UNICEF Deputy Chief Visits Türkiye, Praises Progress on Children's Rights

Kul Chandra Gautam, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, visited Türkiye in July 2006 to assess the country's work on behalf of children.

Speaking to the Anadolu Agency, Gautam said UNICEF is active in 168 countries and is focused on meeting the Millennium Development Goals. He credited Türkiye with meaningful efforts toward those targets.

Gautam noted that Türkiye was among the early signatories to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and moved quickly to put it into practice. He acknowledged the country's solid progress on children's rights while pointing to a persistent gap between the treatment of girls and boys.

He said closing that gap would strengthen Türkiye's bid for European Union membership. Overall, Gautam expressed satisfaction with the steps Türkiye has taken in both child welfare and broader development.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in July 2006, in its own words.