Children From 42 Countries to Combat Climate Change, Hunger, and Other Current Issues at 'Children's UN'

Children's General Assembly 2021

Once again, the world's children will gather to voice their opinions on some of the most important issues at hand at the Children's General Assembly. September 13 through 15, 80 children from 42 countries of residence are invited to take part in a three-day summit in the Capital of Children, Billund in Denmark. 

One of the participants this year is Olivia Jean Bahadur from Canada. She's looking forward to sharing her ideas with children from all over the world, and she hopes to make the world leaders - and all of us - listen. 

"If there's one thing, I could change in the world it would be how people communicate and listen to each other. To communicate you have to listen and put yourself in other people's shoes. If people are not able to listen to each other, relationships are broken, people get hurt, and arguments start without communication. It will be impossible to find solutions and move forward without communication," she says. 

Another participant, Aumake Musonda Aaron from Botswana, is worried about how we as a society judge each other.  

"I would change the leaving behind of children in most of the national decision making as children's views are not taken into consideration when countries make decisions at a national level. For I truly believe that you are never too young to make a difference," she says. 

The assembly results in a political catalogue and a manifesto that all children have to sign. 

Creativity and passion 
From April to September, the children will take part in 48 online-based workshops on their interests and geography. The workshops are led by skilled facilitators and are based on the core values of co-creation and learning through play.  

Among the themes are "Who we are, and how we express ourselves." The first workshops took place during April 24 and 25. 

"We're really happy to have such a diverse field of participants so that we can reflect the children from all parts of the world. Compared to last year, we have more participants from developing countries and from a wider range of countries in general. From the first workshops we're blown away by the creativity and passion that the future generation holds, and we can't wait to see what they have to tell the world leaders in the coming months," says Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, at Capital of Children. 

The participants will be assisted by the Children's General Assembly Panel, which is an advisory board that consists of former participants. The advisory board will guide the children through the process and share their experiences from participating in Children's General Assembly 2021 and taking part in the worldwide democratic dialogue.  

For further information, contact: 

Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, CEO of Capital of Children, +45 51 50 46 97 

For contact with children:  

Jonas Hjortdal, advisor at King Street Communication, jonas@kingstreetpr.dk, +45 60 55 98 49 

Timeline: 

Late April: Participants are chosen. 

April-September: The participants will be invited to online meetings and workshops on different topics. 

August: All the ideas are gathered in a catalogue to present them to each other as well as world leaders. 

September 13-15: The participants will meet in Billund, Denmark, to present and discuss the ideas and solutions. 

Participants by country of residence: 

5 participants: Denmark.

4 participants: South Africa. 

3 participants: Botswana, Canada, India, Italy, Latvia, Slovenia, Tanzania, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam.

2 participants: Burkina Faso, Kenya, Lesotho, Norway, Serbia, Singapore, Sweden, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

1 participant: Armenia, Australia, Austria, China, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Malawi, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistand, Philippines, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, and Wales. 

About Children's General Assembly:  
The Children's General Assembly has been developed by the organization Capital of Children and many other partners in Billund, the Capital of Children. All children and young people between the ages of 10 and 17 can apply to participate in the summit, regardless of gender, nationality, religion, or disability.    

The Children's General Assembly is developed by the Capital of Children Partnership, formed and qualified with a group of children from Billund. 
 
The initiative is developed in collaboration with Billund Municipality, the International School of Billund, the LEGO Foundation, CoC Playful Minds, the LEGO Group, Billund Airport, LEGO House, WOW PARK, LEGOLAND, Lalandia, the Drive Foundation, KIRKBI, and AV Design.