ANCED participated in the international annual conference 2024  co-hosted by the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) and its Bulgarian member, Trust for Social Achievement, from October 22 to October 24, 2024, in Sofia, Bulgaria. 

The conference gathered 450 ECD professionals from over 50 countries, including workers in NGO’s, research centers, universities, and international organizations, in addition to representatives from the ministries of education, health, labor and beyond. With a packed lineup of 140 sessions, and under the theme “It Takes an Early Childhood Ecosystem for All Young Children to Thrive”, the attendees discussed collaborative strategies to strengthen and enhance ECD systems, and create systemic change through the formulation of policies and services that impact the lives of young children and their families.

The conference, which also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of ISSA and the 30th anniversary of the “Step by Step Program”, provided actionable insights that practitioners could implement immediately. Simultaneously, it offered ministries, funders, policymakers, and program designers a richer understanding of the real-world impacts and challenges faced on the ground. 

Therefore, in a panel titled “The powers of networks in catalyzing and sustaining changes for ECD”, Dr, Ghassan Issa, the general coordinator of ANECD, linked the multiple crises that have plagued the Arab countries for many years to the importance of establishing national networks within each region to function and face the challenges faced by young children and their families. Issa emphasized that the core issue is not the power of networks, but rather the power of networking, noting that networks are not structures, but processes that form systems. He added that networks start with the national, multisectoral and multidisciplinary levels, while networking is the processes and systems it generates. 

Issa explained that the strategy of ANECD is based on forming and facilitating the national networks and ECD stakeholders, including governments, NGO’s, academia and everybody. In this context, he highlighted the work of national (Arab) networks during the war on the Gaza strip, where they came together to discuss what they can do collaboratively. He clarified that the same group that supported Palestine is also supporting Lebanon, Sudan and other countries. Additionally, Issa spoke about the network’s research experience, where six countries came together to conduct research, describing networking as a form of democracy.