Progress made on African Children's Charter Project objectives for 2014

African Children’s Charter Project (ACCP) partners (including Community Law Centre) met in Nairobi (Kenya), last week to come up with timelines and agree upon specific activities to be delivered within the remaining time of the implementation of the ACCP. Drs Maria Assim and Aquinaldo Mandlate from the Children’s Rights Project of the Community Law Centre were part of this 3 day workshop for the mid-year review of the ACCP.

The project also noted on the way forward for the period that follows the end of this first phase of implementation of the project. There were also discussions on project areas of strengths and areas that need improvement and recommendations were made for possible future plans in the intervention areas of the project beyond 2014. The review of the cost extension application (proposed activities and budget) for 2015 and 2016 and reconfirm project scope for finalisation of concept note for submission to SIDA, was also part of the agenda.

The overall expected deliverables of this workshop were:
• Project progress reviewed through a consultative process involving multiple stakeholders and where necessary adjustments made to the implementation work plan for the last half of the African Children’s Charter Project during 2014.,
• The draft concept note for the project cost extension application in 2015 and 2016 reviewed
• Plans laid out for the final evaluation of the current phase of the ACCP.

The ACCP is implemented by a consortium of five partner organisations that work together to support the work of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Committee of Experts) in delivering its mandate. The African Committee of Experts is the treaty body which monitors the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter).

The event was attended by delegates of other partner organisations, including Plan International (Pan Africa, Sweden, East and Southern Africa Regional, and West Africa Regional Offices), Save the Children (Sweden, Eastern and Central African Regional Office, Western Africa Regional Office, and Southern Africa Regional Office), The African Child Policy Forum (ACPF), and the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA). A member of the African Committee of Experts and staff from the Secretariat of the Committee were also present.