FDF holds remote session on World Children’s Day

ABU DHABI: The Family Development Foundation, FDF, organised a remote session on the occasion of World Children’s Day, under the slogan, “The Children’s Council’s Plans for the Next Fity Years.”

The session was atended by representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, the Early Childhood Authority and various government authorities, as well as children and their families, students, representatives of the Department of Education and Knowledge and FDF staff.

The four key pillars discussed at the event were the opportunities and challenges facing children in using digital applications, the “Youth and Family Council” and planning for the future, the effect of social media on family relations and social interactions between children and their families, and developing social skills within the family and the community.

Mariam Mohammed Al Rumaithi, DirectorGeneral of the FDF, said, “On 20th November, we celebrate the annual World’s Children Day, which was launched by the United Nations, UN, General Assembly in 1954 to ensure the wellness of children, guarantee their rights to life, health, education and play, provide them with decent family lives, protect them from violence and discrimination, ensure that they are not exploited and mistreated, protect them from neglect, homelessness and thet, and not expose them to physical, mental and emotional dangers.”

The UAE has always adhered to its human and ethical responsibilities towards children, who are suffering from deteriorating conditions around the world, she added, noting that the country has launched many humanitarian initiatives to help them overcome their dire conditions.

The country has also launched many regional campaigns that support children in Asia and Africa, and globally, it has ratified several international conventions, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which it joined in 2009, and the Arab Labour Convention No. 18 for 1996 on juvenile labour, she said in conclusion.

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.

Since 1990, World Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children’s rights.

offers each of an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a beter world for children.