UNICEF and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens have inaugurated a pioneering Child Rights Centre in Athens, solidifying their cooperation with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at defending and promoting the rights of every child in Greece.
The signing ceremony took place on Monday, May 20, 2024, at the university's premises, attended by members of the university and the UNICEF Country Office in Greece.
The Child Rights Centre will act as a dynamic hub for education, research, knowledge production, and the promotion of children's rights in Greece's capital.
UNICEF Representative in Greece, Dr. Ghassan Khalil, emphasised the significance of this collaboration: "The University of Athens, historically the first university established in Greece, with its wide range of scientific disciplines and qualified staff, will make valuable contributions to scientific issues pertaining to children's rights. The newly inaugurated Child Rights Centre will be at the core of these efforts."
Professor Gerasimos Siasos, Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, highlighted the importance of the MoU: "This Memorandum of Understanding exemplifies the extroversion and coordination of educational and research work with broader social needs. Our society must focus and deepen its attention on the protection of children's rights."
The Child Rights Centre aims to promote children's rights through workshops, conferences, public events, and awareness-raising campaigns. It will also integrate children's rights into the university's academic, teaching, and research work.
UNICEF is collaborating with various academic institutions in Greece to strengthen synergies across the academic sphere, identifying academic stakeholders as key allies in the promotion of child rights within and beyond Greece.
(Source: UNICEF)
