The Sixth IPC International Policy Conference on the African Child - Social Protection in Africa: Making it Work for Children

The Director of Nia Center for Children and Family Development (NiaCCFD), Dr. Emebet Mulugeta, attended the Sixth International Policy Conference on the African Child, hosted by the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF).  The conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 27-28 October, 2014, focused primarily on social protection policies in the African continent and on ways these can be improved, particularly with regard to children in Africa. Various government representatives, child rights experts, civil society organizations, and academicians were also in attendance.

During the meeting, the lack of GDP expenditure on social protection programs as well as the inadequate social protection covers within the national legislation of most African countries were brought to light.  A need for appropriate social protection measures has been recognized, thus, as a fundamental right for the African child, and a further benefit to the African continent as a whole, particularly in light of its rapidly increasing child population.

Action points discussed included finding a means of financially reinforcing social protection programs; developing national frameworks that are instrumental for the protection of the rights of the child; coordinating between formal and informal, national and community based social protection programs, and involving civil society organizations at a greater scale.