African govts advised to place children at the centre of post-2015 development

African leaders and experts have called for children to be at the centre of the post-2015 development agenda.The call comes as the African Union (AU) prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary. According to a statement issued yesterday by the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF), a panel of distinguished African leaders and thinkers agreed on a number of critical priorities to ensure children’s specific and holistic needs are reflected in a strong post-2015 development agenda and a common set of accountable and comprehensive goals for governments and the international community.ACPF is a leading pan-African centre for policy research and dialogue on the African child.Joaquim Chissano of former president of Mozambique and Chairman of the International Board of Trustees of ACPF, said; “The MDGs have achieved much for children, galvanising development efforts and guiding global and national priorities, and as a continent Africa has witnessed much progress including impressive reductions in child mortality and greatly improved primary school enrolment.”“But there remains an urgent and unfinished agenda for Africa’s children and it is imperative that the post-MDG framework tackles children’s realities and their potential in a comprehensive and accountable way. So for the sake of development – human, social and economic – it is time to put children and their rights and best interests at the centre of development, nowhere more so than in Africa,” he added.The global community intensely discussed what will replace the MDGs and at the AU Summit starting next week on May26, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of Africa Unity/AU, Heads of State are expected to adopt Africa’s Common Position on the Post-2015 Agenda. “Children under the age of 18 make up as much as 60 per cent of the population in some African countries. Not only should such a large constituency have their rights promoted and protected, they also represent a potential productive workforce that can further drive and accelerate economic growth in the region”, said Ambassador Moushira Khattab, former Vice Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.Malnutrition was one of the critical issues the panel discussed, ahead of next month’s Nutrition for Growth Summit hosted by the UK prior to the annual G8 meeting.Chronic malnutrition continues to persist at high levels in Africa - as high as 40 percent in some countries - with little improvement in these trends over the past two decades.

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African govts advised to place children at the centre of post-2015 development