UNICEF Renews Call in Brazzaville
In a packed room in Brazzaville on November 27, the Deputy Representative of UNICEF gathered policymakers, donors, and youth leaders and called on the government to establish a sustainable institutional framework that places children’s rights at the center of the national consensus.
The workshop officially launched the Inter-Sectoral Coordination Mechanism for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, designed to transform recommendations issued during the UN committee’s visit in December 2024 into measurable actions.
The representative thanked ministries, civil society, and development banks, emphasizing that their presence demonstrates “the commitment to place children at the heart of Congo’s social and human development agenda,” aligned with the 2022-2026 National Development Plan.
UNICEF estimates show that under-five mortality has fallen by 45 percent since 2000, but one in three rural children still lacks basic services and 27 percent suffer from stunting, indicating unfinished work.
Why Cross-Sector Coordination Matters
The proposed mechanism will unite the Ministries of Social Affairs, Education, Health, Finance, and Planning with local authorities and youth councils around a common dashboard tracking child-focused indicators.
Fragmented mandates have slowed past action plans; in 2022, execution of the child protection budget reached only 68 percent, leaving community centers short of supplies.
Stronger coordination should limit overlaps, accelerate data sharing, and standardize child-sensitive indicators ahead of the 2025 national review of social policies.
“The committee’s observations were not a reprimand but an opportunity,” noted the representative, adding that a structured platform can “consolidate and accelerate our collective progress for every Congolese child.”
Budget Visibility and Government Resolve
The debate quickly turned to money. Social sectors absorb about 16 percent of total spending, down from 18 percent in 2018 and still below UNICEF’s 20 percent benchmark for emerging economies.
The representative proposed integrating child rights tagging into the annual budget, making credits visible and traceable from the central treasury down to district services and schools.
The Director General of Development Partnerships acknowledged cash flow bottlenecks in an interview but affirmed the government’s determination to “provide sustainable solutions to children’s vulnerabilities.”
He cited ongoing reforms, including a medium-term expenditure framework and a digital treasury platform, both aimed at shortening payment delays and strengthening audit traceability.
Civil Society and Expert Perspectives
Civil society welcomed the initiative but asked for clear timelines. “We need a schedule, not another statement,” said a representative from the Child Protection Network after the plenary.
Youth delegates under 18 described overcrowded classrooms in Cuvette and limited vaccine coverage along the Likouala River, requesting formal seats on monitoring committees to ensure their voices remain heard.
Experts warn that climate shocks, including recurrent floods in the north displacing about 90,000 people, are amplifying children’s vulnerability, making cross-sector collaboration vital for disaster-responsive services.
International partners, including the World Bank and the French Development Agency, signaled willingness to align technical assistance with the new mechanism while emphasizing local leadership and accountability.
Next Steps Toward Child-Centered Budgeting
Sources in the Prime Minister’s Cabinet indicate that a decree will soon formalize the steering committee, detailing roles, funding channels, and reporting obligations that anchor the mechanism in national law.
Draft mandates call for quarterly dashboards, annual public reports, and a helpline allowing children to directly report rights violations to provincial focal points for rapid response.
Observers note that effective monitoring depends on robust data. The National Institute of Statistics is modernizing its child module for the 2024 census, using tablet-based enumeration partly funded by the African Development Bank.
If momentum is maintained, Congo could present a consolidated progress report before the African Union’s Year of Education in 2025, showing how child-centered budgeting supports the broader ambition of inclusive prosperity.