1-tqryr_jtm_ljn_lmtb_04016_2 (PDF)

Country: Jordan

In December 2014, the Founding Forum of the Arab Network for Early Childhood Development (ANECD) was convened in Jordan. Representatives of ministries of education and social affairs, childhood councils, non-governmental organizations and academia, as well as individual experts attended the Forum and came from 15 Arab and foreign countries. The forum was the last “event” of the Arab Program of Early Childhood Development (APECD) that lasted for three years, 2012-2014. APECD was hosted by the Arab Resource Collective (ARC), under the umbrella of the Arab Regional Agenda for Improving Education Quality (ARAIEQ) based at the Arab League’s Education, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and funded by the World Bank.

After ARC efforts to sustain the deployment of ANECD were met with initial success, the follow-up committee of the Founding Assembly (December 2014) started preparations for this ANECD Follow-up Committee meeting in Jordan, April 20-12, 2016. The preparatory team initiated by ARC appointed Mr. Youssef Hajjar as the facilitator of the meeting, and most of the preparations were done electronically until the team met face-to-face to put the “last touches” to the agenda, on the eve of the meeting in Jordan. Other participants joined to constitute the steering team of the meeting. ANECD Follow-up Committee meeting took place by the Dead Sea, Jordan, April 20-22, 2016, and it was attended by 38 participants, most of whom were present at the “Founding Assembly” in December 2014, and/or participated in at least one previous activity of APECD. They came from ministries, childhood councils, non-governmental organizations, regional and international agencies, and academia, as well as individual experts, from Arab and foreign countries.