A three-day workshop on Children Affected by Armed Conflicts (CAAC) on the Continent was held in Nairobi, Kenya. UNOAU participated in this workshop from 7-9 March, which was held in recognition of the urgent need to address issues related to the implications of armed conflicts on the lives of children in Africa. The workshop was attended by participants from the African Union, (United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children International, UNOAU, Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other child protection experts. It was concluded with the extensive review of the Continental Strategy; the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Troop and Police Contributing Countries (T/PCCs) deployed in AU Peace Support Operations (AUPSOs); and an implementation matrix for the Strategy in accordance with relevant AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) decisions on the Rights and Welfare of Children Affected by Armed Conflict.

Acknowledging several existing mechanisms to prevent and respond to violence against CAAC, there was an urgent need to strengthen a close collaboration between the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of Children and other treaty bodies, ensure a strong African Governance Architecture/ African Peace and Security Architecture (AGA/APSA) synergy and enhance the visibility of the children’s rights agenda at national and REC/RM levels. Additionally, there was a need for AUPSC and AU Policy organs to invest more in strengthening collaboration towards child protection with RECs and RMs. It was therefore recommended that the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of Children develop a continental strategy on Child Protection and a roadmap for the protection of CAAC to strengthen collaboration between the AU, RECs and RMs to effectively protect CAAC by addressing both preventative and responsive programs. This strategy was to be contextualized and implemented at sub-regional levels with functional regional and national coordination structures, and its vision: ‘Fostering an Africa fit for children’ was derived from Agenda 2040 for Children consequent to Agenda 2063 of the AU. This means that the current strategy is one of the many efforts contributing to the global AU vision as encapsulated in Agenda 2063. Against this backdrop, the workshop aimed at reviewing the relevant documents drafted by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of Children, including the Continental Strategy on Children Affected by Armed Conflict; Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Troop and Police Contributing States Parties on handover of children associated with armed groups; and the implementation matrix for the decisions of the AUPSC.