RELEVANT RECOMMENDATIONS AIMED AT BETTER PROMOTING AND PROTECTING THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF CHILDREN IN THE ECOWAS REGION

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission is called upon to continue its efforts in the areas of resource mobilisation, capacity building and regional coordination.

This is the recommendation made to the Commission by participants at the regional review and strategic planning meeting on the implementation of the ECOWAS Policy on Children, which concluded on 25 September 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria.

As for development partners, they are urged to continue supporting the actions and capacity-building of ECOWAS Member States with a view to ensuring the long-term promotion of children’s rights in West Africa.

As for these Member States, they are recommended to promote comprehensive and sustainable data collection and to appoint focal points responsible for children’s rights within their various key ministries.

They are also encouraged to ensure that public awareness campaigns are stepped up, in particular by strengthening community engagement.

They are further urged to ensure the establishment of effective coordination and collaboration mechanisms amongst child protection stakeholders within ministries, departments and agencies at sub-national, national and regional levels.

The participants called on these States to endeavour to increase their budgetary allocations to 3 per cent for child protection interventions, in accordance with the ECOWAS Policy on Children adopted on 29 June 2019 by West African leaders.

Another decision taken at the meeting concerns the measures to be taken by these States to replicate the model of the Child Rights Information Management System (ECRIMS) at national and sub-national levels, with the aim of ensuring consistent approaches to data collection and reporting.

ECOWAS member states are also urged to create more opportunities for their children to participate in the process of developing and implementing child-related policies, so that their voices are heard within the regional community.