The Forum of Child Friendly Media on the Professional Guidelines
for Arab Media Addressing the Issues of Child Rights
Riyadh, 24 -26 January 2017
ACCD, in partnership with the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), the Saudi National Commission for Childhood, the League of Arab States (LAS) and Unicef Gulf Area Office, held the Forum of Child Friendly Media on the Professional Guidelines for Arab Media Addressing the Issues of Child Rights during the period of 24 - 26 January 2017 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al-Issa, Minister of Education and the Chairman of the National Commission for Childhood.
The Forum was held upon the recommendations of the Arab Childhood Committee (affiliated to LAS), and in the context of the important role played by media as an effective strategic partner in spreading awareness on child rights. The Forum aimed at providing media professionals with knowledge on children's rights and their urgent issues, in addition to empowering media professionals with the necessary skills to activate media to advocate for the protection of child rights and including this concept in the contents of media messages and programs.
The Forum tackled three main topics including:
- The conventions and agreements of child rights, and the status of its application.
- The Professional Guidelines for Arab Media Addressing the Issues of Child Rights.
- Empowering children with media ethics.
The Forum (attended by more than 180 participants) reviewed experiences and initiatives related to child media and culture, as well as the Forum consisted of nine scientific sessions and a number of workshops for media professionals and children, with the participation of more than 25 specialized experts in the fields of media and child rights.
The Forum concluded with a number of recommendations including the commitment to the Professional Guidelines for Arab Media Addressing the Issues of Child Rights, prepared by ACCD, AGFUND and LAS, as well as activating the legislation and protection systems related to childhood and children's participation in media programs.
Date: 26 January 2017
