The Community Development Authority (CDA) organized recently a workshop on children's rights in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). More than 20 governmental authorities and non governmental organizations participated in this event. The workshop lead by Mr. Ghassan Khalil, Advisor for Social Policy and Strategic Planning for CDA, and an international expert on human rights, is an implementation of the MoU signed by the CDA and UNDP to execute a series of awareness workshops related to community development.
The list of subjects discussed during the two- day workshop in CDA's premises, included, the introduction on international child rights law, and child rights as a priority subject on the international community's agenda, as well as a quick overview on UN agreement concerning children's rights and related mechanisms of execution, as well as the media's role in leveraging children's rights. The discussions focused also on the children's right to be protected against violence, abuse and mistreatment; It also highlighted related legislative and social mechanisms as well as children's rights to participate in educational institutions.
Her Excellency, Dr Maryam Matar, Director General of the CDA, said: "Our country provides protection for motherhood and childhood. It provides the youth and children with the favourable environment to grow their potential. We are investing in humans through providing care to children in their early years, and fulfil their rights as we think it is the ideal way to create a healthy society and build a solid nation. Doubtlessly, everybody agrees that safety of the community begins by providing children with a safe environment to grow."
She added: "We believe in the child's right to participate actively in the community and consider them as a key component that must influence top decisions of the community they live within. We are working on setting necessary policies and restrictions on social care providers in line with our strategy that aims at leveraging our national identity as well providing social security and integration in Dubai."
His Excellency Dr Khaled Alloush, UNDP Resident Representative in the UAE, said: “The workshop focused on elevating awareness on child's rights and discussed ways to energize their participation in the educational institutions and society as a whole. It also discussed protection measures that must not be limited to legal actions but include innovative community initiatives."
H.E. Dr. Fatima Al Mazrouie, Member of the Federal National Council expressed her gratitude to CDA for arranging this event. She said: "we are in desperate need for such activities that help us spread awareness on the child rights' agreement. Furthermore, the workshop focused on the media's role in highlighting relevant issues and ways to deal properly with them."
This workshop is the third of its kind organized by the Community Development Authority and is part of a regular workshop series organized by the Authority. The next workshop will cover justice for minor youth from 11-12 November 2009; two other seminars covering human rights will be organized on 6-7 December 2009 and 13-14 January 2010 respectively. On the 11-12 of February and 10-11 March 2010, CDA will hold two workshops on women's rights; it will have two other events on child's rights on 14-15 April and 12-13 May 2010. The series will be sealed by a workshop about people with special needs' rights on 16-17 of June 2010.
The workshops aim at leveraging awareness on human rights amongst CDA’s staff, other governmental and private community institutions in Dubai. The Community Development Authority aims to spread international standards and concepts relevant to those rights and cementing them amongst the target parties. It also helps to highlight UAE's achievements in this area.
