6 July 2026

The Arab Network for Early Childhood (ANECD) participated in a regional digital workshop on early childhood development in the Arab region organized by the Department of Family and Childhood at the Arab League on May 18, 2026.

Entitled “A Better Future in a Changing World”, the workshop came to acknowledge the pivotal importance of early childhood and the rapidly evolving challenges facing the Arab region, necessitating the adoption of a holistic approach to development that integrates health, nutrition, early education, protection, and parenting, in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Participants highlighted the status of early childhood in Arab countries, the challenges and gaps, in addition to sharing successful experiences and practices in the fields of health, nutrition, early learning, and social welfare. The workshop also reviewed best practices and programs that support child development during the early years.

Based on the previous objectives, the workshop covered several key themes, topped by assessing the current state of early childhood in Arab countries, the role of legislation and public policies in supporting early childhood development, early childhood education and its impact on the child’s holistic development, the role of family, society, and technology in childcare, the situation of children with special needs, in addition to the situation of children in armed conflicts and protection mechanisms.

ANECD on the new ecology of childhood

The participation of ANECD in the workshop stemmed from its leading role in the early childhood development sector in Arab countries, and it was represented by its general coordinator, Dr. Ghassan Issa who presented a strategic policy paper entitled “Complementary Roles of the Family, the Society, and the State: The New Ecology of Childhood”.

The paper addressed the transition of Arab policies from the first generation of rights (the right to survival) to the third generation (the right to development, developmental justice, and environmental adaptation), in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. It establishes a structural shift from the concept of a limited “welfare state” to that of an “embracing society” in which the family, educational institutions, the private sector, and the state share the responsibility for making humans.

The paper also focused on integrating two global frameworks for understanding and guiding the development of the Arab child:

• The “Nurturing Care Framework” which emphasizes that a child’s survival and flourishing require five integrated elements: good health, adequate nutrition, responsive care, safety and protection, and early learning opportunities.
• The Ecological Systems Theory of Childhood which asserts that child development does not occur in a vacuum, but is influenced by an interconnected network of ecosystems that interact dynamically and reciprocally.

In this context, Issa addressed two main axes for child’s development, upbringing, and empowerment: the family axis which is the child’s first and most important stronghold and the societal axis which represents the child’s second home.

Regarding the “New Ecology of Early Childhood”, the central theme of the paper, Issa discussed the unprecedented circumstances facing children and parents today, explaining that these changes have led to high levels of exhaustion and psychological stress for parents. Issa identified four fundamental challenges that must be addressed in Arab contexts:

• The climate and environmental change leading to a health and developmental crisis
• The digital divide and parental distraction
• The crisis of the availability and quality of childcare
• The poverty, the structural crises, and the persistent inequality in the Arab region.

In addition, the paper dedicated a section to the catastrophic situation of children in Arab countries suffering from violence and war, such as Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria. It cited examples of successful laws and practices in the Arab world that should be activated, disseminated, and made more effective, namely Morocco, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, and the UAE.

ANECD proposed through the document the adoption of a new Charter for Childhood in the Arab world by incorporating several guiding principles as a sovereign and legislative framework. Major principles include the right to survival and development, developmental justice, social protection for parental leave, a sovereign childhood budget, and others.

To ensure the activation of the charter and the achievement of the desired integration, ANECD presented an integrated roadmap including the institutionalization of data and legislation, the qualification of human resources, and the strengthening of family resilience, in addition to other points.

The English summary of the strategic policy paper is available for review here.