Luanda - The Deputy Representative of UNICEF, Andrew Trevett, advocated, on Wednesday, in Luanda, the inclusion of children's opinion in the policies and plans of the Angolan Executive, considering them agents of change with unique perspectives.
Speaking at the opening of a meeting promoted in allusion to the celebration of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is marked Wednesday, the official stressed that it is necessary to include their opinions, ensuring that the 'voice of the most excluded is not left behind'.
He said that millions of children around the world face barriers that condition access to education, security and health care, referencing poverty, malnutrition and limited access to clean water as a 'sad' reality for many.
Andrew Trevett added that in Angola, these challenges can be overcome with the commitment of leaders who have the power to influence policies, allocate resources and make long-term investments in Angolan children.
He urged MPs to continue to strengthen Angola's commitment to the rights and well-being of all children by giving them the resources, protection and respect they need to become the leaders of tomorrow.
The chairperson of the Committee on Family, Childhood and Social Action of the National Assembly, Clarice Mukinda, stressed that the celebration of the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is an opportunity to reflect on the level of realization of the rights of minors.
According to the parliamentarian, this also serves to renew the commitment and strengthen actions for the promotion and fulfillment of children and the protection of their rights and their placement at the center of the public development agenda.
The meeting, opened by the President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, was promoted by the 8th Committee on Family, Childhood and Social Action of the National Assembly, in partnership with the Project on Health, Sexual and Reproductive Rights, HIV-AIDS and Governance of the SAF-SDC FP, under the motto 'The Inclusion and Protection of Children with Disabilities at Every Stage of Life'.
The event aimed to provide a platform through which children and young people with disabilities can freely express their opinions and greater engagement among children and young people with disabilities with decision-makers, in particular members of the National Assembly and the Executive branch.
The act was attended by the deputy representative of UNICEF in Angola, Andrew Trevett, members of the National Assembly, children, young people and adults with disabilities, representatives of civil society and different ministerial departments.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 November 1989 and entered into force on 2 September 1990.
The commemoration of November 20 (Universal Day of the Rights of the Child) is related to the proclamation of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) by the United Nations General Assembly.
The latter is based on four fundamental pillars related to all children's rights (civil, political, economic, social and cultural): non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, survival and development and the child's opinion, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
According to the Convention, the child must be the center of the adults' absolute attention.
It recognizes 'child' every individual under 18 years of age and confers on this population all the rights hitherto reserved to adults. In addition, it determines that these rights are exercised without any type of discrimination.
The document, according to UNICEF, is the most accepted human rights instrument in universal history, as it has been ratified by 196 countries.
Angola signed the document in 1990, being among the 41 countries in Africa that have signed it, according to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. CPM/SEC/DOJ
