Members of the Unicef delegation and the Sharjah Child Friendly City project’s Steering Committee at the Sharjah Carnival.

A delegation from Unicef Geneva was received by the Sharjah Baby Friendly Office (SBFO) at the second edition of the two-day Sharjah Carnival for Children and Youth, which took place on Nov.21-22 at the Al Majaz Amphitheatre Island to mark “World Children’s Day.”

The delegation joined members of the Steering Committee of the Sharjah Child Friendly Project on a tour of the carnival themed “Children’s Rights Island,” which was followed by a meeting with the Steering Committee, during which they gained insights into the various projects and initiatives led by SBFO.

They also learnt about SBFO’s most prominent achievements in securing the rights and well-being of Sharjah’s children and youth, and their efforts which led to winning the Unicef’s Child-Friendly Cities Initiative Inspire Awards 2019, where Sharjah won in the “Child Friendly Social Services” category.

The Geneva delegation was represented by Al Tayyeb Adam, Unicef Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries; Jennifer Hossain, Editor of Donors Reports at Unicef Geneva, joined by Essam Ali, Social Policy Specialist at Unicef Gulf Area Office, and Steering Committee members, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah Department of Statistics and Community Development; Dr Hessa Khalfan Al Ghazal, Executive Director, SBFO; Engineer Khalid Al Ali, Secretary-General of Sharjah Urban Planning Council; Ali Al Hosani, Director General of Sharjah Private Education Authority; Hanadi Saleh Al Yafei, Director, Child Safety Department; Mona Abdul Karim Al Yafei, Director of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services; and Khawla Al Haway, Project Manager at Rubu’ Qarn for Creating Leaders and Innovators.

The committee presented an overview of best practices implemented in Sharjah to maintain a nurturing environment for children and youth, and recounted the emirate’s achievements that led to Sharjah being named the first Child-Friendly City in the Middle East.

The committee also highlighted various SBFO projects that have been rolled out to develop the performance of child and youth care entities and contribute to the implementation of the office’s plans and initiatives. They also discussed the measures taken by SBFO to enhance cooperation with relevant government agencies and departments.

The meeting also shed light on the milestones of the Sharjah Baby Friendly project, which aims to support and encourage breastfeeding across the emirate, implemented by SBFO.  The delegation was also informed about the objectives and role of the Steering Committee to enhance partnerships with entities concerned with children and youth in the emirate, and their procedures related to reviewing the proper implementation of the Sharjah Child-Friendly project.

In celebration of Sharjah’s support for children’s rights and to mark the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child this year, the Al Majaz Amphitheatre Island has been named the “Children’s Rights Island” for the carnival.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, this SBFO carnival celebrated the exceptional qualities and achievements of the city’s children and youth by bringing the whole community together to connect and celebrate.

Festivities unfolded on the island, completely transformed into a child-friendly edutainment zone filled with exciting games, educational workshops and fun activities, including roving dance performances and processions, a photo booth, a tunnel of light, giant chairs, flag poles themed around children’s rights.  Activities included workshops on cube painting, stencil painting and tote bags painting, and a variety of games staged on various parts of the island. There were also lounges where families can relax and unwind.

Sharjah also participated in Unicef’s global GoBlue campaign through “Go Blue Sharjah,” which was an intrinsic feature of the carnival, with the Al Majaz Amphitheatre building being lit up in blue symbolically, alongside other destinations such as the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and The Flag Island, to show the emirate’s support for children’s rights globally.