In an effort to promote child participation, as outlined in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the Government of Malawi and its partners developed the National Child Participation Guidelines in 2020. These guidelines aimed to harmonize the involvement of children across various levels and platforms. However, during implementation, gaps and challenges were identified, necessitating a review of the guidelines.
The NGO Coalition on Child Rights supported the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare in convening a taskforce meeting to initiate the review process. The taskforce developed Terms of Reference (ToRs) to guide the review and committed to producing a child-friendly version of the revised guidelines to enhance accessibility for children. The production of a child-friendly version is expected to be done by December, 2025.
The taskforce brought together key MDAs, including representatives from: Ministry of Gender, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Malawi Human Rights Commission, National Children’s Commission as well as partners from; Save the Children, World Vision, NGO Coalition on Child Rights, Girls Empowerment Network