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Media advisory
UNICEF and Al-Azhar University to release new manual to help put children at the forefront of action in Islamic countries
Children in Islam, Their Care, Development and Protection is a useful tool for work in Islamic countries and communities
Who: The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University, His Eminence Sheikh Tantawi
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Rima Salah
Representatives of international and Islamic organisations, funding institutions, governments, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and faith-based institutions to be in attendance.
What: Global launch of new manual designed to underscore how the care, protection and development of children are central to Islam.
Children in Islam, Their Care, Development and Protection is a resource tool for all those working to improve child well-being in Islamic countries. The manual includes research papers and extracts of Koranic verses, Hadiths and Sunnas that provide useful guidance on children’s rights to health, education and protection.
When: 29 November 2005, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: AL-Azhar University Conference Centre, Cairo, Egypt
Why: The many challenging issues for children in the Islamic world today demand a new resource that will support a better understanding of the central value of children in Islam.
Islamic countries account for a quarter of the world’s 2.3 billion children - in nations spanning Africa, Asia and the Middle East. While recent years have seen noteworthy progress for some of these children, a disproportionate number face poverty, disease and lack of education and protection. Meeting the needs and guaranteeing the rights of children in Islamic countries is critical to overall efforts to fight poverty, accelerate human development and promote global peace and security.
Contact: Liza Barrie, New York (+1) 646.207.5178 lbarrie@unicef.org
Anis Salem, Amman, (+962)79.557.9991, asalem@unicef.org
Simon Ingram, Cairo, (+201)2 214 2567, singram@unicef.org
