In order to fulfill the objectives of the second phase of the "Child Protection Initiative" (CPI), that aims among many other objectives to support municipal projects that improve children's conditions in some cities of the  MENA region, and to replicate best practices to improve children's conditions,  AUDI/CPI signed recently four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the local authorities of Sana'a, Amman, Khartoum and Alexandria.  The MoUs  are intended to bolster the efforts exerted by those local authorities in caring for their children.

According to the Memorandum of  Understanding (MoU)  signed between AUDI/CPI and Sana'a Municipality on 16^th March 2006, the issue of child labor has been identified as one of the main priority issues in Sana'a  that warrants in-depth investigation and concerted efforts to address it. Hence, CPI has joined forces with the  Understanding Children's  Work (UCW) international project - initiated by ILO,UNICEF and the World Bank - to conduct an in-depth study of child labor in Sana'a, based on secondary data sources, and to formulate policy options to address it. Therefore, a mission from CPI (composed of Dr. Osman Nour, Dr. Yasir Awad El Karim), and from UCW (Mr. Scott Lyon) has visited  Sana'a Municipality from 24^th  to  26^th June 2006 to participate in a workshop on Child Labor, and to meet with concerned governmental and non-governmental agencies concerned with Child Labor.

The workshop discussed the preliminary findings of the on-going CPI and UCW study on Child Labor in Sana'a Municipality.  The workshop was organized under the patronage of H.E. the State Minister  and Mayor of Sana'a, Dr. Yahaya Al Shuaibi and his Deputy, Eng. Jamal Al Khawalani,  who inaugurated the workshop.  The workshop was attended by 45 participants representing governmental departments, NGOs and international organizations working on the issue of eliminating child labor and specially its worst forms.

During the first session of the workshop, the Deputy Mayor  launched  Sana'a's "Children and Youth Initiative" .  The  presentation made by the coordinator of Initiative, Mr. Isam El Fadhli,  detailed the objectives and the proposed projects to be implemented by Sana'a Municipality regarding  Child Labor in Sana'a. Dr. Yasir Awad El Karim addressed the workshop presenting the highlights of the CPI and the main features of the MoUs  it has signed in order to  advance children-related programs in four pilot cities.  Dr. Osman Nour, on the other hand,  chaired the workshop and led the discussion in its final session.

The new "Children and Youth Initiative "  has received full support from Eng. Jamal Al Khawalani, the Deputy Mayor, and from governmental departments, such as the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Central Statistical Office (CSO), Yemeni Social Fund for Development, Higher Council for Motherhood and Childhood, ILO/IPEC, UNICEF,  and from NGOs such as Al-Saleh Social Foundation for Development, SOUL and World Children,  France.

The workshop participants contributed effectively to the discussion during the policy dialogue, suggesting programs, specific projects and plans of action to combat child labor, specially its worst forms in Sana'a Municipality.

With the  objective of strengthening the relationship between CPI,  governmental and non-governmental organizations, and to garner support for the newly born " Child and Youth Initiative" in Sana'a Municipality and to provide data for the on-going study on Child Labor in Sana'a Municipality, the CPI-UCW mission held several meetings with the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, the Executive Director of the Social Fund for Development; the Under-Secretary, Ministry of Social Affairs, Director of  Central Statistical Office (CSO), and the Secretary General of the Higher Council for Motherhood and Childhood.

The CPI mission also paid a visit to ILO/IPEC Yemen office, which is currently supporting Sana'a Municipality to adopt and implement  an explicit child labor project.  IPEC aims to provide access to quality basic education through development of scholarship programmers, flexible schedules and to maintain curriculum to bring working children back to schools.

Finally the CPI, UCW and the "Children and Youth Initiative" in Sana'a Municipality agreed to the following: (a) to carry out a school-based  survey of working school children in Sana'a Municipality; (b) to prepare a project document on child labor to assist Sana'a Municipality in fund raising for specific projects;  (c) to organize a future policy dialogue meeting to discuss the final findings of the CPI/ UCW Child Labor Study in Sana'a Municipality, possibly in September 2006.