Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, on Wednesday, attended the 7th Forum on Investing in Young Children Globally (iYCG), which kicked off under her patronage in Amman.

The forum brings together around one hundred policymakers, economists, child development experts, leaders and youth from the region.

The opening session titled ‘Bridging Investments in Young Children With Peaceful Societies’ began with opening remarks from Jordan’s UNICEF Representative, Robert Jenkins, who commended Jordan’s efforts in early childhood development.

The panel addressed migration patterns of refugee children in the region, early childhood and peace, as well as inter-community dialogue. It included presentations by Executive Director of Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network Mohannad Al-Nsour, UNICEF Workshop Co-chair and iYCG Member Pia Rebello Britto, and Professor at the School Of International Service at the American University, Mohammed Abu-Nimer.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Mohammad Thuneibat, Minister of Justice,Bassam Talhouni, iYCG Director Kimber Bogard, and UNICEF Child Protection Specialist Maha Homsi, as well as other representatives from local and regional child protection agencies also attended the opening session.

The three-day meeting in Amman will work to strengthen knowledge exchange and identification of opportunities for investments in early childhood development and protection to uphold human rights, promote social justice and sustain peace.

It will also seek to use evidence from success of programs in Jordan and around the world to inform early childhood policy and investment decisions at the global and regional levels.

Amman was selected to host this workshop because of Jordan's commitment to early childhood and youth; particularly engaging the youth voice through the call to action in the UN Resolution on Youth, Peace and Security.

Source: Petra