27 October 2025

The Arab Network for Early Childhood (ANECD) held a workshop to review, validate, and endorse the principles and priorities of its Strategic Plan for 2026–2030. The workshop took place over two days, 25 and 26 October 2025, in Amman, Jordan.

The workshop was hosted by the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) in Jordan and brought together more than forty early childhood specialists, researchers, and policymakers from ten Arab countries, following months of intensive virtual consultations.

ANECD’s General Coordinator, Dr. Ghassan Issa, stated that “this milestone represents a firm reaffirmation of a shared Arab commitment to early childhood issues”. He added, “In a region shaken by crises and uncertainty, we stand united today, striving to advance a comprehensive, inclusive, enabling, participatory, and liberated approach that addresses the systemic violations of the rights of our children, their caregivers, and the professionals working in this field”.

(Dr. Ghassan Issa, General Coordinator of ANECD)

In a press statement, Dr. Issa emphasized that the contributions of participants and stakeholders during the workshop “reflect a collective will that refuses to disengage, and a determination to build principle-based frameworks and systems that are locally rooted, regionally coordinated, and globally impactful”.

Commenting on the event, Dr. Mohammad Al-Meqdadi, Secretary-General of the National Council for Family Affairs, noted that “developing this plan comes at a critical time that requires from all of us a clear vision, collaboration, and joint effort to ensure an effective response to the growing challenges facing children and families in the Arab region.” He stressed that the workshop “represents an opportunity for dialogue, exchange of expertise, and the identification of priorities that will guide the Network’s work in the coming years”.

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

(Dr. Hasan Al-Bilawi, Secretary-General of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development)

Interconnected Strategic Pillars for Sustainable Development

ANECD’s Strategic Plan is based on a comprehensive framework composed of four interconnected levels:

• Thematic Pillars (Core Foundations): These address the fundamental areas of ANECD’s work, including early childhood in the context of multiple crises such as wars, poverty, climate change, and environmental risks. The plan focuses on developing integrated responses and strengthening national and regional capacities. It also emphasizes empowering early childhood professionals through the development of clear career pathways, knowledge resources, and training tools that enable the integration of digital practices into daily work.
• Functional Pillars: These focus on generating, linking, and applying knowledge to policies and practices through collaboration between universities and research centers. They also emphasize advocacy and policy influence to ensure that early childhood issues are effectively represented in regional and international dialogues, while expanding partnerships with relevant organizations at both levels.
• Cross-Cutting Strategy (Digitalization): This serves as a unifying element that supports all other levels through the development of digital platforms, databases, and artificial intelligence applications to collect, organize, and make knowledge accessible. These efforts aim to strengthen networking, digital advocacy, and knowledge sharing. The plan also envisions the establishment of a unified regional platform that brings together digital resources and communities of practice.
• Enablers (Supporting Factors): These ensure the plan’s effective implementation and sustainability through the development of evidence-based knowledge management systems, flexible and diversified financing mechanisms, and robust monitoring, evaluation, and accountability frameworks. The plan also prioritizes institutional capacity-building through standardized training programs that combine in-person and digital learning to ensure efficiency and long-term sustainability.