News of the Inter-American Children's Institute - 2002   
                                                         News of the Inter-American Children's Institute up to November 2003   
News of the Inter-American Children's Institute up to December 2004    

DECEMBER NEWS  

Brazil’s Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, a performer, singer-songwriter and creator of more than 500 musical compositions, and true representative of Brazilian popular music, performed “Eu Quero,” the Portuguese-language version of the song “Yo Quiero” (“I Wish”), sung in Spanish by Ruben Rada. “Eu Quero” is the first in a series of 7 videos on Children’s Rights produced by the Inter-American Children’s Institute, whose Portuguese-language versions were launched on December 14 in Brasilia. The launch was attended by the President of the Republic, Luis Inácio Lula Da Silva, and the President of the IIN Directing Council, Ana Teresa Aranda, along with the Director General a.i. of the IIN, Alejandro Bonasso. This initiative was a joint effort between Brazil’s TVE Educational Television Network, the Inter-American Children’s Institute and the Brazilian Government’s Special Secretariat for Human Rights. Other performers on the videos, in addition to Gilberto Gil, were Joyce and Margareth Menezes, Jorge Versilho, Luiz Melodía, Ná Ozzetti, Bruno Gouveia (Biquini Cavadão) and Fernanda Takai (Pato Fu). 

During his stay in Brasilia for the launch of the videos in Portuguese, the Director General also attended the training sessions run by Information Program Coordinator Julio Rosenblatt and Documentalist Silvana Bruno, at the Special Secretariat for Human Rights of the Ministry of Justice of Brazil. The objective was to prepare the human resources who will be running the local child and family information network, which will be part of the RIIN. There, he made a presentation on the National Child System and the illustrated books on children’s rights. 

Legal Program Coordinator Piero Solari gave a paper entitled “Scope of the Inter-American Convention on the International Return of Children” at the Seminar for Latin American Judges on International Child Abduction, held in Monterrey, Mexico. 

In Asunción, Paraguay, a Forum was held for the presentation of the “National Child and Adolescent Protection and Advocacy System” and the “2005-2006 Institutional Operating Plan” of the National Secretariat for Children and Adolescents (SNNA), created with the technical cooperation of the IIN. Speakers at the Opening Ceremony included the Minister of Child and Adolescent Affairs of Paraguay, Dr. Mercedes Brítez de Buzó; the UNICEF Representative in Paraguay, Adriano González Regueral; and the Coordinator of the IIN’s Program for the Integral Promotion of Children’s Rights, Gustavo Forselledo. The event, which was organized by the SNNA, the IIN and UNICEF, was attended by legislators, ministers, representatives of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the National Child and Adolescent Council, authorities and professionals from Paraguayan NGOs, adolescent and adult volunteers, children, and the general public.