31 July 2024

In light of the ongoing genocide of children in the Gaza Strip and in light of the repeated wars and the ongoing crises facing the children of Palestine, the Palestinian Early Childhood Network (PNECD) and the Arab Early Childhood Network (ANECD), in collaboration with the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) in Jordan, and implementation by Juzoor for Health and Social Development, organized the symposium “Perseverance Despite Genocide: Children of Palestine in Crisis and War’ in Amman, Jordan, on 30 and 31 July 2024.

The symposium was attended by expert organizers and members representing the National Committee for Early Childhood in Palestine, including the Ministries of Health and Social Development, UNRWA, UNICEF, and WHO, as well as participants from various local and international NGOs from Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, Yemen, Turkey, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United States of America.

The symposium aimed to:

1. Highlighting the current situation of young children in Palestine, the recurrent crises they are exposed to, and the immediate and sustainable responses required to strengthen their resilience and ensure their rights to health, education and protection. 
2. Highlighting current interventions by Palestinian organizations working on early childhood care and education needs in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and ways to enhance the protection of children in conflict zones.
3. Incorporate lessons learnt and transfer effective practices from similar crises globally, with a focus on the Gaza Strip.
4. Mobilizing solidarity and advocacy for children by encouraging organisations to direct their humanitarian programmes to address the emergency situation in Gaza, strengthening regional and international solidarity, coordinating efforts and mobilising resources.
5. Engage international partners and donors, emphasising the importance of their support in complementing local organisations’ initiatives in Gaza.
6. Highlighting the expected long-term impact, emphasising the need for continued support and investment in rebuilding efforts.

Based on the previous objectives, the participants addressed several issues through specialised sessions, most notably:

1. The grave challenges facing the children of Palestine in light of the ongoing genocide and the daily realities faced by children and their families, including the denial of their most basic rights to a dignified life. The challenges include the destruction of their education and healthcare systems, ongoing psychological trauma, severe deterioration of food security leading to famine, instability and permanent displacement, violation of their rights, and environmental destruction. These factors collectively rob them of their childhood, making them vulnerable to imprisonment, torture, and killing.
2. The challenges civil society organizations face in supporting children, parents and direct caregivers, and the importance of cooperation and coordination between local and international organizations to achieve a more significant and sustainable impact.
3. Showcasing successful initiatives from several countries that have experienced similar crises in order to share experiences and inspire ideas to develop effective programmes that respond to the specific needs of Palestinian children.

The participants emphasized the importance of working on the following:

1. Take serious and urgent steps to find a just solution to the Palestinian cause and end the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
2. Adherence to international legitimacy, human rights standards and the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a basis for finding a sustainable solution.
3. Integrate children’s rights and best interests into the priorities of humanitarian policies and initiatives, as safeguarding children’s rights and well-being is a moral and legal obligation.

Based on the dire situation of young children and their caregivers in Palestine, and Gaza in particular, and based on two days of discussions, the participants came up with recommendations that call for:

1. Strengthen cooperation between Palestinian and international institutions to ensure integrated support for Palestinian children in all areas, focusing on unifying efforts, exchanging information to ensure an effective and coordinated response, and applying best practices in health, education, and protection.
2. Adopt and apply the best practices presented during the sessions, especially those related to primary health care, psychosocial support, and emergency education.
3. Strengthen protection programmes for the most vulnerable children, including children who have lost their parents and families.
4. Intensify efforts to provide immediate and sustained support to children in Gaza living in dire circumstances, with a focus on programmes that provide psychosocial support and mitigate the effects of trauma resulting from the ongoing violence.
5. Support community initiatives and development programmes that focus on early childhood development and ensure the provision of education and healthcare in all circumstances to build a strong generation capable of facing challenges and contributing to the development of their society.
6. Exert greater pressure on the international community to fulfil its obligations towards the rights of Palestinian children, ensure the effective and sustainable provision of humanitarian assistance, focusing on the need to protect children from the effects of violence and conflict, and strengthen international accountability mechanisms against the violations to which they are subjected.
7. Involve the local community, including families and NGOs, in designing and implementing programmes targeting children to ensure that actual needs are met and maximum effectiveness is achieved.

Between general, immediate, medium-term and long-term recommendations, participants call for:

First: General, immediate and medium-term recommendations

• Adopting a holistic, integrative, inclusive, and liberatory approach to promote the care, development, protection, and education of children in crisis and genocide by:
• Adopt a liberatory approach to the development and implementation of integrated child care and development frameworks to encompass health care, learning and education, safety and security, and psychosocial support that promote the rights of children, including those with special needs, and provide them with enriching and safe environments for play.
• Strengthen mechanisms to prevent and effectively address violations of children’s rights, including violence, exploitation, harassment, and discrimination, as well as mechanisms of un-childing that facilitate their imprisonment, torture, and killing.

• Pay special attention to wounded and injured children who have lost limbs and require multiple and immediate reconstructive surgeries.
• Pay special attention to orphaned children who have lost their parents and family.
• Prioritize mental health and psychosocial support through:

• Establishing and expanding mental health and psychosocial support programmes for children and caregivers.
• Building on the capacity of health and social care workers to deliver effective and culturally sensitive mental health services.

• Ensure access to quality multi-level education across:
• Implementing flexible educational approaches such as remote learning, community-based, and non-formal education in affected areas.
• Provide temporary and secure educational infrastructure in affected areas.
• Strengthening holistic healthcare systems by rehabilitating facilities and providing essential medicines and vaccines.
• Address food security and nutrition by implementing emergency food distribution programmes and developing sustainable food security strategies.
• Strengthening the perseverance of families and communities by supporting family reunification efforts and promoting community initiatives that foster social cohesion.
• Mobilize resources and strengthen partnerships by advocating for increased funding from international donors and strengthening partnerships between local and international organizations.

Second: Long-term/post-war recommendations

• Evaluating and integrating lessons learned and best practices through evaluating successful interventions in other conflict areas and adopting them in the Palestinian context.
• Investing in reconstruction by allocating sufficient resources to rebuild destroyed and semi-destroyed infrastructure such as schools and hospitals.
• Engaging the local community by building bridges of trust and promoting community participation in early childhood programs.
• Empowering local actors by investing in building on the capacities of local organizations and community leaders.
• Ensuring sufficiency and sustainability of resources by diversifying funding sources and developing long-term funding plans.
• Strengthening comprehensive measurement and monitoring systems using modern technologies to collect and analyse data effectively.
• Building partnerships, cooperation, and coordination by enhancing coordination between local and international organizations to ensure a unified and effective response.
• Supporting diplomatic and political efforts by strengthening international advocacy to support the rights of Palestinian children and ensuring compliance with international laws and standards.

From our meeting here under the title of perseverance, we extend our most profound respect for the resilience of the children of Gaza and its people who are being exterminated by various means under the world’s watchful eyes. 

Their unwavering spirit demonstrates that the strong will to liberate homelands cannot be broken. Caring for childhood is our duty and our responsibility. Hand in hand, we can overcome whatever manageable obstacles and remind the world that childhood should not be subject to double standards and that the children of Gaza and the West Bank and all those who are languishing under the killing machine can no longer wait.