Population and Environmental Change” for November 7, 2001. For more information and to enquire about embargoed copies, please contact Corrie Shanahan (Tel: 212-297-5023) or Victoria Rector (Tel: 212-297-5022). Please be advised that telephone voice mail at UNFPA headquarters is still not functioning.

The first World Summit for Children was held in 1990, and delegates this year were to assess the successes and failures of the last decade and adopt a new plan to tackle tragedies such as AIDS orphans, child soldiers and trafficking in children. More than 75 world leaders, thousands of delegates and hundreds of children were scheduled to attend the 2001 summit.

The State of World Population 2001 notes that rising affluence—resulting in unprecedented resource consumption, pollution and waste—and persistent poverty contribute to environmental problems. Both are linked to population concerns. Implementing and adequately funding internationally agreed actions to reduce poverty, empower women and promote social development will be essential to ensuring the well-being of growing human populations and protecting the natural world, according to the report.

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