Arab Parliament for the Child prepares for second session
His Excellency Al Barout welcomed the board, praising their active contributions and the strong presence of the Parliament's president, deputies, and committee heads. Among the attendees were Elyas bin Awadh Al Ma'ani (Oman), Abdullah Yousif Bujeiri (Bahrain), Mai Jalal Abdulaziz (Palestine), Rabia Ibrahim Abu Rumman (Jordan), and Nasser bin Talal Al Husseini (Oman). The meeting focused on planning the upcoming session, centred on strengthening cultural identity and Arab belonging among children, while also reviewing proposals to enhance parliamentary procedures and encourage members' engagement in discussions and activities.
Parliamentary development and media initiatives
His Excellency Al Barout stressed the board's responsibility in representing Arab children and called for sustained communication and active idea-sharing. The meeting also celebrated the release of a new issue of The Young Parliamentarian magazine, a platform for children's voices and parliamentary updates. Progress in the Child Parliamentarian Diploma was also highlighted, having gained wide interest and strengthened participants' knowledge and skills.
Review of previous terms and future outlook
The board reviewed past sessions, events, and discussions—including collaborations with Sharjah's Children and Youth Shura Council—and reaffirmed the importance of continuing such initiatives to develop children's awareness and societal engagement. Emphasis was placed on prioritising children's mental well-being in future sessions and incorporating related themes into discussions and awareness programmes through specialised workshops.
Committee work and upcoming international participation
The meeting concluded by confirming the continued remote work of the Child Rights and Activities Committees and coordination among members to deliver impactful initiatives. The Parliament is also preparing for its participation in the upcoming International Government Communication Forum in Sharjah—a key platform for sharing experiences and engaging young leaders.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun visits Algeria in effort to bolster bilateral ties
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is on a two-day state visit to Algeria, in a move aimed at revitalising bilateral relations and reinforcing Lebanon's diplomatic engagement with the Arab world. He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji and Information Minister Paul Morcos, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency. It marks the first official visit by a Lebanese president to Algeria since Emile Lahoud travelled to the North African nation in 2002. In 2013, then-President Michel Sleiman made a brief technical stop in Algiers, where he was received at the airport by Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika. This week's visit is being framed as a strategic step intended to reinvigorate co-operation across sectors, particularly energy. Lebanese media have reported that several agreements are expected to be signed, including collaborations in oil and gas. The trip may also pave the way for establishing a direct flight route between Beirut and Algiers. Since taking office in January, Mr Aoun – a former commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces – has prioritised restoring Lebanon's ties with Arab nations as a cornerstone of his foreign policy. In his inaugural address, he underscored a commitment to strengthening alliances with Arab and Gulf partners, judicial and economic reform and consolidating the state's monopoly on arms. His diplomatic agenda has so far included high-level visits to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and most recently to Bahrain, where plans were finalised to establish a permanent Bahraini diplomatic mission in Beirut and expand bilateral co-operation. These successive visits reflect an effort to reset ties with the broader Arab world, re-establish confidence and secure crucial support as Lebanon grapples with a deep-rooted economic crisis that began in 2019 and the aftermath of a year-long war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. The international community has tied major aid and investment to comprehensive reforms and the disarmament of non-state forces, chiefly Hezbollah and Palestinian factions. In February, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf visited Beirut, where met with Mr Aoun. Relations between Beirut and Algiers have experienced ups and downs. Algeria has offered Lebanon support in recent years. In 2024, it donated 30,000 tonnes of fuel oil – enough to generate 250 megawatts of electricity for about 20 days – after the country's only remaining operational power plant in Zahrani shut down because of fuel shortages. Lebanon's electricity sector has been crumbling for about three decades given a lack of investment and corruption, failing to provide round-the-clock electricity. The country has a complex history with Algeria's national state-owned oil company Sonatrach. In 2020, the company ended its fuel supply contract with Lebanon after a high-profile scandal exposed deep corruption and mismanagement within Lebanon's energy sector. The contract, signed in 2005 and renewed several times, had allowed Sonatrach's offshore unit to supply fuel oil for Lebanon's power plants. However, in early 2020, Lebanese authorities launched an investigation revealing that the supplied fuel was substandard and failed to meet required specifications. The scandal implicated several officials at Électricité du Liban (EDL), the Ministry of Energy and Customs, leading to a wave of arrests, including ministry staff and representatives from the local subcontractor. The deal, for which terms were kept secret for 15 years, was initially thought to be a state-to-state agreement. However, a Lebanese judicial investigation revealed that Sonatrach's subsidiary actually subcontracted the delivery to private companies, which were accused of falsifying laboratory results and bribery. Sonatrach denied any involvement in shipping tainted fuel. The Algerian presidency described the case as a 'Lebanese-Lebanese issue' in which Algeria was not involved.
Dubai Eye
6 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
GCC welcomes efforts for two-state solution amid Saudi-French conference
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Al Budaiwi, has reaffirmed the regional body's support for the creation of an international coalition to implement efforts aimed at resolving the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution. The comments were made during a high-level conference on the two-state solution, led by Saudi Arabia and France, at the UN headquarters in New York. Al Budaiwi said that GCC foreign ministers held a meeting on the sidelines of the conference, discussing the latest humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israel's 'policy of starvation' in the enclave. Al-Badawi called for regional and international efforts to lift the siege on the Palestinian people and allow the urgent and unrestricted entry of all humanitarian and relief aid. The UAE had earlier issued a statement welcoming the conference and France's intended, landmark recognition of Palestinian statehood which is set to "reinforce efforts by the international community to advance the two-state solution." In his opening remarks, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning, stressing that the two-state solution - described as the only credible path to peace - has reached 'a breaking point' and is now 'further away than ever.' Guterres called for the conference to serve as 'a pivotal turning point' and a rare opportunity to make irreversible progress, rather than 'another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric.' Israel's ally the United States, however, called the UN conference a "publicity stunt" that would "embolden Hamas, and reward its obstruction and undermine real-world efforts to achieve peace." The UN head added that the "creeping" annexation of the occupied West Bank is illegal and must cease, describing the developments as part of a systematic erosion of the foundations of peace in the Middle East. The Israeli Knesset last week passed a non-binding resolution for the annexation of the occupied West Bank - a move described as a violation of several UN Security Council resolutions and considered invalid. Hours after the motion, the Israeli government allocated an additional $274 million for settlement projects in the West Bank. A joint statement by 12 Arab and Islamic countries, including the UAE, said that Israel has 'no sovereignty' over the occupied Palestinian territory and the vote has no legal effect on the status of the territory, adding such Israeli actions only fuel the growing tension in the region.
Gulf Today
21 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Ministers gather at UN for delayed meeting on Palestinian solution
Dozens of ministers will gather at the United Nations on Monday for a delayed conference to work toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, but the US and Israel are boycotting the event. The 193-member UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025. Hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran. The conference aims to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told newspaper La Tribune Dimanche in an interview published on Sunday that he will also use the conference this week to push other countries to join France in recognizing a Palestinian state. France intends to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said last week. "We will launch an appeal in New York so that other countries join us to initiate an even more ambitious and demanding dynamic that will culminate on September 21," Barrot said, adding that he expected Arab countries by then to condemn Hamas and call for their disarmament. Women react during the funeral for victims killed by Israeli bombardment on the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis on Monday. Agence France-Presse The conference comes as a 22-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza still rages. The war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. US to skip meet The US will not attend the conference at the United Nations, said a State Department spokesperson, describing it as "a gift to Hamas, which continues to reject ceasefire proposals accepted by Israel that would lead to the release of hostages and bring calm in Gaza." The State Department spokesperson added that Washington voted against the General Assembly last year calling for the conference and would "not support actions that jeopardize the prospect for a long-term, peaceful resolution to the conflict." Israel is also not taking part in the conference, "which doesn't first urgently address the issue of condemning Hamas and returning all of the remaining hostages," said Jonathan Harounoff, international spokesperson at Israel's UN mission. The UN has long endorsed a vision of two states living side by side within secure and recognized borders. Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, all territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war with neighbouring Arab states. The UN General Assembly in May last year overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognizing it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council "reconsider the matter favourably." The resolution garnered 143 votes in favour and nine against. The General Assembly vote was a global survey of support for the Palestinian bid to become a full UN member – a move that would effectively recognize a Palestinian state – after the US vetoed it in the U.N. Security Council several weeks earlier. Reuters
