Officials from 28 countries across Asia and the Pacific gathered Thursday in Beijing for a high-level meeting on cooperation on children's rights in the Asia-Pacific region.

Anthony Lake, executive director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), called for collaboration among Asia Pacific countries in protecting children's rights in a speech delivered at the meeting.

Lake said,"We are already seeing the benefits of cooperation in areas that cut across borders, from preventing the spread of disease, to addressing the effects of climate change, to increasing child protection, to improving education."

During the three-day meeting, more than 180 representatives from 28 countries in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to discuss issues on children's welfare and protection and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), these being eight global anti-poverty objectives due to be accomplished by 2015.

The meeting, scheduled from November 4 to 6, is hosted by the All-China Women's Federation, the National Working Committee for Children and Women under the State Council, China's Ministry of Commerce, and with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).