Adopted by the Central Committee, Geneva, 11-19 September 1997.

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child, the (Central Committee):

encourages member churches to monitor the implementation of the convention on the Rights of the Child by their governments;

urges member churches together with their ecumenical agencies and partners to present independent information to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in their country;

(urges the Council to) work with member churches and ecumenical partners to facilitate a consultation of children and adults working with marginalised children by the year 2000, to evaluate the implementation of the Convention in their countries and the role played by churches to create new attitudes and conditions in favour of marginalized children;

address the many and complex issues surrounding the question of child labor, considering seriously the perspective of children;

develop an ecumenical strategy and statement calling for the improvement of child worker conditions to be presented in Harare;

support the child workers in the process of reviewing the existing international legislation with appropriate legal representation and combating the exploitative and abusive forms of child labor, (and)

In view of the damage done (by participation in war) to children, their development and the future wellbeing of their community,

asks member churches to encourage their national governments to support d1e addition to the Convention on the Rights of the Child of a clause raising the age of conscription to 18 years.