1. Immediate humanitarian assistance that prioritizes the provision of food, shelter, health care, and psychosocial support for emotional well-being.
2. Family reunification and protection and the urgency to strengthen efforts to prevent family separation and reunite displaced children with their guardians.
3. Child protection through improved community protection systems to prevent the exploitation, abuse, and recruitment of children by armed groups.
4. Youth empowerment through provision of opportunities for young people to participate in decision-making and the rebuilding of their communities.
5. Enhanced partnerships that foster cooperation between governments, civil society and international organizations for a coordinated humanitarian response.
6. Resource mobilization for adequate funding to support these vital initiatives.

Reaffirming the commitment by the African Union to protect the future of Africa's children and adolescents, H.E. Minata Samate Cessouma, African Union Commissioner of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, underscored the need for synergy and coordinated efforts by stakeholders to address the plight of the children and accord them an environment where they can thrive, regardless of the crises they face. She stated, “In the face of these harsh realities, it is imperative to remember that children do not choose to be born in a context of conflict or crisis. They must not be left behind in our humanitarian efforts. The African Union, in partnership with its Member States and partners, is committed to ensuring not only the protection of these children and adolescents, but also to providing them with the opportunities they need to thrive despite the challenges they face.”

Hon. Wilson Almeida Adão, Chairperson of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) called for robust and responsive interventions that address family tracing and social reintegration, rehabilitation and trauma counselling. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child under article 22 and 23 of its provisions, underscores the protection of children in conflict situations, and in refugee and displacement settings. He stated, “let us remember that the figures are more than numbers and the experiences are more than stories. They represent the lived realities of children and adolescents. Acknowledging the need for specialised care, assistance, guidance, and education to enable children and adolescents to fully develop their inherent potential in a peaceful and conflict-free environment, let us all commit ourselves to discourse rooted in child rights-based and child-centred approaches. Let us question whether our existing child protection systems are truly fit for purpose.”

H.E. Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR Regional Director for East, Horn of Africa and Great

Lakes Region made emphasis on the inclusion of refugees in the communities where they have found safety after fleeing conflict and persecution as the most effective way to support them in restarting their lives and enable them to contribute to the countries hosting them. He noted that, “despite increasing displacement, it is important to emphasize that we are also successfully finding solutions for forcibly displaced populations, including through voluntary repatriation, resettlement and complementary pathways, and measures to facilitate local solutions. In 2023, the largest number of