Tehran – Book City In collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), we organized a workshop entitled “Children’s Rights and Business” with a focus on the role of bookstores in enhancing staff knowledge about child rights and promoting child rights.
The workshop was held at the central branch of Book City, Tehran, where it brought together sales staff from Book City’s children and young adult division to raise awareness of children’s rights in the business and retail division.
The event was held with comments from Iran’s UNICEF representative, Dorina Andrev Zital. She thanked Book City for organizing the event as part of her commitment to increasing staff knowledge about child rights. “You need to understand that children are not just clients at the company, but also members of the families, communities and supply chain. They are influenced by the way they run their businesses, where they invest, where they hire, and how they treat workers.”
The workshop aims to highlight the role of bookstores in promoting children’s rights and explore practical ways to incorporate these principles into the retail environment. The event is part of Book City’s new focus on children and young people, highlighting the rise of cultural and social standards in interacting with younger audiences.
Book City CEO Ali Jafarabadi also addressed the workshop. He expressed his gratitude to UNICEF’s partnership and emphasized the importance of adopting a responsible and respectful approach to children.
“Early childhood is an opportunity to understand and shape the future,” Jafarabadi said. “Children’s bookstores should know which words enhance the child’s dignity and which words harm it.”
As part of the opening session, he also announced the launch of a new Youth Selection Literature Award entitled “The Sand Fox Prize.” Book City and Iranian officials from UNICEF have officially released posters for the award. This acknowledges the most popular book chosen by young people aged 11-18.
In the main session, UNICEF’s social policy expert Vahid Hedayati introduced the core principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, focusing on four key pillars. The greatest benefit of a child. Rights to life, survival and development. And the right to participate.
He emphasized the importance of turning these principles into visible and respectful behavior in public spaces such as bookstores. He also encouraged the creation of a safe environment, respect for diversity, promoting active participation and enabling informed choices as an integral part of implementing children’s rights. Hedayati has provided practical suggestions on how the retail environment can embody these values.
In the final session, UNICEF Partnership Officer Vida Montakhab presented a global framework for children’s rights and business. She shared international best practices and emphasized the importance of incorporating ethical, social and environmental standards when designing child-friendly service spaces, such as bookstores.
The workshop ended with participants exchanging their own experiences and innovations in promoting children’s rights and encouraging young people to participate in the decision-making process.
Three-year agreement to promote child welfare and rights
In November 2024, UNICEF and the Book City Institute signed a three-year agreement to promote the welfare and rights of children across the country.
The three-year partnership agreement was signed at the ceremony on November 18th by Iran’s interim president of UNICEF advertising, Monica Oretzka Neilson, and CEO of the board of directors of Medi Firozan, the Urban Institute.
Book City is an Iranian network of bookstores with over 100 active branches, with 1,500 employees introducing books and cultural products to the community.
The collaboration aims to leverage the unique strengths, networks and expertise of both organizations to support the most vulnerable children in different states of the country.
As part of this partnership, the two partners will launch a series of advocacy and awareness initiatives to develop a love for reading between children.
Key activities include organizing leagues and clubs to read books for vulnerable children, establishing cultural awards to honor children’s book authors and publishers, and mobilizing resources to support UNICEF’s key programs in Iran.
“This partnership is an incredible opportunity for UNICEF to leverage BookCity’s vast capabilities and reach its reach to extend its important message to children and the public.
In Iran, the private sector has great potential to contribute resources, expertise and innovation to help UNICEF achieve meaningful outcomes for the most vulnerable children. Today, UNICEF and Book City are clasping hands to help children in Iranian life in their dreams, with smiles shining on their faces,” Nielsen said.
MT/