We, the over 32,000 students of City Montessori School, Lucknow, on behalf of World's two-billion children and generations yet unborn, beg to submit this appeal and hereby submit as follows:

1) That, the present world situation is grim owing to the stockpile of more than 36,000 nuclear, chemical and biological weapons capable of destroying the world several times over and also due to the problems of International terrorism, drug trafficking, conflicts between nations, global warming and ecological imbalance, alarming growth of deserts and desertification world over, melting of the polar ice caps and the Siberian peat bogs, threaten our future to no end;

2) That we, the children of the world feel that in such a situation, our future is not safe and that our elders are not doing enough to save us from such agony and we are continuously living under the danger of total destruction by nuclear holocaust or by global warming and environmental destruction;

3) That, plight of children is evident from U.N. figures, according to which 40,000 children under the age of five die each day from malnutrition and preventable diseases; in the last decade of the last century, 2 millions children died in war, 4 to 5 million are handicapped, 12 million became homeless and one million lost their parents or were separated from them and over 300 thousand have been exploited as soldiers, bearers and mine-workers. Besides, over 100 million children through out the world are forced to work under hazardous and often fatal conditions; more than 10 million are child refugees and 113 million children never ever begin school;

4) That, on one hand, huge resources are being squandered on production of weapons of mass destruction and on war preparedness; on the other hand, owing to paucity of resources a very large number of children all over the world are divested of their rights to education, food, shelter and clothing, to live in peace and security.

5) That, according to U.N. figures, in the year 1995, more than 1.5 million dollars were spent on defence every single minute by various countries which comes to about 800 billion dollars in one year. According to U.N. estimates, an additional amount of only 28 billion US dollars, over and above the amount being spent presently, would be required per year to achieve universal basic education, ensure basic health and nutrition for all and provide clean water and sanitation world wide.

6) That, the above situation demands complete transformation of the present world order because protecting the rights of the children all over the world is the moral responsibility of the international community which can be met only by empowering the International Court of Justice to settle disputes among nations and dispense justice and strengthening the United Nations Systems. Only then it will be possible to regulate international conduct so as to ensure unity and peace in the world and safety from danger of eco disaster and terrorism etc. so that the problems of children of the world be suitably addressed and their various rights safeguarded;

7) That, in spite of the efforts of the League of Nations and the United Nations Organization, there has been large scale violence and wars and also world wars. Millions of people have been killed and maimed and millions of children have either died or maimed or have been orphaned due to wars, disease, hunger or malnutrition. Decision makers do not appear to be concerned with our plight and it has compelled us to approach Your Honors;

8) That, solutions of the present day problems are urgently required and we crave for a peaceful atmosphere, full of love, unity, brotherhood and understanding and a safe future for our own sake and for future generations; and we have faith that all our elders love their children and shall therefore seriously consider and dedicate their time and energy for the cause of their beloved children; and

9) That, you are of highest repute and are dedicated to justice, impartiality and regard to universal values and law and are highly esteemed and trusted by all sections of society and, as such, we, the children of the world, have full faith that your views and directions shall carry more weight and shall stir the conscience of Decision makers and compel them to act in a positive way for fulfilling our demands.

THEREFORE, we, the children of the City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow, on behalf of two billion children of the world and generations yet to be born, do hereby appeal to the Hon’ble World Judiciary to support our call for Enforceable International Law through strengthening the United Nations Systems and for empowering the International Court of Justice for ensuring a safe ecology and a safe future for us and also to protect our various rights as children, such as right to proper food, nutrition, shelter, clothing, safe drinking water, health services, education and above all, an atmosphere of love, unity, goodwill and peace to enable us to grow into fine adulthood and contribute our mite in making the planet Earth a perfectly peaceful and prosperous global village.

PETITIONERS
On behalf of world’s two billion children,
The 32,000 Students of City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow - India
Tel: 0091-522-2638738, 2637656, 2637658 & 2638483
Fax: 0091-522-2638008, 2635497
E-Mail: article51@cmseducation.org
WebsitE: www.cmseducation.org/article51