At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, 189 Heads of State and Governments pledged to work together to make a better world for all by 2015. On behalf of their people, they signed the Millennium Declaration which promises to free men, women and children from the dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty and make the right to development a reality for everyone! Eight Millennium Development Goals were adopted, committing rich and poor countries to work together in a global partnership to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, ensure that all boys and girls complete primary school, promote gender equality, improve the health of mothers and children, reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, and protect the environment - all by 2015.

Children are real future decision-makers of local and national governance. They confront and identify the problems where adults can miss opportunity to see them.One of the main components of targeting group on MDGs are children. The United Nations Agencies put considerable effort to mobilize their resources and achieve effective results in strengthening health and life conditions of children aged 7-14 years.In Uzbekistan, children participate and encourage their peers to disseminate information on Millennium Development Goals through various initiatives and activities. MDGs campaign targeting children aimed at raising awareness on Millennium Development Goals and widely implementing outreach activities at the country and regional levels.

Since 2004 twelve schools in six regions and 540 students between the age of 7 and 17 took part in the Millennium Development Goals Poster Competition organized jointly by the Ministry of Public Education and the UN System in Uzbekistan. A local NGO helped coordinating the competition in the schools and bringing the MDG messages to children and teachers. During the various stages of the competition the UN system coordinated various presentations and training opportunities.

Along with the poster design competition, the UN CT has also supported two MDG theatre events. In October 2004, the students and young teachers of the University of Foreign Languages in Samarkand and Bukhara have staged an amateur, non professional theatre piece called "Pinocchio" in the capital Tashkent.

The event was linked to the awarding ceremony and brought together 500 children and adults, teachers and parents to view a modern version of the fairy tale in Uzbek language. During the event, children have explored the links between the tale and some of the MDGs by means of a "MDG game" played on stage with the actors.

MDG campaign involving schoolchildren began to widen in 2006, when MDG Youth Network Student Volunteers delivered learning sessions on Millennium Development Goals for UNESCO Summer Camp participants from different regions of Uzbekistan. Moreover, one of the big achievements was launching of the book " Adventures in the MDG world" to schoolchildren from "Istiqbol" Gymnasuim located in Margilan town of Ferghana oblast.

"Adventures in the MDG world"

Targeting children through storybooks is yet another way of effective public awareness campaign. MDG story book "Adventures in the MDG world" is targeted at children from 10 to 15 years old, aimed to introduce seven MDGs through a popular national character Khoja Nasreddin.
Khoja Nasreddin is a widely known joker, folklore character who comes from the XXIII century and makes a journey to the present day Uzbekistan. He experiences life in cities and rural areas and asks his new friends many puzzling questions on education, diseases, the dried out Aral Sea and others. During his travel he gives advice to young people. Mainly this book describes the Millennium Development Goals and identifies the priority tasks that children can do themselves to make their life better and safer.

The story book provides some questions and tasks for children to complete, thus encouraging them to reflect on their everyday lives. Not only stories are interesting in this book, but also it suggests some interactive games to solve them is more interesting. A young reader will have to answer this kind of questions, such as "How can you be trained to future profession now?"" What can be done to promote the rights of girls and boys in education", "Why kids need inoculations in their early lives?"

"I liked this book very much; it gave me an understanding of what our world and what we should do to make my life more interesting and better. I realized how essential to get education not only in subjects taught in our schools, but also about health, infectious diseases and how I can prevent myself from them"- pupil of Gymnasium "Istoqbol" in Margilan town.

Moreover, the book provides many opportunities to children to organize awarding ceremonies and make postcards on each Millennium Development Goals.