UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on the international community to unite to build a safe and equal world for children across the globe.

In his video message to mark World Children's Day, which is observed annually on Nov. 20, Guterres said the Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed 36 years ago, is the most widely ratified treaty in history.

"It affirms a simple truth: When we protect the youngest members of the human family, we build a better world," said the UN chief.

He emphasized that children's rights are under attack, with poverty and emergencies stealing education, climate chaos jeopardizing futures, and new dangers lurking in the online world. "Too many children already carry burdens far beyond their years, earning income or caring for siblings," Guterres said.

"And famine and war have robbed thousands of the most basic right of all: The right to life," he noted.

While every child's circumstances are unique, "every child has the same rights, no matter who they are or where they live," Guterres pointed out.

He called on the international community to listen to children and amplify their voices as they stand up for their rights.

As the future is defined by how we care for the next generation, "we must unite to build a safe and equal world for every child," the UN secretary-general stressed.

World Children's Day is the United Nations Children's Fund's global day of action for children and by children, according to the UN.

Nov. 20 marks the day on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. ■