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The ECOWAS Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, under the Department of Human Development and Social Affairs, convened a three-day online regional meeting of Directors responsible for child rights in ECOWAS Member States to review the implementation of the child policy.
The meeting reviewed national actions taken towards the implementation of the ECOWAS Child Policy, adopted by the Authority of Heads of State and Government in June 2019, and conducted a soft baseline analysis of progress across the Policy’s four clusters of child rights.
According to a statement on Tuesday, it also provided capacity-building support to Member States to strengthen child rights programming and integrate it into national development planning.
In opening remarks, the Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, Dr. Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, represented by the Programme Officer for the Social Dimension of Trafficking in Persons, Mr. Olatunde Olayemi, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for the realisation of the rights and aspirations of every child in West Africa.
He recalled the objectives of the meeting and urged Member States and partners to work collaboratively in advancing the regional child rights agenda.
The technical sessions included presentations on the Strategic Framework to Prevent and Respond to Violence Against Children in West Africa, the ECOWAS Child Policy and its Strategic Plan, and the mandate and activities of the Division of Human Security and Civil Society.
Member States reported on the status of implementation of the Policy across the four clusters of child rights, while participants reviewed the draft Terms of Reference (TOR) for a proposed ECOWAS-Partners Child Rights Committee and discussed internal coordination initiatives within the ECOWAS Commission and its Institutions.
Partners also outlined their ongoing child protection and child rights interventions across the region.
The meeting concluded with key recommendations, notably the need to strengthen information-sharing mechanisms, establish and reinforce national systems for data collection and analysis, increase budget allocations with a focus on child-sensitive budgeting, and apply a whole-of-state and society approach. Participants underscored the importance of harnessing contributions from religious bodies, non-state actors, the organised private sector, the informal sector, and community-based organisations.