The Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD) has adopted the Arab Children Forum in partnership with the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) and the League of Arab States.
The Forum’s Vision:
Emphasizing the importance of children’s participation, encouraging and facilitating their effective participation, and working to support an appropriate social environment for children’s participation. This is done through establishing forums that enable to change the culture that hinders the recognition of children’s rights, including their right to be heard in matters that affect them and their participation in planning their own programs. In addition, this forum is considered to be a safe channel through which children can express their points of views to decision makers.
The Forum’s Objectives:
- Emphasizing the right of Arab children to participate in programs, which target and affect them, to ensure their protection.
- Providing a space for discussion, free exchange of opinions and encouraging Arab children to engage in dialogue, as well as raise and discuss their problems.
- Identifying the problems and concerns of children in the Arab world and participating in proposing solutions.
- Adopting children’s suggestions and ideas and developing programs based on these suggestions.
- Identifying and introducing the different experiences of children’s participation in the Arab world.
In 2010, ACCD held the Founding Forum, then this was followed by holding three Forms for Children in several Arab countries until the year 2023. In addition, a number of National Forums for Children were established in several Arab countries, including Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt.
