Sharjah Baby Friendly Office (SBFO), the entity tasked with the implementation of the Child Friendly City’ project in the emirate, recently organised a discussion session that highlighted the importance of introducing new and sustainable initiatives to safeguard child rights in the emirate.
In continuation of their efforts to uphold and strengthen the Child Friendly City (CFC) title Sharjah recently received from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), SBFO hosted the discussion to highlight the need to elevate the rights of children and youth in the emirate, in light of fast-paced global developments and changing urban realities facing them.
Conducted by Gerison Lansdown, international children’s rights consultant and advocate, the panel was attended by Dr. Hessa Khalfan Al Ghazal, Executive Director of SBFO; Dr Essam Ali, Social Policy Specialist at UNICEF – Gulf Region Office; and a host of officials from various government entities.
Dr. Hessa Khalfan Al Ghazal applauded the integrated corporate framework established by SBFO and Sharjah government departments, and their effective participation in events and activities aimed at bolstering the emirate’s stature with regards to children and youth.
“We conduct regular discussions and invite specialists on child and youth issues to share best practices and learn from international expertise and latest methodologies that align with Sharjah’s child rights agenda and approach. We also seek to highlight SBFO’s ongoing efforts and assess the mechanisms and processes we have in place to ensure that we can successfully achieve our strategic action plan’s objectives for the years 2019-21,” said Dr Hessa Al Ghazal.
During the session, child rights expert Gerison Lansdown highlighted case studies on child rights implementation mechanisms from around the world, focusing on the criteria that were set out by the Paris Principles for human rights in 1989, and were approved and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993.
Lansdown pointed out that Sharjah’s concerted efforts in protecting children and providing them with a fully integrated environment that ensures their access to quality healthcare and education align with those principles.
Lansdown also addressed the importance of raising community awareness about child rights and protection, as well as promoting initiatives aimed at achieving that goal among parents, schools, health providers, child care institutions, sport clubs, youth centres, social services departments, and non-governmental organisations, given that they are all effective partners in children’s wellbeing.
She also discussed the key principles that countries should focus on in their quest to enhance child rights. She noted that child rights can be bolstered through the provision of quality healthcare and education, security, safety and equal opportunities. She applauded the fact that all those principles are comprised in Sharjah’s 3-year strategy, while emphasising the role of those principles in enhancing the emirate’s global stature as a leading model in the field of child rights.
Accompanied by the SBFO and UNICEF Gulf Area Office teams, Lansdown also visited public and private schools in Sharjah to observe classroom infrastructure and activities. She met with educators, principals and members of the Sharjah Education Council to discuss several issues related to the wellbeing of children in educational institutions.
