The Arab Council for Childhood and Development, under the patronage of the council's president Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal and in partnership with the Arab League, the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, organized the "6th Arab Civil Society Forum for Childhood" under the slogan "Empowering the Arab Child in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Beyond." This event took place from February 13-14 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
The forum aims to disseminate and raise awareness about the importance of empowering the Arab child in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, highlighting its opportunities and risks. It is based on a comprehensive and interconnected conceptual framework within a new intellectual system that establishes an organic relationship between the child and the Fourth Industrial Revolution within a global awareness context. The event also seeks to discuss the reality of Arab civil society for childhood in light of current developments.
The forum features the launch of the first exploratory Arab study on "The Readiness of the Arab Child in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," as well as discussions on the state of Arab civil society for childhood amid ongoing changes. Additionally, there will be a dialogue session with children and presentations of experiences and initiatives in the fields of civil society and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with nearly 250 participants, including experts and representatives from regional and international organizations related to child welfare from various Arab countries.
It is noteworthy that the Arab Civil Society Forum for Childhood serves as a periodic gathering and a mechanism for building the capacities of civil society organizations working in the field of childhood. It is a space for learning, exchanging experiences, and building partnerships, adopting a rights-based and developmental approach grounded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant Arab and international charters and agreements, alongside the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
