Policy Priority Area 10: Child Participation
Objective: Promote and empower children's participation in programs to inform them of their rights and protection
10.1. Supporting children to establish their own organisations, networks, councils, exchange programmes and associations by providing them with information on their rights, facilitating their attendance in local, national, regional and global policy making forums
- Establish and operationalise a functional Regional Children’s Council
- Strengthen existing or establish national children’s councils
- Support the establishment and operationalisation of young reporters’ networks at both national and regional networks
- Convene Regional Children-led conferences once every three years
10.2. Ensure that children participate in the development and monitoring of policies, legislations, and related regulatory frameworks and programmes that relate to them.
- Support children and youth leaders to engage in formal leadership structures and implement youth-led child protection activities based on their maturity and evolving capacities
- Develop and implement age and disability appropriate child participation framework for the region
Progress in the implementation of Priority Area Ten:
- The ACERWC in collaboration with RECs and CSOs working on Child rights and Welfare have developed guidelines for the effective participation of children in policy and programme implementation at all levels. The EAC in turn hopes to finalise a strategy on Child Participation. The strategy will guide EAC Partner States on creating and maintaining spaces and opportunities for the meaningful and effective participation of children in implementing the EAC Child Policy.
- The EAC Secretariat with support from Save the Children and Cherie Enns Consulting has finalised a child-friendly version of the EAC Child Policy. The child friendly version will ensure that children understand what is provided for in the EAC Child policy, and therefore be able to engage actively and productively in its implementation. The EAC Secretariat has thus developed a plan to popularise the EAC Child Policy in primary and secondary schools throughout the region.
- Discussions on the mechanisms of establishing a Regional Council for Children are still underway. The Technical Working Group (TWG) on Youth and Children will provide guidance on the way forward at the next meeting of the Sectoral Council for Gender, Youth, Children, Social Protection and Community Development.