Regional Seminar on “Public Policy for the Comprehensive Protection of Early Childhood from the Perspective of Rights”

Regional Seminar on “Public Policy for the Comprehensive Protection of Early Childhood from the Perspective of Rights”

The Regional Seminar on Public Policy for the Comprehensive Protection of Early Childhood from the Perspective of Rights will be held on 15 and 16 November in Panama City, as part of the project for the “Promotion and Protection of Children Rights in the Inter-American System”, which is implemented by the IIN and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

The objectives of this workshop, which is open to all of the States of the Inter-American System, and which will also be attended by international agencies, are: to place at the disposal of the States and the organizations of the region, the lessons learned during the implementation of the IIN-CIDA project in the area of early childhood; to learn of and analyse significant experiences in the comprehensive care of early childhood from the perspective of rights, as input for the project participating States, which are in the process of implementing their comprehensive policy with regard to this age group; to learn about rights monitoring systems, levels of progress and the identification of obstacles to implementation, and to exchange experiences and lessons learned regarding the institutions which uphold comprehensive policies for early childhood.

The opening ceremony will be attended by her Excellency, Mrs Marta Linares de Martinelli, Panama First Lady; Ambassador Abigail Castro de Pérez, OAS Representative to Panama; Mrs Niurca Palacios, Viceminister of Social Development; Mrs Gloria Lozano de Diaz, Director General of the National Secretariat for Children and Families (SENNIAF, in Spanish); and Mrs María Dolores Aguilar, Director General of IIN-OAS.

During the seminar, the States of Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama and Uruguay will present their experiences regarding comprehensive care policy for early childhood.

In addition, specific issues will be addressed, such as investment in early childhood and the right to health and life, from the point of view of the PAHO, and the regional situation regarding child rights will be presented, from the perspective of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, 22 years after the adoption of the Convention. Towards the end of the event, a paper will be produced containing the core ideas arising from exchange and discussion.

It should be noted that at the 86th Regular Meeting of the Directing Council of the IIN (Uruguay, 29 and 30 September 2011), the Action Plan for the period 2011-2015 was adopted, and the comprehensive protection of early childhood was one of the lines to which the States gave priority. On that occasion, the representatives expressed their interest in ensuring that the Institute should provide a specific working environment so that the States and the institutions represented on the Directing Council can increase their capacity for work related to early childhood. They also noted that actions deployed in this area are reflected in quality of life, social cohesion and equal opportunities.

See presentations 1 (Only Spanish)