On World Children’s Day, OIC chief calls for intensive efforts for childcare amid COVID-19

On World Children’s Day, OIC chief calls for intensive efforts for childcare amid COVID-19

Jeddah (UNA-OIC) – Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen called on the Member States, the OIC institutions as well as international and non-governmental organizations to intensify their efforts in providing childcare and protection of the rights of children.

Al-Othaimeen stated that stepping up efforts to provide childcare and protection of the rights of children has become necessary in light of the measures taken by countries to address the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, especially refugee and displaced children and those who live under occupation and armed conflict.

The Secretary General also called for the implementation of the OIC relevant resolutions, setting up policies and programs to ensure the care and well-being of children, promoting their health, education, security, economic, social and cultural rights, and working to provide the necessary facilities to meet their needs and realize their dreams. He indicated that ensuring children’s rights is a guarantee for the future of societies.

Al-Othaimeen’s statements come within the framework of the international community’s celebration of the World Children’s Day, marked yearly on 20 November. The commemoration this year coincides with the 30th anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Declaration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In recognition of the importance of the care and well-being of children in building societies and achieving prosperity, the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, at its 46th session held in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, called on the General Secretariat and the relevant organs of the OIC, especially the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), to prepare a strategy for the care and welfare of the child in the Muslim world.

The OIC General Secretariat is also working in coordination with the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) to review the OIC Covenant on the Rights of the Child, with the aim of aligning it with global challenges in this field.

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