Another well-deserved honour for Sharjah

The bestowing of the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative, CFCI, Inspire Award instituted by the United Nations Children’s Fund  (Unicef) on Sharjah is a well-deserved honour for the Emirate, which has launched several major initiatives to ensure children’s wellbeing.

The ‘Sharjah Child-Friendly’ project led the emirate to win the ‘Child-Friendly Social Services’ category of the award from among as many as 227 projects presented across the six award categories.

The project was launched in 2011 under an Emiri decree issued by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and headed by Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah Baby Friendly Office, SBFO, the body responsible for the project.

Aiming to establish a healthy life, the project encourages mothers to breastfeed their children by creating a supportive environment for them.

The SBFO participated in the first session of the Unicef’s Child-Friendly Cities Summit 2019, along with more than 550 municipality heads, local leaders, experts and children from more than 60 countries around the world.

It may be recalled that Sharjah was named a ‘Child-Friendly City’ by Unicef in May 2018 in recognition of its outstanding efforts and accomplishments in the protection and promotion of children’s rights.

It was the first city in the Middle East to receive the prestigious title, and the first in the world to win the title after successfully meeting the new international requirements and criteria launched by Unicef’s global Child Friendly Cities initiative.

Sharjah’s adoption of the Child Friendly Cities Initiative marks its commitment to increasing the mandate and scope of its predecessor, the Sharjah Baby Friendly Emirate Campaign, in order to encompass all children and youth living in the emirate.

Although the UAE has been a state party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1997, efforts to promote the status of children federally and locally were at the forefront of the country’s vision for development long before then.

Sharjah’s efforts to become a Child Friendly City also represent the culmination of over three decades of dedication and commitment of His Highness Sheikh Sultan and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council For Family Affairs to children’s development in the emirate, by launching various initiatives, associations and institutions to discover and develop the talents of children and young people.

The idea is to utilise the children’s talents to give back to their community and contribute to the Emirate and to the country’s development as a whole.

Working mothers in Sharjah enjoy a three-month paid maternity leave along with their 30-day annual leave.

In May this year, the SBFO released a short film to celebrate the first anniversary of the emirate being named a ‘Child Friendly City’ by Unicef.

The film was released on several TV channels popular among UAE viewers, receiving an overwhelming response, with almost 200,000 views on YouTube alone within four days of its release.

The film pointed out the virtues of allowing children to be themselves and express their thoughts and opinions, via the many landmarks of Sharjah. The video, incidentally, also highlighted the emirate’s keenness to promote book culture among children and youth, as World Book Capital 2019.

Sharjah has been taking all the right measures to ensure children’s wellbeing in a safe environment that safeguards their rights and meets their needs, through facilities that encourage play and learning.