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

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.

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