Kids ‘take over’ on World Children’s Day
UNICEF Oman celebrated the World Children’s Day through a series of activities aimed at raising awareness on children’s rights, including some mock safety drills. The World Children’s Day is celebrated every year on November 20.
UNICEF Oman, with support from the ministries of education and social development, has been raising awareness through programmes that saw children play the role of vicepresident of Omantel; simulate an emergency crisis response drill of evacuating Salalah hospital at the Minstry of Health; run the newsrooms at Public Authority for Radio and Television; play the role of CEO of Siemens; Deputy Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce; and the UNICEF Representative herself.
Kids from the Children First Association joined the other children from Muscat in participating in the Ministry of Health and Omantel ‘takeover’ programmes.
Her Highness Sayyida Muna bint Fahd al Said, Chairperson of the association, said “The Sultanate of Oman has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1996 and under the guidance of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, children in Oman have access to quality education and healthcare, allowing them to live prosperous and healthy lives.
“Today, we celebrate children around the world by joining UNICEF in ‘going blue’ to encourage global governments and organisations to put children at the heart of the decision making.” “The takeover entities played a key role in highlighting children’s voices and involving them as active citizens,” said Lana al Wreikat, UNICEF Representative.
“The Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees children and young people the right to freely express themselves, and the Sultanate of Oman and these organisations that have so willingly participated in takeovers are leading the way in recognising children’s rights and investing in the future of the nation,” she said.
This year, The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) had asked the public to go online and sign its global petition asking for leaders to commit to fulfilling rights of every child now and for future generations, and to ‘Go Blue’ for every child by doing or wearing something blue on November 20.
World Children’s Day is a global day of action ‘for children, by children’. It’s a day to advocate, raise funds and awareness so that every child is in school is safe from harm and can fulfil his/her potential.
The day celebrates the anniversary of the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history.