On 22 June 2026, the United Nations Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab Region launched the first edition of the regional training programme in collaboration with the Arab Network for Child Rights- Manara on “The Role of Civil Society Organization in Promoting and Protecting Children’s Rights.” The programme consists of four training phases that will be held online between June and November 2026. 

The first phase was for three days from 22 to 24 June 2026, aimed to enhance the ability of CSOs in the Arab region to engage with United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms. This phase will be followed by three additional phases that focus on developing participants’ skills in monitoring and documenting human rights violations and protecting children’s rights to build the capacity of participants to develop advocacy campaign strategies and forge alliances at the regional level.

49 participants from 37 civil society organizations participated in the first phase including 16 women from the following Arab countries Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Mauritania, Palestine, Tunisia, Yemen.