ID :
93759
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 15:20
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Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/93759
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UNICEF honours Sheikha Fatima for supporting childhood, motherhood
Abu Dhabi, Dec 8, 2009 (WAM) - Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU) of UAE and Supreme Chairperson of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) was honored by Ms. Sigrid Kaag, UNICEF Regional Director for the MENA region who is on a current visit to the UAE.
Kaag presented Sheikha Fatima with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of her efforts and supports for childhood and motherhood.
Sheikha Fatima thanked Kaag for the recognition and expressed satisfaction with cooperation between UNICEF, FDF and GWU. She further underlined the 2010-2012 Programme of Cooperation signed by the GWU and the international agency for 2008-2010.
The UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had put childhood among its top priorities demonstrating its commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child which the UAE signed in 1977, Sheikh Fatima stressed at the meeting which was attended by Alyaziya Bint Saif Bin Mohammed Al-Nahyan, wife of H.H Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Foreign Minister and H.E Dr. Maitha AL-Shamsi, Minister of State and H.E Noura Al-Suwaidi, Director General of GWU.
"The UAE bars with the advanced nations as it made quantum leaps in providing comprehensive care for children's rights including health, educational, social and cultural care," she said. But there are still some challenges facing our children. These need to be considered and tackled by comprehensive strategies", she remarked.
For her part, Kaag said the General Women's Union is UNICEF Gulf Area Office's Strategic Partner in the United Arab Emirates since the early 90s. The child-focused and on-going cooperation between the two parties includes projects aimed at addressing advocacy for CRC and information on children, child protection issues, childhood development, youth issues and HIV/AIDS awareness in the whole United Arab Emirates. This partnership is under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak President of the General Women's Union.
According to Kaag, the General Women's Union's partnership with UNICEF for the last few years had focused on the following areas:
* Policy Integration to implement the convention on the rights of the child in UAE.
This programme includes Technically supporting the implementation of activities, workshops, training and meetings related to Policy Integration to implement the convention on the rights of the child in UAE, studying the situation of children in the country and gathering data on children to Support establishing the DevInfo system for children information to use it for updating the situation analysis of the children in UAE, The significance of this database program will be facilitating the collection, maintenance and updating data on childhood indicators in UAE in relation to the MDGs. It will enhance national policies, strategies and legislation as stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It will also sensitize the decision makers by using the data as a mean for evidence-based information.
* Establishing the first UAE National Childhood Strategy Another area of cooperation is related to the childhood care in UAE where UNICEF is supporting the Women's Union to prepare the first National Childhood Strategy in cooperation with relevant government and NGOs departments, this strategy will Provide a framework for the priorities of activities for the welfare of children and will also provide guidance to decision-makers from all sectors working in the field of childhood in the United Arab Emirates which would result in helping children in UAE to get the best care and services.
The overall goal of the 2010-2012 Programme of Cooperation program of cooperation is accelerated progress within the CRC framework in the United Arab Emirates towards the full realization of the rights of children and adolescents, including the most vulnerable and excluded.
Kaag presented Sheikha Fatima with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of her efforts and supports for childhood and motherhood.
Sheikha Fatima thanked Kaag for the recognition and expressed satisfaction with cooperation between UNICEF, FDF and GWU. She further underlined the 2010-2012 Programme of Cooperation signed by the GWU and the international agency for 2008-2010.
The UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had put childhood among its top priorities demonstrating its commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child which the UAE signed in 1977, Sheikh Fatima stressed at the meeting which was attended by Alyaziya Bint Saif Bin Mohammed Al-Nahyan, wife of H.H Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Foreign Minister and H.E Dr. Maitha AL-Shamsi, Minister of State and H.E Noura Al-Suwaidi, Director General of GWU.
"The UAE bars with the advanced nations as it made quantum leaps in providing comprehensive care for children's rights including health, educational, social and cultural care," she said. But there are still some challenges facing our children. These need to be considered and tackled by comprehensive strategies", she remarked.
For her part, Kaag said the General Women's Union is UNICEF Gulf Area Office's Strategic Partner in the United Arab Emirates since the early 90s. The child-focused and on-going cooperation between the two parties includes projects aimed at addressing advocacy for CRC and information on children, child protection issues, childhood development, youth issues and HIV/AIDS awareness in the whole United Arab Emirates. This partnership is under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak President of the General Women's Union.
According to Kaag, the General Women's Union's partnership with UNICEF for the last few years had focused on the following areas:
* Policy Integration to implement the convention on the rights of the child in UAE.
This programme includes Technically supporting the implementation of activities, workshops, training and meetings related to Policy Integration to implement the convention on the rights of the child in UAE, studying the situation of children in the country and gathering data on children to Support establishing the DevInfo system for children information to use it for updating the situation analysis of the children in UAE, The significance of this database program will be facilitating the collection, maintenance and updating data on childhood indicators in UAE in relation to the MDGs. It will enhance national policies, strategies and legislation as stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It will also sensitize the decision makers by using the data as a mean for evidence-based information.
* Establishing the first UAE National Childhood Strategy Another area of cooperation is related to the childhood care in UAE where UNICEF is supporting the Women's Union to prepare the first National Childhood Strategy in cooperation with relevant government and NGOs departments, this strategy will Provide a framework for the priorities of activities for the welfare of children and will also provide guidance to decision-makers from all sectors working in the field of childhood in the United Arab Emirates which would result in helping children in UAE to get the best care and services.
The overall goal of the 2010-2012 Programme of Cooperation program of cooperation is accelerated progress within the CRC framework in the United Arab Emirates towards the full realization of the rights of children and adolescents, including the most vulnerable and excluded.
