The Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama left Accra on Sunday for the United States, at the head of a Government Delegation to attend the 27th UN General Assembly special session on Children.

Other members of the delegation include the First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufour, the Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Gladys Asmah, Mrs Angelina Baiden Amissah, Chairperson Person of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender on Children, The Deputy Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Iddris and Miss Atawa Akyea, Acting Executive Secretary of the Ghana National Commission on Children.

President J.A. Kufour, ministers of state and government officials saw them off at the Airport.

More than 70 Heads of State and 1,000 NGOs are attending the session, which would review achievements in the implementation of the declaration and plan of action adopted at the 1990 World Summit for Children and chart a course for the child in next decade.

The Vice-President would address the General Assembly and lead a discussion on examples of practices in Ghana for the survival, development and protection of children.

He will also hold bilateral meetings with the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan and the Executive Director of UNICEF and participate in the launching of a new initiative to attack micronutrient deficiency.

Mr Kofi Annan opened the Children’s Forum of the UN Special Session on Children on Sunday and asked them not to be afraid to speak their minds on global issues affecting them.

He noted that their presence at the UN marks a special chapter in the history of the United Nations since it is the first time that such large numbers of children are taking part in a special session as official members of delegations representing governments.