November 17-18 marked the first Child Protection Conference organized by UEFA at the new headquarters of the Royal Belgian Football Association.

Photo courtesy of the UAF press service

The conference, held ahead of World Children's Day, brought together child protection managers from 49 European national football associations, as well as speakers from the European Commission, Council of Europe, UEFA, and leading experts and researchers in child and youth protection.

Photo courtesy of the UAF press service

During the conference, participants shared ideas, learned about each other's efforts, successes and challenges, as well as heard from experts on recent developments and statistics regarding child protection in sports, particularly football.

Photo courtesy of the UAF press service

Ukraine was represented by the Ukrainian Football Association's Social Responsibility Manager, Irina Makarevych. Child protection is one of the areas of social responsibility for the Ukrainian Football Association. We remind you that in December last year, the Executive Committee of the UAF approved The Policy on Child Protection. This policy affirms the Ukrainian Football Association's commitment to creating conditions for safe participation in football or related activities by children regardless of their age, gender, ethnic background, social origin, religion, ability level, disability, and so forth.