Introduction to the Agenda
Against this background, Africa’s Agenda for Children: Fostering an Africa Fit for Children
elaborates on the vision of Agenda 2063 in respect of children. In doing so, this Agenda takes
cognisance of the elucidation in Agenda 2063 (paragraph 53) that ‘African children shall be
empowered through the full implementation of the African Charter on the Rights of the Child’.
By nurturing and nourishing its children, the present generation of Africans will promote the
growth of the continent and secure its future.
By taking stock and prioritising future action, this document develops Africa’s agenda
for children for the coming 25 years based on the lessons learnt from the past 25 years. By
2040, the rights of Africa’s children should be firmly protected, with full effect being given to the
priorities in this Agenda. This is the Africa we aspire to.
This Agenda is informed by and builds upon numerous existing legal and policy
frameworks, among which the following are the most salient:
● the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child;
● the AU Commission (Department of Political Affairs) Human Rights Strategy for Africa;
● the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Strategic Plan
(2015-2019);
● the Abuja Declaration and Plan of Action on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related
Infectious Diseases (2001);
● the Africa Fit for Children Declaration and Plan of Action (2001);
● the Call for Accelerated Action on the Implementation of the Plan of Action towards an
Africa Fit for Children (2008-2012);
● the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to Assess Progress towards Africa Fit for
Children (Department of Social Affairs);
● the African Union’s Social Policy Framework for Africa (2008);
● Concluding Observations of the African Children’s Rights Committee;
● General Comments of the African Children’s Committee;
● Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);
● Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
● African Child Policy Forum, The Africa Report on Children’s Wellbeing (2013);
● UNICEF The State of the World’s Children (2015); and
● AU Department of Social Affairs African Health Strategy 2016-2030.
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