UNICEF and Book City Hold Workshop on “Children’s Rights and Business”

As part of continued collaboration between UNICEF Iran and the Book City Institute, a workshop titled “Children’s Rights and Business” was held in Tehran with UNICEF’s support. The event brought together sales staff from Book City’s children and young adult departments to raise awareness about children's rights in the business and retail sector.

Held at Book City’s central branch in Tehran, the workshop was opened with remarks by Ms. Dorina Andreev-Jitaru, UNICEF Representative in Iran. She thanked Book City for organizing the event as part of its commitment to increasing staff knowledge of child rights. “We need to understand that children are not only customers for businesses—they are members of families, communities, and supply chains. They are affected by how businesses operate, where they invest, who they employ, and how they treat their workers,” said Ms. Andreev-Jitaru.

The workshop aimed to highlight the role of bookstores in promoting child rights and to explore practical ways to embed these principles in retail environments. This event is part of Book City’s renewed focus on children and youth, which emphasizes raising cultural and social standards in engaging with young audiences.

Ali Jafarabadi, CEO of Book City, also addressed the workshop. He expressed appreciation for UNICEF’s partnership and stressed the importance of adopting a responsible and respectful approach to children. “Childhood is an opportunity to understand and shape the future,” Jafarabadi said. “A children’s bookseller should know which words uplift a child’s dignity — and which words might harm it.”

As part of the opening session, he also announced the launch of a new adolescent-selected literary award titled “The Sand Fox Prize.” Officials from Book City and UNICEF Iran officially unveiled the poster for the award, which will recognize the most popular book as selected by adolescents aged 11 to 18. The prize is officially supported by UNICEF Iran and the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (Kanoon).

In the main session, Mr. Vahid Hedayati, UNICEF Social Policy Expert, introduced the core principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, focusing on four key pillars:

1. Non-discrimination
2. The best interests of the child
3. The right to life, survival, and development
4. The right to participation

He stressed the importance of turning these principles into visible, respectful behaviors in public spaces like bookstores. He also encouraged creating safe environments, showing respect for diversity, promoting active participation, and enabling informed choices as essential elements in implementing child rights. Hedayati offered practical suggestions for how retail environments can embody these values.

In the final session, Ms. Vida Montakhab, UNICEF’s Partnership Officer, presented the global framework for Children’s Rights and Business. She shared international best practices and underlined the importance of incorporating ethical, social, and environmental standards when designing child-friendly service spaces such as bookstores.

The workshop concluded with participants exchanging their own experiences and innovations in promoting child rights and encouraging youth participation in decision-making processed.