RIYADH, 19 July 2005 — Saudi Arabia plans to set up a municipal council for children in Madinah and a network of learning centers in the capital city within the framework of the Middle East and North Africa Child Protection Initiative (CPI).
The initiative aims to ensure the protection of children and promote child-oriented programs.
It was launched by the Riyadh-based Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI) in cooperation with the World Bank and seeks to address the grievances of children in the Arab world.
“The city of Madinah is on the forefront in terms of promoting the welfare of children,” said Dr. Gamal Mahmoud Hamid, CPI’s director, here yesterday. “The Madinah municipality is currently working on the children municipal council project, conceived by the municipality itself.” The project has now been adopted by the CPI after a workshop on the future of children held in Madinah last month.
The CPI chief said that the purpose of this experiment is to raise awareness among children about different aspects of life. The Madinah municipality is also planning to collect information about vulnerable children, determine the problems confronting them and ways to address such problems. It is also in the process of setting up a regional fund with an aim to finance the CPI programs and projects in Madinah region.
Asked about the CPI programs to be implemented in Riyadh, Dr Hamid said: “Dozens of learning centers called ‘Knowledge Oasis’ will be set up in public parks with an aim to promote learning among children through informal means.”
Every ‘Knowledge Oasis’ will have an in-house IT center and other accessories to attract children to learning.
He said that a mother oasis project is currently being established at the King Abdul Aziz Center for Science and Technology (KACST). CPI has designed all the projects for children.
Dr. Hamid said that the initiative sought to reduce violence both against and among children and youth by generating awareness. The initiative will support municipalities and local authorities in building their capacities to promote the welfare of children.
Another objective is to establish a regional fund for Arab states to finance children-oriented programs.
“Networking and coordination among schools and local authorities to improve the skills and capabilities is another task to be taken up,” said the CPI director. The initiative also recognizes the tragic circumstances of children and the young in Palestine and Iraq, while affirming the need to protect them and address their needs.
The AUDI, founded in 1980 with its headquarters in Riyadh, is a regional non-profit urban research, technical and consulting organization. The Institute is affiliated with the Kuwait-based Arab Towns Organization (ATO).
