JOHANNESBURG, April 7 (Xinhua) -- As the three-day Africa Children's Summit concluded on Monday, South Africa has announced plans to use its G20 presidency to gather global support for strengthening children's participation on key issues.
According to Deputy Minister of Social Development Ganief Hendricks, children's participation was crucial in shaping policies that directly impact their lives.
He emphasized the importance of including children's voices in global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063.
Hendricks said greater efforts are required to ensure that children's views are meaningfully channeled and taken into account by 2040. "Children should participate meaningfully in law-making and policy adoption in matters affecting their interests, and are involved in the oversight of their implementation," he said.
The Africa Children's Summit 2025, a child-led event hosted by the South African Government in Johannesburg, brought together participants from 13 countries, with additional delegates joining virtually to discuss children-related issues.
Speaking at the summit, Hendricks acknowledged that while some nations have taken steps to include children in policymaking, much more remains to be done.
