The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched its first activity in Beirut, entitled Children’s Rights Festival as part of the 30th-anniversary celebration of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The festival was held in Horsh Beirut under the patronage of Beirut governor judge Ziad Chebib. It was attended by representatives of donor countries as well as local and international NGOs, and with the participation of a huge number of children.
The festival included various activities such as an interactive theatre, feature stories, puppet shows, rhythmic music workshops, and painting, as well as storytellers and live acrobatics.
These activities were considered an opportunity for children and young people to learn about their rights in a fun and joyful way and to exchange their impressions with each other and their parents.
In that regard, the UNICEF stated that”the festival will mark the launch of UNICEF’s first book in Arabic language featuring the adventure series of Jad and Tala to inspire the imagination of children aged 4 to 9 to promote children’s rights and discuss issues affecting their well-being and growth.”
It is worth noting that the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is abbreviated as the CRC or UNCRC, is the first human rights treaty for children. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly and opened for signatures on 20 November 1989 (the 30th anniversary of its Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
The Convention set out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the civil, political, economic, social, health’s, and cultural rights of children. It defines a child any human being under the age of eighteen unless the age of majority is attained earlier under national legislation.
The four core principles of the Convention are Non-discrimination, Devotion to the Best Interests of the Child, the Right to Life, Survival and Development, and the Respect for the Views of the Child.