LUANDA: UNICEF’s Deputy Representative, Andrew Trevett, has called for the inclusion of children’s opinions in the policies and plans of the Angolan Executive, emphasizing their role as agents of change with unique perspectives. Trevett made these remarks during the opening of a meeting celebrating the Convention on the Rights of the Child, stressing the necessity of ensuring that “the voice of the most excluded is not left behind.”
According to Angola Press News Agency, Trevett highlighted the significant barriers faced by millions of children worldwide, including limited access to education, security, and healthcare, as well as challenges such as poverty, malnutrition, and insufficient access to clean water. He noted that in Angola, these issues could be addressed with the commitment of leaders capable of influencing policies, allocating resources, and making long-term investments in the nation’s children.
Trevett urged members of parliament to strengthen Angola’s commitment to children’s rights and well-
being by providing them with the necessary resources, protection, and respect to become future leaders. The Chairperson of the Committee on Family, Childhood, and Social Action of the National Assembly, Clarice Mukinda, also emphasized that the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child provides an opportunity to reflect on the realization of minors’ rights and renew commitments to their promotion and protection.
The meeting, inaugurated by the President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, was organized by the 8th Committee on Family, Childhood, and Social Action, in collaboration with the SAF-SDC FP’s Project on Health, Sexual and Reproductive Rights, HIV-AIDS, and Governance. The event, under the motto ‘The Inclusion and Protection of Children with Disabilities at Every Stage of Life’, aimed to provide a platform for children and young people with disabilities to express their views and engage with decision-makers, especially members of the National Assembly and the Executive branch
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The gathering was attended by Andrew Trevett, members of the National Assembly, children, young people and adults with disabilities, and representatives from civil society and ministerial departments. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 November 1989, is celebrated on Universal Day of the Rights of the Child, marking the declaration of children’s rights in 1959 and the adoption of the Convention in 1989.
The Convention, as outlined by UNICEF, is founded on four fundamental pillars: non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, survival and development, and the child’s opinion. It recognizes every individual under 18 years of age as a child, granting them rights previously reserved for adults, to be exercised without discrimination. The document is the most widely accepted human rights instrument, ratified by 196 countries, including Angola, which signed it in 1990 as part of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.