Parliamentarians come out in support of children

Parliamentarians from North, West and Central Africa urged governments and the international community to support, respect and promote children’s rights in an appeal they issued at the end of a three-day conference in Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott. The ‘Nouakchott Appeal’ urges governments to protect children by ratifying and implementing international agreements, including the UN Convention on Human Rights and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The legislators also called on governments to adopt new political and budgetary measures so that children’s basic needs in areas such as education, health care and nutrition are met. The parliamentarians described the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the use of children as combatants and poverty-related issues as major obstacles that needed to be overcome. They called on the international community and civil society to become more active players in the promotion and defence of children’s rights. The conference, which lasted from Saturday to Monday, was organised by UNICEF.