State of the world's children 2005: childhood under threat

The State of the World's Children 2005 makes clear, for nearly half of the two billion children in the real world, childhood is starkly and brutally different from the ideal we all aspire to. Poverty denies children their dignity, endangers their lives and limits their potential. Conflict and violence rob them of a secure family life, betray their trust and their hope. HIV/AIDS kills their parents, their teachers, their doctors and nurses. It also kills them.

With the childhood of so many under threat, our collective future is compromised. Only as we move closer to realizing the rights of all children will countries move closer to their goals of development and peace. When nations gather in 2005 for the five-year review of the implementation of the Millennium Declaration, I hope they will bear that in mind, and be ready to take far-reaching decisions that can translate our aspirations into reality.