Jordan Times
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Arab summit approves plan of
action for children
UNICEF lauds resolution and calls for
its implementation
AMMAN (JT) — UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy welcomed the Arab summit
resolution on the rights of the child as a positive step that focuses
development efforts on achieving concrete, time-bound targets that can transform
the situation of children in the region.
“Arab leaders gave a good example of determination to achieve progress for
children through joint action between governments and civil society. This can
expand opportunities available to their children and broaden the potential of
future generations,” Bellamy said. “Here is a home-grown effort that was almost
forgotten in the current regional debate on reform. But in the end it is
actions, not words, that count,” she said.
The summit of the 22-member League of Arab states adopted a regional plan aimed
at realising global targets for children by 2015, according to a UNICEF
statement released yesterday.
Based on the recommendations of the Third Arab High Level Conference on the
Rights of the Child (Tunisia, January 2004), the plan commits member states to
design national plans of action that allocate resources to realising minimum
standards for the children in the region.
“We have been following Arab discussions on reform and recognise the importance
of these being rooted in the culture of the region and the need to support the
efforts of Arab governments and intellectuals to initiate change. So far, the
key themes discussed had covered democratisation, human rights, rights of women,
curriculum reform but tended to ignore issues that relate to the situation of
children and adolescents. Yet, this group is half the current population of the
region (280 million) and it will more than double as the region's population
reaches 650 million in the year 2050. Young people need to be engaged in this
debate,” Bellamy said.
The regional agenda for children is not new. In 1992, the First Arab High Level
Conference on Children convened in Tunis and adopted a set of global goals for
the year 2000. This effort was re-energised in the build-up towards United
Nations Special Session on Children (UNSSC), which convened in 2002.
The key challenges for children in the region include:
• Every year half a million children do not live to see their first birthday.
• 4 million women give birth without assistance of a trained attendant.
• About half the region's women cannot read or write.
• 4 million children under the age of five are not protected from measles.
• 7 million children are malnourished.
• 7.5 million children do not attend primary school.
* And, there are some 13 million working children.
Recent regional efforts that paved the way for the
summit resolution:
• A Regional Youth Forum (Amman, November 2000) with 100 young people
from 16 countries putting together their own agenda for change with a “Call for
Action” asking for more child-friendly curricula, better quality teaching, a
revision of the image media portrays of youth and a better dialogue with adults.
• A Regional Civil Society Forum (Rabat, 2001) with some 250 representatives of
NGOs, parliamentarians, media and young people issued a declaration focused on
early childhood, quality education, young people and improved protection.
• A Regional Symposium on Children (Beirut, 2001) brought together experts from
the region to debate and refine the proposals from youth and civil society.
• An Arab-African Ministers of Finance Conference (Marrakech, 2001) discussed
financing programmes for children.
• An Arab-African Conference Against Sexual Exploitation (Rabat, October 2001)
which broke the silence on the issue.
• Two Arab high-level conferences on children (Cairo, July 2001 and Tunis,
January 2004). One issued a resolution on the Arab framework and the second a
resolution on the regional strategy for children. Both eventually were adopted
by summits.
• The Amman Arab summit (March, 2002) adopted an Arab framework on the rights of
the Child, the first time that children were placed on the summit agenda since
the establishment of the League of Arab states in 1945.
• The Beirut Arab summit (March, 2003) adopted the “Arab World Fit for Children”
declaration reflecting the key themes agreed at the UNSSC.