Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. October 15, 2019. The maiden Pan African Conference on Children and Armed Conflict commenced today in Addis Ababa at the UN Conference Center. The three-day conference brought together children from Mali, South Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to demand immediate and specific actions from decision-makers on the continent to address their plight and fashion-out mechanisms for better protection of children affected by armed conflict and war in Africa.

It is estimated that one in every four children in Africa lives in a conflict zone, and one-fifth of the world’s children in conflict zones lives in Africa. Majority of the children are recruited into armed groups, while some suffer from sexual violence, and others die of hunger and conflict-related diseases.

H.E Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), in his remarks, pointed out that “Children are messages… one generation sends to the next about itself, its values, norms, and traditions. They are a down payment for a future we all aspire to”. He specified that the African Union, in its Agenda 2063, was not only firmly committed to building an Africa that was fit for its children but equally to investing in childhoods that were fit for a peaceful, prosperous and fully integrated Africa.

He also mentioned that efforts undertaken by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) in 2001, that led to the establishment of Day of the African Child, the African Charter on Rights and Welfare of the Child and the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa among others AU charters, had created opportunities to mobilize attention and action of member states and the global community towards addressing the manifestations of armed conflicts effects on children.
Deputy Chairperson Quartey further referred to the theme of the year 2019 ‘Day of the African Child’ “Humanitarian Action in Africa: Children’s Rights First’ to emphasize on the Commission’s resolve to mainstream children’s rights in the determination and implementation of priorities for humanitarian action in conflict zones across the continent.

The Deputy Chairperson acknowledged that despite all these efforts, a lot more remained to be done. He recalled for all concerned parties to put hands on deck till the continent is rid of conflicts and wars. He recalled that, the Peace and Security Council, the foremost body charged with advising on the security situation on the continent has on a number of occasions, and most recently in April this year, deliberated on the issue of children in armed conflict and issued multiple statements that seek to highlight the plight of children and also provide strategic perspectives and options for addressing the myriad challenges confronting children in armed conflict, before wishing the participants fruitful deliberations and assured them of the AU's partnership in the implementation of the outcomes of the conference.

Addressing the delegates on behalf of the Children, Ms. Maryam Ahmed, ‘Save the Children International’ Youth Ambassador for Nigeria narrated the afflictions suffered by some of the children affected by war and conflict and called for concrete and immediate actions to mitigate their plight. “I sincerely hope this is not one of the many conferences that do not yield any measurable outcomes” she stated.

Mr. Mahamoud Lamine Cisse, President of AfricaWide Moment for Children (AMC) bemoaned the lack of urgency attached to issues of children by governments, policymakers, regional and continental bodies such as the African Union. “The usual excuse of lack of money is outdated. Where is the political will to enforce existing laws governing children’s rights’” he asked.

In his address, H.E Mamadou S. Diakite, the Head of Senate of the Republic of Niger, enumerated government interventions. Amongst them is the formation of community-based units that offer services such as counseling to children. He stated that the community was the first point of contact for such children thus the need to equip community with skills to handle some of the issues facing the children.

The Ambassador of Sweden to Ethiopia, the African Union, IGAD and Djibouti, H.E Torbjorn Pettersson, recounted his country’s contribution to addressing challenges faced by children in armed conflict during its term in the UN Security Council. He observed that children’s needs are often overlooked when peace is negotiated. He further stated that “How we treat children affected by armed conflict today has profound consequences for their futures, as well as for the futures of their countries”.

Mr. Ian Vale, the Regional Director, East, and Southern Africa, Save the Children, commended the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities, Member States and other global actors for the strategic role played in contributing to peace and security on the Continent. He reiterated that ‘every war, is a war on children, and the suffering of millions of children should never be accepted as inevitable’ He further appealed to UN, AU and Member States to end wars on the continent and step-up measures to protect children in conflict zones in line with the Silencing the Guns and the Act to Protect Campaigns both endorsed by the AU and UN respectively.

In attendance to the forum were delegates from the African Union, Government representatives, policymakers, child protection experts, representatives from the academia and civil society organizations.

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Esther Azaa Tankou, Directorate of Information and Communication, AUC Tel. +251 911361185, E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org

Follow us
Face book: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission
Learn more at:
http://www.au.int