Arab Children: Nurturing cultural identity and leadership

Sharjah 24

7 days ago

The session will feature broad participation from parliament members from various Arab countries. This comes as part of APC ongoing preparations for the second session of its fourth term at the headquarters of the Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC) in the United Arab Emirates.
Fostering Arab heritage
The session reflects the great interest APC places in instilling and consolidating the concepts of Arab cultural identity in children's minds, and in fostering pride in the cultural and value-based heritage of Arab countries. This will instil a sense of belonging and enhance pride in language, history, and culture, contributing to building generations capable of defending their values and identity in the face of accelerating challenges.
Empowering Arab children
The session will be held under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and with the support and follow-up of His Excellency Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. This reflects the shared Arab commitment to empowering Arab children to perform their dialogue and expressive roles within an effective institutional environment.
The session will be chaired by Elias Al Maani, President of APC in the Sultanate of Oman, in a move that affirms the principle of empowering children and motivating them to assume leadership roles that enhance their skills and open up horizons for them to think, discuss, and present visions and proposals on issues that affect their reality and aspirations.
Cultural identity of the Arab child
His Excellency Ayman Othman Al Barout, Secretary-General of APC, emphasised that the Cultural Identity Session comes at an important time when the emerging generations need to reconnect with their rich Arab culture and open up to the world while adhering to their roots and authenticity.
Al Barout stated that the Parliament has been keen to ensure that its sessions provide a free and responsible platform for the children of the Arab world, where they can express their visions and participate in building their future with confidence and determination.
Al Barout added that holding this session in the Emirate of Sharjah, the Arab Capital of Culture, under the generous patronage of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, is a source of pride and honour, embodying the UAE's vision to support and empower children at the Arab and international levels.
APC, A unique platform unifying Arab children
Al Barout pointed out that APC engagement through this session is important in consolidating its presence as a unique Arab platform that brings together Arab children within an institutional dialogue and development framework. This platform fosters the values of participation, expression of opinion, and respect for others through accompanying cultural and training programmes that accompany the sessions and open up horizons for interaction with the most prominent issues of concern to children in the Arab world.