Dacic said that we celebrating this international event in order to draw the public's attention to the obligations that the society has towards its youngest members.

"As you know, on this day in 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the then SFRY a year later, in December 1990, was among the first countries in the world to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child and so committed itself to providing her children with equal rights.", said Dacic adding that from the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to date - over 31 years, the Republic of Serbia has been demonstrating complete and continuous commitment to the protection of children's rights.

Dacic also said he was very pleased to be able to open today’s online conference which includes a session of student parliaments, because with it the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the Committee on the Rights of the Child want to draw attention to the importance of the Student Parliament as a form of children's participation in decision-making, and contribute to the strengthening of it.

"You, as the youngest members of our society, today have the opportunity to draw attention to the problems you are facing in the pandemic from your point of view.

It is our obligation to send a clear message from this gathering that we all need to make additional efforts so that children and young people can develop their potential without hindrance, as well as to create an environment in these challenging circumstances in which every child will feel safe, protected, happy and healthy", said National Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic.

In the continuation, read the speech of the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in its entirety:

“Dear children,

Dear young parliamentarians and other participants!

I am honoured and pleased to have the opportunity to address you on behalf of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and our Committee on the Rights of the Child on the occasion marking this important day - 20 November, World Children's Day.

We celebrate this international event in order to draw the public's attention to the obligations that the society has towards its youngest members.

As you know, on this day in 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and a year later, in December 1990, the then SFRY was among the first countries in the world to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child and so committed itself to providing her children with equal rights.

From the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to date - over 31 years, the Republic of Serbia has been demonstrating complete and continuous commitment to the protection of children's rights.

Marking this important day is an opportunity to continue to fulfil our obligations towards children, to analyze everything achieved so far in the domain of child protection, and to call on all responsible to further improve the position of children in our society.

I am especially pleased that on this very day, at the initiative of the Friends of Children of Serbia - our long-time partner, we are having this online conference, with the topic: “The Rights of the Child in Times of COVID-19" in which you - children and young people, representatives of Student Parliaments from the whole country, are taking active part.

It is important that today you have the opportunity to look at the situation concerning the exercise of children’s rights of children in times of COVID-19 from your own point of view, and express your opinion, experiences and views concerning this extremely important current topic.

Today, through this online platform, you exercise the right to participation, which includes the efforts of society as a whole, all state bodies, organizations and institutions, to encourage, support, guide, teach and help children and young people, individually or collectively, to express their opinions freely to the public.

Having in mind the importance of your right to participate in decision-making that concerns you, recognized by international and national documents, it is up to you to strengthen your influence on what is happening to you and around you, and it is up to the authorities and society to help and support you in this.

Dear parliamentarians, it is a great pleasure to be able to open this online conference today, within which we are also holding a session of student parliaments!

In this way, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the Committee on the Rights of the Child want to want to draw attention to the importance of the Student Parliament as a form of children's participation in decision-making, and contribute to the strengthening of it.

By participating in the work of the Student Parliament, in addition to the possibility of active involvement in decision-making, you gain certain knowledge and skills important for the development of democratic culture, such as: cooperation and teamwork, acceptance of diversity and non-discriminatory behaviour, decision-making, respect for different opinions. All of this will enable you to be the agents of development in the democratic society in the future.

Today, you, the young people, are facing numerous difficulties and problems caused by the rapid changes taking place in all segments of modern society. That is why one of the state and society’s important tasks is to provide assistance and protection to children and young people in the exercise of their rights.

Today's session of the Student Parliaments will be dedicated to the significance and challenges the whole world is facing, and that is COVID-19.

You, as the youngest members of our society, today have the opportunity to draw attention to the problems you are facing in the pandemic from your point of view.

It is our obligation to send a clear message from this gathering that we all need to make additional efforts so that children and young people can develop their potential without hindrance, as well as to create an environment in these challenging circumstances in which every child will feel safe, protected, happy and healthy.

I am sure that your conclusions from this session of the Student Parliaments will make a significant contribution to the joint struggle in preserving the rights of children and youth.

I wish you success in your work!