Calls for peace, safety, security, and an end to violence dominated discussions at the second pre-forum meeting in Amman, Jordan.
The pre-forum meeting held on 29 July 2024 brought together senior religious leaders, GNRC members, and representatives from various governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including UNICEF, Save the Children, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Arab Women and Child Organization, and the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities. GNRC members from other countries in the region and elsewhere around the world followed the meeting virtually.
In addition to mobilizing participation and input for the Sixth Forum, the meeting was an important opportunity for participants to forge new partnerships to strengthen the GNRC network.
As they delved into the themes and subthemes of the GNRC Sixth Forum, to be held in November this year, participants at the meeting decried the suffering of children in the region. They also underscored the vital role of family and the broader community in safeguarding children.
“We need to seek guidance from spiritual books to raise children amidst ongoing conflicts,” said Sheikh Mustafa Abu.
During the group discussions, participants stressed that continued and intensified conflict in the region would be catastrophic for children. The effects of inadequate sanitation, food insecurity and the high risk of starvation are already evident among thousands of displaced children in the region, many of whom have been severely injured and left with disabilities.
“We have supported several people with disabilities in the refugee camps here in Jordan through UNRWA in an effort to make their environment safe,” says, “But there still exists a big gap in addressing the root causes (of insecurity), and that is where we need the intervention of faith leaders,” noted Ms. Muna Al Ghoul from UNRWA.
Violence transcends religion, ethnicity, and morality; it represents a fundamental betrayal of our shared humanity. In acts of violence, we lose touch with our true selves. For those guided by faith and principles, this is a moment for profound introspection and reflection.
Mr. Nidal Massadeh from Save the Children emphasized the importance of actively involving children in discussions about the challenges that face them. He argued that children, as primary stakeholders, possess unique insights and perspectives that adults might overlook. Including children in the dialogue, therefore, empowers them and ensures that the solutions developed are more comprehensive and practical.
Mr. Khaled Bartaseh, the GNRC Jordan Coordinator, acknowledged that children in the Middle East face numerous challenges, mainly due to the ongoing conflict and uncertainty around the direction it would take.
In his closing remarks, the GNRC Secretary General, Dr. Ali reiterated the invitation to all GNRC members to participate in the GNRC Sixth Forum in Abu Dhabi, and thanked them for their continued efforts to build a safe, secure, and sustainable world for children.
“One of the biggest lessons we are learning from the conflict is the need to teach children the importance of coexistence despite the differences in religion and ethnicity,” Mr. Hanna Salameh, a journalist.
