The unwavering commitment of the Sharjah Child Friendly Office (SCFO), an affiliate of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA), in ensuring the wellbeing of children and safeguarding their rights has been recognised and honoured by the League of Arab States and the Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD).

SCFO was honoured recently in Egypt for its pivotal role in developing a child-friendly media guide titled, ‘Professional Principles of Arab Media in Addressing Child Right Issues’.

The recognition comes in appreciation of the partnership between SCFO and ACCD in developing ethical and professional guidelines to be followed by the media when covering childhood and child rights issues.

Dr. Hessa Khalfan Al Ghazal, Executive Director of SCFO, received an honorary certificate from HRH Prince Abdul Aziz bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz, Chairman of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD) and President of the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), and Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector at the League of Arab States, during the launch ceremony.

The launch event was attended by the current President of the Arab Childhood Committee; public figures and representatives of child-related institutions at the local, regional and international levels, and media professionals.

In 2017, His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of the emirate of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, had signed off on the ‘Professional Principles of Arab Media in Addressing Child Right Issues’ to develop a child-friendly media system that upholds values aimed at protecting children’s rights and addressing different childhood-related issues.

The following year, the guide was published and distributed to all relevant entities and authorities in Sharjah after it was approved by the Sharjah Media Council and Sharjah Executive Council.

SCFO has since trained more than 200 participants including professionals, experts and children on child-friendly media practices, in cooperation with ACCD. The training sessions, aimed at spotlighting leading best practices and the code of ethics for media coverage of children, were attended by major media entities in the UAE.