The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), invited all municipalities and federations of municipalities in Lebanon to the UNESCO Palace on Tuesday to join them for the official ceremony to launch the initiative: “The Municipality Grows through its Children.” The project aims to support municipalities to improve the living conditions of children in their local communities. Those in attendance included Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Ziyad Baroud, who delivered a speech on behalf of President Michel Sleiman, which stressed that the initiative was for the sake of Lebanon’s children and its 964 municipalities. Baroud highlighted the importance of investing in children, “so they can have what the previous generations did not have.” Also among the attendees were Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal and MP Hani Qobeissi. The event opened with a presentation followed by a speech from UNICEF representative Ray Virgillio Torres, who emphasized the need for the Lebanese people and their communities to take real action when it comes to improving the living conditions of children. The initiative highlights the important role that municipalities play when it comes to child protection, health, and education. Asked why this initiative is now taking off, Torres’s told The Daily Star, that “91,000 children in 2009 were victims of serious physical abuse in Lebanon and that is an enormous number of children and we think that this needs very determined action that cannot be done by international agencies.” According to Torres, in addition to parents, the municipalities are so close to the population “that they have the means, they have the information, and they have the authority to be able to start doing something about it.” Physical abuse to children is just one thing UNICEF hopes this initiative will end in Lebanon. With the initiative, it is UNICEF’s hope that all children under 5 will receive basic vaccines, be registered at birth, be able to go to school without dropping out, and be protected against violence and abuse. Torres believes that this can be achieved through educating communities instead of creating more unenforceable laws and regulations. “You need moral pressure from peers and from the community, but at a national scale, saying that this has to stop,” said Torres. According to Torres, there is no funding going into this initiative. The initiative is essentially calling to generate more discussion on how municipalities can work with civil society, families, and communities to improve the area that these children live in. Minister Baroud told The Daily Star that UNICEF was trying to offer its expertise in order to improve the quality of life for children and that the initiative is a partnership that works at all levels. “It’s a full package. It involves other ministries, not just the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities. It has to do with other ministries. It has to do with families. It has to do with schools. It’s a multiple actors process,” said Baroud. Baroud added that the municipalities are the main actors because they are on the local level, allowing them to provide in depth input that could improve their communities.
“Municipalities are very close to people. They are elected bodies and they can accordingly be aware of the needs of the population. That is why we believe this project is a very complete one,” said Baroud. The event ended with attendees signing the declaration “Municipality Grows through its Children” to support this initiative, which states that the municipalities and federations of municipalities will essentially emphasize that “the well being and protection of children is an essential element of social progress. Municipalities also vowed to ensure that children receive proper health, education, and child protection by implementing local policies, empowering families, and working with their local communities in order “to ensure the protection and development of children.”
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