WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) - Thirty-one Nobel Peace Prize recipients have joined with the non-profit group Save the Children in calling for help for millions of children trapped in war zones around the world.
The letter, released Thursday, marks the 19th anniversary of the adoption of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Among those giving their support by signing the letter are former President Jimmy Carter, Elie Wiesel, the Dalai Lama and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The signers also includes organizations that won the award, such as Amnesty International and UNICEF.
The letter calls on people across the world to help educate the millions of children who are trapped in conflict zones.
"If more than 70 million children do not even have the chance to go to school, and more than half of these children live in countries affected by armed conflict — what are these children learning?" the letter says.
Save the Children is based in Westport, Conn. According to its Web site, the agency works to provide a better life for children in more than 110 countries.
(This version CORRECTS Corrects that Thursday marks 19th sted 20th anniversary of adoption of U.N. convention. Adds quote, adds that Nobel recipients taking part include groups such as UNICEF as well as individual.) |