You need to get up in the morning and say, 'Boy, I'm going to - in my own stupid way - save the world today.'

Children have in the past and continue to influence policy makers.

For example, UNICEF works with governments to change legislation such as in India where a law was passed raising the age of compulsory school completion to keep children in school and away from the workplace for longer.

A century that began with children having virtually no rights is ending with children having the most powerful legal instrument that not only recognizes but protects their human rights.

You need to get up in the morning and say, 'Boy, I'm going to - in my own stupid way - save the world today.'

And each of us can practice rights ourselves, treating each other without discrimination, respecting each other's dignity and rights.

The economic benefits of investing in children have been extensively documented. Investing fully in children today will ensure the well-being and productivity of future generations for decades to come. By contrast, the physical, emotional and intellectual impairment that poverty inflicts on children canmean a lifetime of suffering and want - and a legacy of poverty for the next generation.