August 27, 2025 (Juba, South Sudan): Experts in Child Rights and Protection from the Government of South Sudan gathered in Juba from 26th – 27th August 2025, to develop the National Action Plan (NAP) for the IGAD Child Policy Framework, a step at domesticating the Policy at the national level.
Participants were drawn from the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Government of South Sudan alongside civil society and development partners involved in child rights and protection, including IOM, UNHCR, World Vision, UNICEF, Save the Children and the IGAD Secretariat.
Workshop attendees deliberated and drafted strategies, activities and timelines in line with the key policy focus areas and the regional results monitoring framework of the IGAD Child Policy. In discussions led by the Ministry of Gender Child and Social Welfare, mandates and responsibilities of Government Institutions, civil society organizations, private sector actors alongside development partners, in implementing the policy were established.
Participants also identified financial, technical, and human resources required for implementation and set indicators, targets, and timelines to track progress and ensure accountability in the implementation process.
On behalf of IGAD Secretariat, the Head of Social Development, Dr. Victoria Anib, commend the Government of South Sudan for its ongoing efforts to advance the rights and well-being of children, in line with both national priorities and international commitments.
She said that developing a National Action Plan was a vital step in moving from commitment to concrete action while creating a mechanism for accountability and participation.
“The NAP will enhance transparency, resource mobilization, and citizen engagement—including the voices of children themselves.”
The development and subsequent implementation of the IGAD Child Policy Framework are being undertaken in coordination with, and with the support of, Save the Children and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, Representative of Save the Children, South Sudan said that the workshop was a timely opportunity to translate regional commitments into concrete, actionable steps at the national level. He reaffirmed the Organisation’s commitment to stand alongside the Government of South Sudan in the development and, most importantly, the implementation of the National Action Plans.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in a statement read by Dr. Emnet Berhanu, the Migrant Protection Specialist, seconded to IGAD, reiterated that national action plans will reduce the protection risks of children, risk of violence, exploitation, and exclusion from opportunities they deserve.
The IGAD Child Policy Framework adopted in December 2024 aims at promoting the rights and welfare of children in the IGAD region.
The Policy Framework outlines Member States’ targeted efforts to respect, protection and fulfil the rights of all children in the region, focusing on ten key policy areas. These are, Child Protection, Child Participation, Education, Health and Nutrition. Others are Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Environment and Climate Change, Social protection, Justice and in Peace and Security.
