Under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, SCMC to co-host high-level meeting on early childhood development
The Supreme Council of Motherhood and Childhood, SCMC, has announced its co-hosting a high-level meeting on "Early Childhood Development and Early Childhood Learning in Humanitarian and Fragile Settings."
The meeting, held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the SCMC, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, will take place on 5th December 2018, at the General Women's Union headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
The event is the UAE's first high-level dialogue on early childhood learning, ECL, and early childhood development, ECD, in humanitarian and fragile settings.
The SCMC will co-host the event in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, MoFAIC, the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, Dubai Cares, and Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan.
The dialogue follows the prioritisation given by the UAE government, the G20 'Early Childhood Development Initiative', and the UN under its 'Every Woman Every Child' initiative. It aims to build a consensus within the UAE health, humanitarian, education communities on programming options and priorities.
According to a statement by the SCMC, the need for early childhood learning and development is especially acute in humanitarian and fragile settings. "There are currently 70 million children aged up to six years old who have spent their entire lives in conflict zones, and 32 million women and girls of reproductive age who live in fragile humanitarian settings," the Council added.
During the event, attendees will hold discussions on inter-related aspects of ECD and ECL - nutrition, education, parenting, and livelihoods and women's empowerment. Event organisers will then produce an 'action list' or 'synthesis' following the discussions.
The synthesis will then inform the meeting of the UN Every Woman Every Child principals, and will be carried on to the Partners' Forum of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, which will be hosted by the government of India, in New Delhi from 13th and 14th December.