22^nd October 2001, Managua, Nicaragua

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We: Lorena Clare de Rodríguez, First Lady of the Republic of Costa Rica; Evelyn Morataya de Portillo, First Lady of the Republic of Guatemala; Mary Flake de Flores, First Lady of the Republic of Honduras; María Fernanda Flores de Alemán, First Lady of the Republic of Nicaragua; Ruby Moscoso de Young, First Lady of the Republic of Panamá; Rosa Gómez de Mejía, First Lady of the Dominican Republic and Lourdes Rodríguez de Flores, First Lady of the Republic of El Salvador.

WHEREAS:

The convenience of continuing the Meetings that started in the Republic of El Salvador last year, with the aim of providing our countries with the management tools that allow them to know the real situation of children and youth in our countries. It should be acknowledged that the Inter-American Children´s Institute has developed a series of instruments that enable us to measure the impact caused by plans and policies our countries have fostered to guaranty the protection and full development of children and youth. And observing the needs to strengthen the horizontal communication among those who work in favour of the rights of children and youth in our countries, which will enable a greater co-ordination of actions.

WE AGREED TO:

1. Foster communication and co-ordination among bodies governing the issue of Children’s Rights, specially in those actions concerning violations of Children´s Rights who have migrated on their own or with their families, applying for that purpose the proposal put forward by the Interamerican Children’s Institute, in its web site: www.coordIINacion.org
2. Assign the Inter-American Children’s Institute the performance of a diagnosis of the Registry of Births, as well as the search for solutions to this problem which occurs in several of our countries and which is vital for the protection and defence of the Children´s Rights in the Region.
3. Promote actions in our countries trying to make children and youth of the Region aware of their own rights and of ways of demanding their compliance, and also to look after the competent bodies guarantying said actions.
4. Encourage the active participation of the mass media of our countries in order to spread the concepts deriving from the Convention on Children’s Rights.
5. Urge the Inter-American Children’s Institute to investigate pro-active ways through which children and youth of our countries can train themselves with respect to human rights.
6. To thank Lic.María Fernanda Flores de Alemán, First Lady of the Republic of Nicaragua for calling and organizing said meeting, and also to the Inter-American Children’s Institute for its technical support in order to hold this meeting and, last but not least to the people of Nicaragua for their hospitality.

María Fernanda Flores de Alemán, First Lady of the Republic of Nicaragua, speaks to the plenary during the inauguration of the II Meeting of First Ladies.

       Lic. Alejandro Bonasso, Director General of the
 Inter-American Children's Institute, during the
  inauguration of the II Meeting of First Ladies.

     First Lady of the Republic of El Salvador, Lourdes Rodríguez de Flores.

       First Lady of the Republic of Guatemala; Mary Flake
 de Flores

The audience