UNICEF Announces Sharjah as the Arab Region’s First Candidate City for Its ‘Child Friendly Cities’ Initiative

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#ChildFriendlyCities–Following its ground-breaking achievement of becoming the world’s first
Baby Friendly City in December 2015, Sharjah – the United Arab Emirate’s
third largest emirate – is now set on becoming the first ‘Child-Friendly
City,’ in the Arab region, following the global, UNICEF-led ‘Child
Friendly Cities’ (CFC) Initiative.

The Sharjah Baby Friendly Office will work to implement the core
components of UNICEF’s CFC Initiative, which include performance
indicators like quality of childcare and education, children’s
participation in their community, their safety and equal opportunities,
Sharjah was announced as a candidate for becoming a Child Friendly City,
launching its own ‘Sharjah Child Friendly City Project’ (SCFC).

The first panel discussion mapping the 10 core components needed to put
in place and implement the SCFC action plan took place in Sharjah, and
discussed the action points for Sharjah’s key stakeholders participating
in the project’s implementation phase.

Obtaining the title will be the next in a series of important milestones
Sharjah has reached over the past 30 years of dedication and hard work
to better the overall quality of life of children and young adults.

The UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative was launched in 1996 to
promote the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child at the level where it has the greatest direct impact
on children’s lives – in the cities where they live.

The Sharjah Child Friendly City Project seeks to drive the emirate
forward as a strong candidate city for the UNICEF CFC Initiative,
highlighting its care and commitment to children from birth to 18 years
of age. Sharjah’s adoption of the project marks its intent to expand the
mandate and scope of its highly successful ‘Sharjah Baby Friendly
Emirate Campaign’, which targeted new born babies aged 0-2 years.

The Sharjah Baby Friendly Office was established in June 2016 and aims
to protect and elevate the status and wellbeing of children of all ages
in Sharjah. It creates relevant strategies and plans and implements them
in cooperation with relevant institutions and government authorities.

Contacts

National Network Communications
Fadia Daouk, T:
00971526172111
E: f.daouk@nncpr.com