The 79^th Meeting of the Directing Council of the Inter-American Children Institute was held in Mexico City, October 25-26 2004. The Delegates elected the President, the Vice-President and the Executive Committee of the Directing Council for the 2004-2006 term. Ana Teresa Aranda Orozco, Delegate of Mexico, was elected President. Delia del Gatto Reyes, Delegate of Chile, was elected Vice-President and Ambassador Carmen Bergés de Amaro, Delegate of the Dominican Republic, was elected President  of Honor of the IIN Directing Council. Other elected Executive Committee members are Peru (representing the Andean Region), Paraguay (representing the Southern Cone), Honduras (representing Central America), Trinidad and Tobago (representing the English-speaking Caribbean) and Canada (representing North America). 

During this meeting, the delegates analyzed the Annual Report of the IIN to the Thirty-Fifth Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly, 2005 and the 2005-2008 Strategic Plan and Special Meeting of the Directing Council. They manifested also their solidarity to Paraguay for the tragedy caused by the fire at Ycuá Bolaños Supermarket. Moreover, a special meeting of the Directing Council was planned for April 2005 in Brasilia, Brazil to submit for its consideration the  Strategic Plan for the 2005-2008 term. The 80^th Meeting of the Directing Council of the IIN is scheduled for October 2005, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 

After the 79^th Directing Council of the IIN, the Nineteenth Pan American Child Congress convened by the Inter-American Children’s Institute was held in Mexico City, October 27-29, 2004. The central theme chosen for this Congress was “The Family: Basis for the Integral Development of Children and Adolescents.” The Congress begun with an address from the Interim General Secretary of the OAS, Ambassador Luigi Einaudi who made some remarks about the theme of the conference and the importance of family in the development of Children. 

The participants integrated different working groups divided in six sub-themes, such as “The Family as the Institution with Primary Responsibility for Protection, Upbringing, and Integral Development of the Child”, “Evolution of the Child’s Relationship with the Family”, “The Doctrine of Integral Protection and Current Family Law”, “Family Violence and its Impact on Child Development”, “Promoting a Culture of Respect for Children’s Rights: The Roles of the Family, the State, Civil Society, and the Media”. 

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To view the Report of the Inter-American children's Institute to the General Assembly on the situation of Children and the Family in the Americas for 2003, please click here. 

More than one hundred judges, prosecutors, lawyers, legislators, academics from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay gathered in Montevideo, Uruguay, this past May 8th, 2003 for a Round Table on the legal status and human rights of children and adolescents under the inter-American system. The meeting was held in light of the "Consulted Opinion OC-17/2002" that was released by the Inter-American Court on August 28, 2002 as a result of the petition of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), addressing the "Human rights and juridical condition of children".

The UNICEF report on the State of the World's Children for 2003 focuses on child participation or the "right of all children to have their opinions taken into account when decisions that affect them are made". The report concluded that child participation involves encouraging and empowering boys and girls so that they express their views on the issues that affect them. The participation leads to adults listening to children and this process ensures the freedom of the child to expressed itself and assume their standpoints when decisions pertaining them are made. Involving children in this dialogue and the exchange of ideas then makes it possible for them to "learn constructive ways of influencing the world that surrounds them." The report also presents examples of significant child participation from all the regions of the world.

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The Inter-American Children's Institute (IIN) organized a meeting on November 21-22, 2002, which took place in Montevideo, Uruguay. The purpose of the meeting was to analyze measures for a greater social integration of children with disabilities. Specialists from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay attended.

Present state of public policies for the educational and social inclusion for the children with disabilities were discussed. They also examined the adapting process of the National norms, treaties and international conventions. According to statistics from the IIN, 10 percent (around 20 million) of the children living in Latin America and the Caribbean suffer from some type of disability and of these, 12 million live in poverty.

The IV Ibero-American Conference of Ministers and High Level Authorities Responsible for Policies on Children and Youth took place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on October 28-30, 2002. Participants at this event included government authorities, Ibero-American ministers and representatives from the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), International Labor Organization (OIT), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

The objective of this event was to identify the financial mechanisms that guarantee the human resources, technicians and economists necessary for the implementation of the plans of action of the Inter-American Agenda for Children. They also evaluated the efforts currently being made by countries in the region, which influence and establish priorities in the area of children and youth.  Finally, they also analyzed the cooperation and investment experiences through international organisms. 

ECLAC and UNICEF, with the support of the Secretariat for Ibero-American Cooperation, presented the document "New Challenges to Improve the Quality of Life of Girls, Boys and Ibero-American Youth", which defined the basis for the regional project development with regards to issues of children and youth, were defined. 

The Conference closed with the approval of the Santo Domingo Declaration, which is a judicial instrument that will be used to implement the Ibero-American Agenda for Children and Youth.

In fulfillment of a Quebec City Summit mandate to work to reduce cases of international child abduction, the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IACI) organized a Governmental Meeting of Experts on International Abduction of Minors by one of their Parents, which took place in Montevideo, Uruguay, on August 12-13, 2002.  The purpose of the two-day meeting was to examine the international practice of enforcing the regulatory instruments related to the international abduction of minors by one of their parents, as well as to carry out an analysis of the current status of this phenomenon in the Americas.

In preparation for the meeting, the IACI made several preparatory documents available on this issue and its importance for the governments of the Americas.  Along with a Newsletter on the August meeting, the IACI has also published a report on the International Abduction of Minors in the Americas by one of their Parents, a paper on the Inter-American Program on Cooperation to Prevent and Remedy Cases of International Abduction of Minors by one of their Parents and the agenda for the meeting. 

At the 77^th meeting of the Directing Council of the Inter-American Children’s Institute (the IIN, or Instituto Interamericano del Niño) held May 13-15, 2002 in Washington, D.C., important steps were taken to promote the success and health of the children of the Americas. The meeting included the participation of Member States delegates and experts on children’s affairs, and was able to utilize information and progress made at the May 8-10, 2002 UN Special Session on Children held in New York City, New York. The main objective of the 77^th IIN meeting was to promote a healthier standard of living for the children of the Western Hemisphere while eradicating the most serious of problems many of these children face daily.

Issues addressed included the problems of child labor, sexual exploitation of children and the situation of children living in the street. Importantly, the interconnectedness of these issues was addressed as a focal point for OAS Member States’ efforts as an area in which to facilitate and promote change. In addition to the aforementioned areas of concern, the IIN’s ‘Strategic Plan’ gives priority to combating problems of juvenile drug and alcohol dependencies and in promoting the social and educational integration/inclusion of children with disabilities and handicaps.

At the meeting it was decided that the 78^th meeting of the Directing Council of the Inter-American Children’s Institute would be held in Santiago, Chile in March of 2003. For more information regarding the Inter-American Children’s Institute, please visit their Web site at www.iin.oas.org, and for information regarding resolutions passed at the 77^th meeting of the Directing Council, visit http://www.iin.oas.org/nexo_77_reunion_CD_ingles.htm.

On May 8-10, 2002, the United Nations (UN) held their Special Session on Children, where government leaders, Heads of State, civil society organizations, child advocates and children themselves met to discuss progress made since the 1990 World Summit for Children and renew their commitment to serving and protecting the children of the world. 

The official meeting included three distinct parts: a debate, where participants were allowed to present their ideas in the plenary; an ad hoc committee of the whole; and a set of three round tables, to discuss the theme Renewal of commitment and future action for children in the next decade.  

The Special Session was also accompanied by other supporting events, including a Religious Leader’s Symposium, a Parliamentary Forum, a Forum on Women’s Leadership for Children, a Panel on Financing a World Fit for Children and a Celebration of Leadership for Children.  Immediately prior to the Special Session approximately 400 children from around the world gathered to discuss key actions for children.  They had a chance to comment and make suggestions on the document that eventually came out of the Special Session on Children, entitled A World Fit for Children.  

To see more information on this UN meeting, including its agenda and other background information please click here.  To see other documents related to this meeting, you can click here, as well. 

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