DUBAI, 13 December 2002 — Officials of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) have urged Arab countries to bring their children into a consultative and participation process that would help improve their status and bring them into the decision making process.

The call was issued while launching the Unicef’s annual report on the State of the World’s Children Report 2003 in Dubai in the presence of General Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Defense Minister.

The global launch of the report took place simultaneously around the world. It coincided with Dubai the City that Cares of which Unicef is a partner this year in promoting charities for children. The theme of this year’s report is the participation of children in decision making.

“The launch is part of the United Nations’ long-standing tradition of preparing special reports on significant international issues and sectors. This one reflects the state of over two billion children in the world and discusses their problems from a specific perspective,” said Thomas McDormatt, Unicef’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

He said the UAE has made significant progress in supporting children, especially girls. “Enrollment of girls in education in the UAE is approaching 100 percent, one of the highest in the world. They outnumber boys in higher education and employment,” he said.

“Half of the region’s population are children. By 2015, the population of the region will reach 550 million of which 300 million will be children.”

Citing the UN Human Development Report on the Middle East, he said: “About half of the Arab children are found to have favored migration to the West. Most of them expressed their concern in the way they are portrayed in the international media.”

“Recently, the UAE has established a Supreme Council for Mother and Child, which will bring the children into the decision making process and enhance their participatory role in society.”

“We encourage the governments to engage their children in increased participation in social and community issues so that their voice is heard by everyone,” he reiterated.

Despite Unicef’s focus on “participation”, a survey among Arab youths found that the search for job opportunities was high on their agenda, followed by education, environment, and poverty. Participation in politics ranked one of the least important issues.

Since 1990, over two million children have been killed and six million have been seriously injured in wars.

Over 150 million children in the developing world are underweight, due to poverty and malnutrition, 180 million children between the ages of 15 and 17 are engaged in the worst form of child labor — one child in every eight.

Over 1.2 million children are being trafficked every year, and 14 million children currently under 15 years of age have lost one or both parents to AIDS, the report said.

According to the report, the UAE ranked 158th among more than 200 countries in mortality rate, with having zero deaths under-five per 1,000 children. Per capita gross national income in the UAE has been put at $18,060, total adult literacy at 87 and life expectancy at birth rose to 75 years.

Enrollment/attendance in primary schools rose to 78 per cent between 1995 and 2001.

The total population in the Middle East rose to 350,661,000, life expectancy at birth stood at 67 years, total literacy rate at 65 per cent, per capita income at $1,375, while enrollment/attendance in primary schools rose to 80 percent in 2001, the report said.

However, everything is not rosy in the region, McDormatt said. Adult HIV prevalence ratio among people aged between 15 and 49 in the Middle East is 0.3 percent. (GN)