22 November 2005, Mandaluyong City. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today supported the First National Inter-Faith Leaders’ Dialogue on Children, calling on faith-based organizations and religious groups to form an inter-faith network for children.

“To ensure a society that cares for its children, faith-based organisations must be a part of the Child-Friendly Movement,” UNICEF Country Representative, Dr. Nicholas Alipui, said.

“Faith-based organisations have the vision, motivation, and commitment to work for the neediest and most disadvantaged members of society, especially children,” Alipui added.

In the first day of the conference, representatives of Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian churches presented their religions’ view of children. Afterwards, the participants shared their faith communities’ ongoing programmes for children.

UNICEF urged the faith-based groups to create a formal inter-faith network on children that will facilitate inter-faith action and cooperation towards promoting, protecting and fulfilling the rights of children, and lead to the creation of child-friendly faith communities.

Faith-based organizations and religious groups have become important partners in UNICEF’s work with children across the globe.

In the Philippines, UNICEF and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines have worked together on the Child-Friendly Local Church Communities (CLCC) initiative. CLCC has published bible-based study guides on children’s rights and promotes the development of children’s ministry in Manila.

In other initiatives, numerous parish priests and evangelical ministers are integrating child rights in their Sunday homilies and religious outreach in villages, communities and churches.

In other parts of East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Africa, UNICEF and religious groups are acting together as advocates for children on various programmes addressing children’s rights, including educational projects, fund-raising, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, combating sexual exploitation of children and child labour, and child health.

“The Child-Friendly Movement will only succeed with the participation of faith-based organizations and religious groups,” Alipui concluded.

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For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Dale Rutstein
UNICEF Manila, 901 0177 or 0917 866 4969, drutstein@unicef.org
Alexis Rodrigo
UNICEF Manila, 901 0173 or 0917 858 9447, arodrigo@unicef.org