Advocacy, Policies and Partnerships for Children's Rights
The programme for advocacy, policies and partnerships for children’s rights consists of three projects:
1. “Policy and Institutional Support Project”
- Past Activities (2004-2006):
- Responding to the need to improve data collection systems, UNICEF and UNDP jointly organized a two-day workshop in Riyadh providing 44 civil servants with hands-on training on DevInfo,while giving senior government officials an introduction to the benefits of DevInfo and how it can support countries in monitoring progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals. Click on press release.
- In response to the invitation of the Saudi Minister of Social Affairs, UNICEF visited the Ministry of Social Welfare and public and private providers of welfare services in the Kingdom to assist in their formulating of an initiative to improve welfare services substantially in the Kingdom.
- Planned Activities for (2007-2009):
- monitor trends in child indicators
- advocate for children
- complete and implement the Saudi National Plan of Action for Children
- develop and implement policies
- maintain a guide on laws and policies affecting children and of ensuring coherence with the principles of the CRC
- prepare reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child
- follow-up on the Committee’s recommendations to the second period report discussed in January 2006
UNICEF will also provide technical assistance for Saudi Arabia to set up a separate, permanent and independent mechanism, such as a national human rights institution or an ombudsman, with the mandate to monitor and evaluate the progress of the implementation of the CRC.
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2. “CRC Advocacy, Monitoring and Knowledge Base Project”
- install DevInfo and train operators
- agree upon a core set of country specific indicators for child rights including those needed for reporting to the Committee on the CRC and used in the reporting of MDGs
- develop mechanisms for monitoring progress on these indicators
- carry out specific studies and surveys will be promoted in order to continuously update the Situation Analysis
- raise awareness among policy makers, the private sector and the civil society about child rights and its relevance to Saudi Arabia
- disseminating the principles and provisions of the CRC, the reports to the Committee on the CRC, and the concluding observations of the Committee
- strengthen the established partnership with media around child rights.
3. “Participation and Partnerships Project”
- advocacy for increased opportunities for both adolescent boys and girls to participate in school and community development. Participation of adolescents in national planning events and regional and sub-regional forums as well as in media will be encouraged
- Sharing of experiences from other countries, such as the Bahraini youth parliament and child municipal councils established in oPt
- Media campaigns targeting parents, teachers, decision makers, etc, in order to improve their knowledge, attitudes and practices vis-à-vis adolescents
- advocacy for adolescent friendly legislation, policies and guidelines. partnership building with existing and new partners for leveraging knowledge and resources for children within and outside Saudi Arabia.
