The Inauguration of the 6th Arab Civil Society Forum for Children at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The 6th Arab Civil Society Forum for Children (the Forum) was inaugurated this morning, Tuesday, February 13, 2023, under the slogan “The Empowerment of Arab Children for the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Beyond”. The Forum is organized by the Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD), the League of Arab States (LAS), the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), with the participation of approximately 250 participants from 16 Arab countries representing civil society organizations, institutions concerned with childhood, experts and specialists, media professionals, children and youth.
HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal:
We must be prepared to empower our children for the future by developing their creative and human capabilities and empowering them with cognitive and skill capabilities
The Forum was opened with the speech of HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, President of ACCD, delivered on behalf of His Highness by Dr. Nasser Alkahtani, Executive Director of AGFUND. The speech of His Highness stressed the importance of being prepared to empower our children for the future, through developing their creative and human capabilities and empowering them with the cognitive and skill capabilities, to deal with the requirements of successive technological and digital revolutions and their accelerating changes, so that we enable our children to deal, compete and create the future in a changing, ever-evolving world.
In addition, the speech of His Highness expressed the importance and necessity of supporting civil society institutions working in the field of childhood, therefore ACCD has been keen with the partners to ensure that the Forum, in its 6th edition, is in line with the current changes and challenges that the world and the Arab region are witnessing. ACCD Study on “The Readiness of Arab Children for the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Beyond” indicates the impact of that on the roles, responsibilities and values of civil society, as well as on the action policies towards empowering the Arab child in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazala:
We are facing a reality where child upbringing goes beyond traditional upbringing to electronic upbringing that is compatible with the nature of the digital age in its fourth stage.
The speech of H.E. Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazala, Assistant Secretary General of LAS and Head of the Social Affairs Sector, indicated that we are facing a reality that goes beyond traditional child upbringing to electronic upbringing that is compatible with the nature of the digital age in its fourth stage. H.E. Abu Ghazala added that scientific studies have confirmed that children, whose ages coincide with the emergence and spread of the internet, do not pay attention to traditional relationships because they accept the standards of the world built on electronic foundations and integration. Therefore, it is important to work towards creating a social environment that supports the process of empowerment through socialization and technological processes, whether the child’s self-empowerment through building his capabilities or through objective empowerment, which is directed to the child’s environment and social institutions represented by the family, school, and governmental and private institutions.
Prof. Ahmed Zayed:
There is a need to develop clear visions of peace, prosperity and sustainable development in societies
H.E. Prof. Ahmed Zayed, Director of the BA, pointed out in his speech that the world today is characterized by complexity and rapid change, as social, economic and political standards are constantly being redefined. Reducing poverty, promoting economic growth and employment, managing demographic transitions (population science), promoting diversity and equality, addressing climate change, ensuring public safety, and responding to urbanization and industrial revolutions in their various stages are some of the challenges that each of our Arab societies faces now, and these challenges should be addressed at multiple levels, and this demonstrates the need to develop clear visions of peace, prosperity and sustainable development in societies.
Dr. Nasser Alkahtani:
Caring for childhood is one of the basics of sustainable development
In his speech on civil society and the empowerment of Arab children, Dr. Nasser Alkahtani stressed that caring for childhood is one of the basics of sustainable development, which in its simplest concepts aims to preserve the rights of generations and balance the use of resources, to ensure renewal and avoiding waste. With its potential and components, and what it means for the future, childhood is a renewable resource. Hence, all the money, effort and time allocated to childhood is an asset invested in the future of the nation. Dr. Alkahtani added that AGFUND, under the leadership of HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, has a firm approach that the problems of childhood, especially Arab childhood, are serious, numerous and intertwined because they were left untreated for a long time and lacked a strategic perspective. It is necessary to accompany technology and its developments in dealing with Arab children’s issues, due to the importance of technology in the future and its benefits in achieving sustainable development.
Prof. Hassan Al-Bilawi, the Secretary General of ACCD, stated that the Forum’s first day focused on working sessions on the extent of the readiness of the Arab children for the era of the 4IR, where the first Arab exploratory field study was launched entitled “The Readiness of Arab Children for the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Beyond”. Prof. Al-Bilawi added that it is a forward-looking study, and constitutes a scientific heritage because it relies on methodology, experts, and specialists. The results of this study indicated weak readiness and the existence of a gap in dealing with the requirements of the era of the 4IR, with relative progress at the level of personal skills compared to cognitive skills, as well as there is a need to accelerate the reconsideration of the current educational systems to direct their purposes, practices, and work tools towards the future. Finally, the study stressed the importance of moving towards “lifelong education and learning”, to empower current and future generations, develop ambitious development strategies and support the sustainability of programs and projects concerned with empowering children and youth.
The first day of the Forum also witnessed a recorded speech from H.E. Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children, as well as an artistic performance from the BA’s Choir, and a presentation on future skills from Dr. Hany Torky, Chief Technical Advisor and Director of the Arab Knowledge Project - United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the UAE.
Meanwhile, tomorrow, February 14, 2024, will witness scientific sessions on the status of Arab civil society for childhood in light of the changes and challenges the Arab region is witnessing, and the impact of this on the roles, responsibilities and values of civil society. The sessions will also shed light on the role of ACCD in civil work in the field of childhood and development, as well as the role of civil society in light of wars and emergencies, and the role of youth and volunteering to work for civil society, in addition to a review of pioneering Arab experiences and initiatives in the field of empowering Arab children in the era of the 4IR.
It is noteworthy that the 6th Arab Civil Society Forum for Children is held under the auspices of HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, President of ACCD and AGFUND, H.E. Ambassador Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of LAS, and H.E. Prof. Ahmed Zayed, Director of the BA.
Date: February 13, 2024
