As a subsidiary of the Sharjah Health Authority (SHA), SCFO was established in 2011 under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. 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 Baby family-friendly city.

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

SCFO is today the official body tasked with granting ‘Child Friendly’ and ‘Baby Family Friendly’ accreditations to relevant entities in Sharjah and the UAE and works with national and international organizations to implement accreditation programs to further promote children’s rights. Sharjah Child-Friendly Office also has four projects that include: Sharjah Baby Friendly Project, Sharjah Child-Friendly Schools & Nurseries, Sharjah Child-Friendly City, and Sharjah Baby & Family Friendly. For more information, please visit the website:
https://sharjahchildfriendlyoffice.ae/en/

The Department is working on the implementation of the Healthy Cities Program of the World Health Organization in Sharjah, where it was approved by the WHO as the first healthy city in 2015 as a regional achievement for the United Arab Emirates. The department was established in 2016 for the role of expanding the scope of the program in the Emirate of Sharjah. The department seeks to achieve the highest levels of quality of life and sustainable development for the residents of Sharjah through community partnership in accordance with the best practices and international standards through the involvement of local, federal and private entities to implement standards by preparing executive and operational plans, forming committees, holding local and international meetings, hosting partners and those in charge of the program to benefit from the successful experience of Sharjah, signing agreements with entities supporting the sustainability of the program, holding internal workshops and in partnership with the WHO, holding training workshops within the partnership With the local authorities, and preparing the file of the city of Sharjah in cooperation with the Department of Statistics and Community Development.

Criteria for evaluating the Healthy Cities Program from the World Health Organization

The Health Cities Administration seeks to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Federal Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, and providing the highest levels of quality of life for the residents of the emirate through the application of the criteria for evaluating the Healthy Cities Program from the WHO, which are:

• Community organization and mobilization for health and development
• Intersectional collaboration, partnership, and advocacy
• Microcredit activities
• Education and literacy
• Healthy development
• Water, sanitation, food safety, and air pollution
• Community-based information Centre
• Skills development, vocational training, and capacity-building
• Emergency preparedness and response
  *All social media accounts: @shjhealthycity