ECPC Commemorates the World Day of Prayer & Action for Children 2022
ECPC endorses Toolkit on Nurturing the Spiritual Development of Young Children at World Day Symposium in Rome
ECPC News report by Dr. Siobhán Fitzpatrick
World Day of Prayer and Action for Children Symposium
On 17–18 November 2022, an assembly of global leaders from interfaith communities and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) gathered in Rome, Italy to observe the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, observed each year on the 20th of November. The assembly participated in a special two-day symposium, convened by Arigatou International and co-hosted by the Pontifical Gregorian University, and collaborators from over 18 global organizations, including the Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC).
The symposium was in response to an urgent wake-up call made to world leaders by U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, on the record milestone of over 100 million displaced people who have been forced to flee from situations of violent conflict (UNHCR, 2022). The president of Arigatou International Rev. Keishi Miyamoto, relayed the call to the global faith community that assembled in Rome to identify solutions to this ‘unprecedented’ humanitarian crisis, in particular, the urgent needs of the 36.5 million children who have been forcibly displaced (UNHCR, 2022).
Dr. Siobhán Fitzpatrick, ECPC Regional Vice Chairperson and Chairperson of the International Network on Peacebuilding for Young Children (INPB), and Mr. Mark Feeney, ECPC Expert Support Group member and Program Consultant for the Early Years — The Organisation for Young Children in Northern Ireland, joined with delegates from across the globe to attend the onsite interfaith symposium. Dr. Rima Salah, ECPC Chairperson and Former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations gave a remote opening keynote address on Day 2 of the event.
Turning prayer into action through partnership
“Faith leaders have an important role to play in bridging the divides between nations, races, cultures, and religions.”
-Rev. Keishi Miyamoto — President Arigatou International
The symposium focused on the importance of turning prayer into action, the importance of faith communities acting together, and the critical role of partnership when working in the interests of children.
It launched the first-of-its-kind Toolkit on Nurturing the Spiritual Development of Young Children in the Early Years, under the guidance of the international Consortium on Nurturing Values and Spirituality in Early Childhood for the Prevention of Violence, of which the ECPC is an active member.
►See the 7-part Toolkit on Nurturing the Spiritual Development of Young Children, the Toolkit Introduction and Rationale booklet, and the Flipbook.
The symposium also marked the celebration of the adoption of the new resolution by the 77th U.N. General Assembly (UNGA), which established 18 November of each year as World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence (A/RES/77/8).
►Watch the U.N. media briefing following the UNGA vote: Sexual Exploitation & Abuse: UN General Assembly Media Stakeout dated November 7, 2022
Symposium Day 1: Call to Action to protect and promote the dignity and rights of all children on the move
”If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.“ -Nietzsche
Nietzsche’s powerful quote provided the focus for the day on action rather than words. The program had a particular focus on the needs of children on the move, highlighting the impact of war, poverty, climate change, and natural disasters on the most vulnerable women and children. There was a particular focus on the impact of forced displacement on the mental health of children and parents. Many of the speakers called for religious leaders to spearhead a movement of religions for peace calling for the full implementation of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), not as a wish list nor as an optional extra, but as a legal framework, especially for children on the move.
►Watch the LIVE video recording — Symposium Day 1: World Day of Prayer and Action for Children 2022 (5:49:20)
Joint Call to Action
Some agreed-upon call-to-action points that resulted from the 2022 World Day of Prayer and Action for Children include:
- Raise awareness about the factors driving forced displacement while calling attention to the impact on children’s dignity, and raise awareness of effective ways to ameliorate the driving forces of armed conflict, climate crisis, and poverty
- Promote local and global interfaith and multi-stakeholder collaboration for the prevention of violence against children affected by all crises, in particular, the implementation of the Global Compact for the Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees
- Recognize the key role of faith actors as first responders in emergency and humanitarian crises and equip them to implement concrete actions to support and uphold children’s rights, dignity, and well-being.
- Help keep families together by supporting family reunification and by protecting the rights of unaccompanied and separated children
- Advocate for ending the detention of refugee or migrant children
- Understand the spiritual needs of children and families and use a faith-based approach to psychological support
- Fully embrace the concept of “welcoming the stranger“ using the Welcome, protect, promote, and integrate the framework
- Recognize the importance of research, education, social protection, and building a more socially cohesive future
- Gather age-disaggregated data and evidence on refugee, migrant, and internally displaced children in local communities
- Build upon the action plans from the Faith Action for Children on the Move Forum and the Multi-religious Council of Leaders as key agents of multi-faith collaboration with the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
These points are manifested in the international Consortium’s Joint Statement, an expression of solidarity and a Call to Action to protect and promote the dignity and rights of all children on the move.
Symposium Day 2: Launch of the ECPC Endorsed* Toolkit on Nurturing the Spiritual Development of Young Children
The launch of the Toolkit on Nurturing the Spiritual Development of Young Children in the Early Years — A Contribution to the Protection of Children from Violence and the Promotion of Their Holistic Well-Being was the central focus on Day 2 of the symposium. The special event was hosted by the developer of the Toolkit, the Consortium on Nurturing Values and Spirituality in Early Childhood for the Prevention of Violence, an international organization of civil society and faith-based organizations, religious communities, multilateral organizations, academia, and individual experts, convened by Arigatou International. The ECPC, an institutional member of the Consortium, is represented by ECPC Chairperson Dr. Rima Salah, and ECPC Executive Committee member Suna Hanöz-Penney.
►See the 7-part Toolkit on Nurturing the Spiritual Development of Young Children, the Toolkit Introduction and Rationale booklet, and the Flipbook.
The key theme was, that until now, spirituality has largely been ignored in the science of child development, even though it is referenced in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The new Toolkit will put spirituality at the center of holistic development, not just faith development.
“The Toolkit aims to help equip faith actors to engage actively in the protection of children from violence in early childhood and the promotion of children’s holistic well-being by supporting parents, caregivers, educators, and communities to nurture children’s spiritual development and take an active role in addressing violence in early childhood” (See About the Toolkit).
LIVE video recording of Symposium Day 2 and Toolkit Launch Event
►Watch the Day-2 proceedings, including the Special Launch Event’s opening remarks made by keynote speakers:
- Rev. Keishi Miyamoto — President, Arigatou International (See: time mark 1:06:42)
- Dr. Rima Salah — Chair, Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC); Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale Child Study Center; Former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (See: time mark 1:12:50).
- Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid — Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children; ECPC Executive Committee Member (See: time mark 1:18:26)
This report also acknowledges the contributions made by keynote speakers: Marie Lucia Uribe, Arigatou Geneva; Dr. Ilham Nasser, International Network of Islamic Thought; and Caroline Arnold, Education, and Early Childhood Specialist.
It is recognized that the spiritual development of children is an under-researched and under-invested area of child development. The Toolkit is a unique contribution to further understanding, investment, and awareness about the critical importance of including the spiritual development of children as part of their holistic development and well-being.
The Toolkit:
- provides the entry point to the other domains of social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development
- can be seen as a ground-breaking resource to protect children from violence and promote their holistic well-being
- describes how nurturing children’s spiritual development acts to promote safe, respectful, violence-free environments, build positive relationships between parents, caregivers, educators, and children, and equip adults in these roles to create empowering experiences for children
Implementing the Toolkit
All members of the international Consortium have committed to implementing the Toolkit and initiating a systematic process of monitoring and evaluation in several locations around the world that will help create evidence on the contribution of this area to the protection of children from violence.
“I was honored to attend these events in Rome in November 2022. I believe that the Toolkit on supporting the Spiritual Development of Young Children will make an important contribution to the field of child development.
“In particular, the Toolkit will have relevance in supporting social cohesion in regions that have been impacted by conflict. I hope that Northern Ireland /Ireland will be among a number of countries that will implement the Toolkit.”
- Dr Siobhán Fitzpatrick — ECPC Regional Vice Chairperson, Chairperson of the International Network on Peace Building for Young Children
►Get the downloadable 7-part Toolkit on Nurturing the Spiritual Development of Young Children, including its Introduction and Rationale, and Flipbook.
►Share the Toolkit promo video, “Nurturing the Spiritual Development of Children in the Early Years”
►To learn more about how you can use the Toolkit, please contact the Consortium on Nurturing Values and Spirituality in Early Childhood for the Prevention of Violence.
*Endorsement from the Early Childhood Peace Consortium does not reflect the views of its member organizations.
About
Report author, Siobhán Fitzpatrick, CBE, MBA, MSSC, CQSW, BSc., is ECPC Regional Vice Chairperson, Chairperson of the International Network on Peace Building for Young Children, and former Chief Executive Officer of Early Years — the organization for young children and had been in the post since 1989, having worked previously for Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland. Learn more.
Arigatou International, an international NGO with special consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and consultative status at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), launched the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children in 2008, which occurs each year on the 20th of November — the anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and World Children’s Day. Arigatou is “All for Children” and works with people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to promote children’s rights and well-being at all levels — from the grassroots to the global. The is proud to be among Arigatou’s diverse range of collaborators. Learn more.
Consortium on Nurturing Values and Spirituality in Early Childhood for the Prevention of Violence, convened by Arigatou International, brings together civil society and faith-based organizations, religious communities, multilateral organizations, academia, and individual experts to foster collaboration, share good practices, and develop evidence-based and innovative approaches to integrate values-based education and spirituality in early childhood for the protection of children from violence and the promotion of their holistic well-being. Learn more.
About the Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC)
Where all children are the stars of today and leaders of tomorrow!
The ECPC is a global movement of United Nations agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations, academia, practitioners, and the private sector focused on sharing scientific and practice-based evidence on how investment in early childhood development (ECD) can contribute to sustainable peace, social cohesion, and social justice. We recognize that investing in ECD is a powerful and cost-effective strategy for reducing violence, poverty, and exclusion and for building peaceful societies.
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