Prepared by the Media and Communication Department at ANECD

12 September 2025

The Arab Network for Early Childhood (ANECD) and Moving Minds Alliance (MMA) conducted  in collaboration with the National Council for Family Affairs in Jordan the first regional symposium on early childhood research amid crises: “From scientific evidence to programs and policies in the Arab Region: Research, rights, and regional action for young children in crises”.

Throughout two days, 16-17/8/2025, more than 40 researchers, experts, and specialists in early childhood issues, as well as policymakers and representatives of government institutions and humanitarian and development organizations from 12 Arab and international countries convened in Amman, Jordan. The participants were from Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Bangladesh. On one hand, the diversity of the attendees reflected the convergence of crises and challenges related to research in the early childhood sector. On the other, it indicated the persistent regional and international efforts to network and transform research, evidence, and data into programs and policies.

(Dr. Ghassan Issa, ANECD General Coordinator)

Early childhood: Scientific research as a pillar of policies
The symposium was based on the fundamental premise that early childhood development is not a luxury, but rather a necessity and a fundamental right of the child’s rights. At a time when children are the most vulnerable during crises, this stage remains often marginalized and underfunded.

The symposium sought to change this narrative, paving the way for a qualitative shift based on scientific evidence, focusing on the greater challenge of establishing the processes of early childhood research in crises and utilizing them in advocacy efforts to effect meaningful policy change, especially in volatile and rapidly evolving contexts.

The general coordinator of ANECD, Dr. Ghassan Issa, summarized the importance of the symposium theme by stating that “we cannot rely solely on providing services in the ECD sector without research, even during crises. Otherwise, early childhood programs would not be solid.” In his opening remarks, Issa explained that this event is the first of its kind in the Arab region, and it complements the efforts of ANECD and the national networks in establishing the Arab Working Group for Early Childhood Research, connecting researchers in the EC field, and working to produce and exchange knowledge.

In the same context, Dr. Mohammed Al-Meqdadi, Secretary-General of the National Council for Family Affairs, highlighted “the significance of this meeting that stems from its focus on evidence-based scientific research as an essential tool for developing policies, programs, and strategies”. He emphasized that “scientific research is the cornerstone of any successful policy in the field of early childhood”. He also linked the importance of this event aiming at protecting children to the tragic events taking place in Arab countries, especially in Gaza, clarifying that “these events remind us that protecting children is not a luxury but an urgent humanitarian necessity”.

(Dr. Mohammed Al-Meqdadi, Secretary-General of the National Council for Family Affairs)

Symposium topics: Protecting children through knowledge and research
Participants from diverse backgrounds and countries came together with a single goal that is to enhance cooperation in order to bridge the gap between research and practical policies and to develop evidence-based policies and practices that provide every child with the best start in life, noting that these efforts are hindered by several obstacles, most notably:

• Competing priorities
• Shrinking and inconspicuous funding sources.

In order to attain the overall objective, the symposium provided a lively platform for sharing experiences, expertise, and research findings. Discussion focused on two main themes: 1) Child’s Rights that constitute the basis for all ECD work and 2) ECD advocacy, policy impact, and change.

Participants addressed the following topics:

• Strengthening knowledge and practices in ECD during crises
• Strengthening networking and links between academics, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and regional and international stakeholders to support evidence-based programs and policies
• Presenting the latest research based on the Strategic Research Model (SRM) developed by ANECD. The model links research to organizational objectives and strategic priorities and enables accurate and low-cost data collection across national groups. This highlights the value of collaborative data collection and provides supportive information for policymaking that is real and undistracted by bureaucracy across public administrations. The strategic research models presented during the forum were the following:
• “Review of Child’s Rights laws and legislations in 6 Arab countries”.
• “The status of parents and caregivers during crises in 6 Arab Countries” including a case study from Egypt.
• “Knowledge and practices of parents and caregivers regarding the impact of the climate change crisis on children under the age of 5 in 6 Arab Countries” with a case study from Jordan.
• “The working conditions of educators in nurseries and kindergartens in 7 Arab Countries” with a cases study from Morocco
• “Professional development of early childhood educators in nurseries and kindergartens in Arab Countries” with a case study from Lebanon.
• Presenting a series of studies conducted by ANECD on “Health, Early Learning, Protection, Parenting Protection for Young Children” (HEPPP), a program that has been developing for ten years. ANECD has published articles on this program in peer-reviewed foreign journals. This also applies to the “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support” program that was implemented in several countries.
• Addressing key research topics in the field of early childhood, most notably:
• Child’s Rights with a focus on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and related laws and addressing the problematic definition of a child
• “Unchilding children during the multiple crises
• Role of parents and caregivers during the climate crises and other numerous crises
• Working conditions and professional development needs of the EC workforce
• Research spaces that focus on opening a shared portal between researchers and research subjects on a single platform
• Digital challenges for early childhood research during crises in Arab countries. Among these challenges are digital divides creating research gaps that, in turn, become policy gaps. Without overcoming digital barriers, the divide between research and policy in Arab countries will remain, and this exerts a huge impact on young children.
• Decolonizing early childhood education practices and research in Arab countries, particularly in terms of sources, knowledge production, and policies sustainability
• Regulating research concerned with the lives of young children during multifaceted crises
• Addressing early childhood data challenges in order to support evidence-based decision-making during crises
• ECD research during genocides (a case study from Gaza being subjected to genocide)
• The new ecology of childhood and its implications for the roadmap.

(A minute of silence for the souls of the martyrs, most of whom are children in the Gaza Strip)

(From the panel discussion during the Symposium on regional and global initiatives in research and knowledge production related to the early childhood sector)

From scientific evidence to policies and programs: Interactive session
Building upon the discussions, research, and studies presented during the sessions, participants held an interactive working session at the end of the symposium entitled “From scientific evidence to policies and programs”. The working groups sought to examine the reality on the ground and identify research gaps, in addition to exploring ways to develop national and regional capacities in the EC sector.

Participants discussed the most prominent challenges hindering the collection of accurate and reliable data, identified urgent research priorities in this field, and reviewed the reasons for the weak use of research findings in policies and programs. The discussions highlighted the importance of linking scientific research to field reality and adapting it to national and regional specificities. They concluded with a set of recommendations aimed at developing research capacities and enhancing coordination among various parties in order to advance the early childhood sector in the Arab countries.

The symposium succeeded in creating a rich space for the following:

• Being the first regional symposium dedicated to early childhood research in crises across Arab countries representing a foundational milestone toward building a regular tradition of holding similar conferences and enhancing the sustainability of research efforts
• Introducing and presenting the SRM as an innovative scientific tool for linking research to priorities and policies and discussing how to adapt this model during regional and global crises
• Providing practical experiences on knowledge production mechanisms in early childhood research from the ground
• Sharing research, findings, and experiences from different countries, mapping future research, or building on the results of previous research
• Enhancing cooperation, dialogue, and networking between researchers and policymakers and exchanging observations and perspectives to serve the interests of the early childhood sector
• Advocating for evidence-based programs, policies, and strategies, communicating findings, and directly contributing to mapping future research priorities for ECD
• Raising issues that are often overlooked in the ECD sector, such as decolonizing research methodologies in the Arab countries, “unchilding”, children with disabilities, and the new ecology of childhood.

All the symposium materials and recordings will soon be available on the ANECD website.

Translated by: Rania Sahili