Children’s Day is recognized on various days in many places around the world. It is a special day set aside to honour children globally. First proclaimed by the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in 1925, it was established universally in 1954 to protect children and allow them access to an education. The UN General Assembly recommended that all countries should establish a Universal Children’s Day on an “appropriate” day.
There is a saying in my country that children are the leaders of tomorrow. How true! Indeed children are the future of any nation as they carry with them the collective hopes and dreams of any nation’s existence. It is therefore crystal clear why the Government of Mongolia is so keen and committed to ensuring that the next generation is poised to improve on the giant strides already taken by the government in the areas of protection of the environment and wildlife conservation.
In Mongolia, the International Children’s Day is celebrated on June 1 every year. This year’s activities took place at the Central Square, Ulaanbaatar and they were themed on the environment. The day provided a great opportunity to educate the young people about the theme for World Environment Day theme this year.
Thousands of young children and teenagers, accompanied by their parents and teachers gathered from as early as 7am at the Central Square in Ulaanbaatar for this year’s Children’s Day celebrations elegantly attired in both traditional and contemporary costumes. Various activities for children centered on the environment were carried out including painting competitions, flashmobs, dances and various games. The occasion provided a lively and energetic atmosphere which afforded the perfect opportunity to educate these young people about various environmental topics such as food waste, waste recycling, wildlife conservation and lots more through interesting means such as games.
The celebrations began with a March past and parade by school children, after which various children groups came to perform in dance and songs. Particularly fascinating for me was the Purevdorj family who came all the way from the Khuvsgul province, about 779km from the capital Ulaanbaatar to perform at the celebrations. The family won the “Talented family” contest involving all of the 21 provinces of Mongolia and performed to the delight of all present. Their lead singer is the 9 year old Michidmaa Purevdorj who is both bold and adorably charming. The high points of the celebration were the performance by popular Mongolian singer Saraa as well as the flashmob which involved over 1000 kids!
The Government was well represented in the celebrations. The Mayor of Ulaanbaatar, Erdene Bat-Uul was present as well as the Minister of Environment and Green Development, Dr S. Oyun. They both addressed the children talking about the need for them to love their environment and protect it. The Mayor reiterated the pledge of the government to make Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia’s capital city) “greener” as well as making it the “city that cares for children and the environment the most”. In addition, Mr Nick Nuttall, Communications Director and Spokesperson for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was present to give “Eco family awards” to some of the children. The celebrations continued till well past 6pm as more and more children thronged the Central Square.
The events of this day would clearly leave an indelible mark on these children and thus through this year’s Children’s Day celebration in Mongolia, we have been able to secure the next generation and lead them in the path of eco-friendliness.
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