About Sharjah Child Friendly Office

The Sharjah Child Friendly Office (SCFO), is improving the lives of children and young people in the emirate and prioritising their unique needs through the lens of a child-rights-based framework to promote children’s wellbeing.

As a subsidiary of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA), SCFO was established in 2016 under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and his wife, Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SCFA. The entity collaborates and partners with local and international entities to design and implement targeted strategies aimed at ensuring that the rights of children and youth of all ages and nationalities – including children of special needs – are met, and to promote and sustain the emirate as a child, youth, and family-friendly city.

About Sharjah Child Friendly Office Sharjah-Baby Friendly Emirate Campaign Emiri Decree

Bolstering Sharjah’s position as a pioneer in providing support, care, and quality services to children of all ages, SCFO prioritises the wellbeing and development of children and upholds their rights in accordance with the highest international standards and guidelines.

The emirate of Sharjah’s pioneering efforts and accomplishments in recognising and prioritising children’s rights led to its being conferred with a prestigious accolade from UNICEF, making it the first city in the Middle East to become a Child Friendly City (CFC), and the first in the world to win the title after successfully meeting the new international requirements and criteria launched by UNICEF in 2018.

Adapting UNICEF‘s global Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) model, SCFO has since accelerated Sharjah’s integrated child-friendly approach to all services provided for children and youth as it builds on Sharjah’s vision to be a leading global model for child-friendly cities.

SCFO is today the official body tasked with granting ‘Child Friendly’ and ‘Family Friendly’ accreditations to relevant entities in Sharjah and the UAE, and works with national and international organisations to implement accreditation programmes to further promote children’s rights.

Sharjah’s vision of developing comprehensive, child-centric ecosystems is today creating secure and stimulating environments for children to hone their skills, nurture their talents and capabilities, and realise their full potential.