Launching the Regional Forum for Early Childhood with the participation of 80 experts from 12 Arab countries
In partnership between ACCD and ANECD, Launching the Regional Forum for Early Childhood with the participation of 80 experts from 12 Arab countries
In partnership between the Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD) and the Arab Network for Early Childhood (ANECD), the Regional Forum for Early Childhood was launched in Cairo this morning, September 8, 2023, under the slogan “Caring for Young Children in a Turbulent World: Development Strategies in Arab Countries”. The Forum was attended by more than 80 experts from 12 Arab countries, representing the members of ANECD, including experts, institutions and representatives of national networks for early childhood, along with representatives of institutions and organizations working in the field of early childhood, as well as a number of experts and specialists in the field.
HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud:
Investing in early childhood is a necessity and an essential factor in safeguarding children's rights
The Forum was opened by video speech of HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, President of ACCD, during which His Highness stressed that the early childhood years are the years of formation and consolidation of social concepts, and that investment in this stage is a necessity and an essential factor in safeguarding children’s rights. Therefore, early childhood is a strategic focus of ACCD’s work in partnership with the Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND) and the related international and regional organizations.
His Highness added that although there are great efforts made in the Arab region to serve, care and develop children at this stage, the current status indicates the presence of many challenges, which have increased during the last decade due to the cases of asylum and displacement that the region is going through, as well as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, a matter that led to the disruption of progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) related to early childhood. His Highness called for action to confront these challenges through providing support for many measures in various sectors according to a comprehensive and integrated approach.
H.E. Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh:The League of Arab States (LAS) will implement a number of initiatives in the field of early childhood during the next phase
In a video speech, H.E. Ambassador Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector at LAS, said: “Early childhood is a priority issue to which LAS gives all attention, as it is the most important stage in children’s lives. Therefore, LAS is working to implement a number of initiatives during the next stage related to early childhood, including adopting an advocacy campaign targeting decision makers to urge them to ensure effectiveness, comprehensiveness and integration in planning programs, polices and mechanisms of early childhood development. These initiatives also include drafting a unified Arab strategy for early childhood development, developing an effective mechanism for coordination, follow-up and evaluation with accurate indicators, along with conducting an analytical study on the status of early childhood in the Arab world”.
Dr. Ghassan Issa:
ANECD seeks to ensure that children enjoy their rights
During the Opening Session, Dr. Ghassan Issa, the General Coordinator of ANECD, presented an overview of the establishment of the ANECD in 2014 as a regional network based on networking and partnership between active actors in early childhood issues in the Arab countries. ANECD seeks also to see children within Arab countries and societies enjoy their rights, happiness and well-being in an enriching environment of freedom, social justice and equality.
Dr. Hassan Al-Bilawi:
The Regional Forum for Early Childhood aims to renew the will for joint action to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs)
In his speech, Dr. Hassan Al-Bilawi, the Secretary General of ACCD, stressed that the Regional Forum for Early Childhood aims to renew the will for joint action to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and for the growth, well-being and upbringing of the Arab child, as well as for the enforcement of his rights and the development of his knowledge, skills and behaviors, seeking to put our new generations on the right path to face all the challenges we face. Dr. Al-Bilawi added: “In our Arab countries, we must exert our efforts towards enlightenment, using one’s reason and intellect, awareness and human creativity, as well as the achievement of cultural change to establish a new conceptual structure capable of achieving progress, so that our country takes its place among the developed nations... as this is the guarantee of our success in raising our children”.
The Opening Session also included speeches by Dr. Rami Iskandar, Director of the Education Department of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), and Dr. Maha Al-Adawi, Director of the Population Health Promotion Department at the Regional Office of the World Health Organization.
The Forum - which will be held on September 8 - 9, 2023 - aims to identify strategic directions to support and enhance the development, care, protection and nurturing of early childhood through knowledge production, networking, participation and advocacy with the aim of influencing national development policies in these fields, in line with the sustainable development goals in Arab countries.
The first day of the Forum includes sessions and workshops discussing 14 interventions that address early childhood issues in times of crises, the climate change crisis, the early childhood workforce, children’s rights, digital security and cybersecurity. In addition to holding an exhibition that includes a group of programs and initiatives related to early childhood development in a number of Arab countries.
It is worth noting that ACCD is a Founding Member of ANECD, and a joint Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ACCD and ANECD in May 2023, with the aim of enhancing joint work in the field of early childhood, and to keep pace with developments and benefit from the most prominent findings of modern science to develop and care of children at this stage.
ANECD is an Arab non-governmental organization, founded in 2014 in Lebanon, working to create a community of knowledge, information and practice, and a professional Forum for consultation, cooperation and advocacy that works to produce knowledge, communication, providing researches and training to support the care, development, nurturing and protection of children in the early childhood stage. ANECD seeks to provide these services with its partners from the relevant ministries, academic institutions, civil society organizations and specialists in the fields of early childhood in Arab countries.
Date: September 8, 2023
