Mr. Bertrand Ramcharan, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2003 – 2004

How does one speak to children about their rights ?

Message from Mr. Bertrand Ramcharan :

How is it possible to convert the grand promises contained in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child into concrete actions ?

How can the United Nations contribute to the creation of a global communication tool dedicated to the rights of the adults of tomorrow ?

A hopeful answer to these questions is found in CyberDodo®, the Defender of Life, with his Edupack destined for schools all over the world and his internet platform open to all.

I had a great personal interest in continuing the work of my predecesors, Mary Robinson, who supported this initiative since its inception and the late Sergio Vieira de Mello, who accorded the project its great international stature.

How can the UN International Convention on the Rights of the Child be explained to children in a way that they will immediately understand? What tool must be created?

The premises of this initiative bring together over ten years of research which mobilised children, parents, psychologists, educators and other experts, notably the Committee on the Rights of the Child, regarding the best way to render the message of the Convention accessible to children.

The ambitious scope of the project was clear : as only one convention serves the entire world, so should one tool suffice to inform all children of their rights - but no such tool existed!

The CyberDodo® -Defender of Life - Team in partnership with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have developed a simple and effective ‘edutainment’ method which both addresses multiculturalism while integrating diverse pedagogical approaches. As such, each child can find a way to engage with the material that corresponds to his or her cognitive structure and individual preferences.

1.        reading
2.        drawing
3.        logic
4.        arithmetic
5.        projection
6.        attention
7.        comprehension of instructions

The objective is to inspire children’s interest in the Convention and their knowledge thereof by means of at least one of these entry points.

Inpractical terms, a significant work was realized with the development of 40 animated cartoon episodes, 7 albums and a community internet platform.

I would like to warmly congratulate all who have contributed to this project. I am very pleased to have supported and participated in this initiative which shall prove to be a great success in ensuring that the rights of children are better respected.