The MENA Child Protection Initiative organized its first workshop under the title: “MENA CPI: Current Status and Future Directions” in Conrad Hotel, Cairo during 12^th– 13^th May 2004, which was attended by 71 participants from 12 Arab countries representing the cities and municipalities of: Amman, Jerusalem, Giza, Alexandria, Khartoum, Sanaa, Aden, Irbid, Marrakech, Tunis, Damascus, Mogadishu.

They also included representatives from the national childhood councils of Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen and Egypt. Furthermore, participants also included representatives of regional and international organizations, such as the League of Arab States (LAS), the Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD), UNICEF, the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND), European Delegation & the Population Council. Participants also included representatives of concerned NGOs from Cairo, Amman, Gaza, Alexandria, and Abu Dhabi. Also present were eleven of the consultants commissioned by the CPI to conduct assessments in Beirut, Sanaa, Casablanca, Riyadh, Khartoum, Alexandria, Medina and Amman.

Two other consultants – namely a management and funding mechanism consultants - also participated in the workshop. World Bank participants included Ms. Viviana Mangiaterra, Children & Youth Advisor, and Dr. Jean Fares, HDNSP, in addition to four representatives from the CPI secretariat and AUDI.