About 70 children from Chișinău, Comrat, Ungheni and Bălți have tested their knowledge of their human rights and sustainable development goals in the national final of the UNIQ-2019 Intellectual Games Tournament. The Intellectual Games Tournament UNIQ-2019 was carried out between October 17 and November 20 and was organized by the Association of Intellectual Games of Moldova, in partnership with UNICEF Moldova and the Parliament of Moldova.

The UNIQ-2019 Intellectual Games Tournament is intended for high school students. The regional stage took place in Comrat, Chișinău, Ungheni and Bălți. Today, on November 20, on the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the winning regional teams participated in the national final.

"Similar to adults, who have the right to an opinion and freedom of expression, you, children and young people, have intelligent solutions and innovative ideas. We should not regard you as just the future. You live here and now", said Desiree Jongsma, UNICEF Moldova country representative, quoted in a Parliament press release.

"Intellectual games do not only involve knowledge, but, to a greater extent, the ability to apply knowledge in practice, to seek and find solutions by using logic, critical thinking and imagination. It is a new, simple and effective way to cultivate leadership qualities in those who will live in the world of tomorrow", said Evghenii Poliacov, the Association of Intellectual Games in Moldova chairman.

The universal day of children's rights is marked globally by UNICEF every year on November 20, being a chance to promote, raise awareness and raise funds for the most pressing issues facing children around the world.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted on November 20, 1989 by the General Assembly of the United Nations and is the most ratified treaty in history, with 195 states of the world signing it. The Republic of Moldova ratified the Convention in 1993.