Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1229?? meeting held on 21 August 2024, that was dedicated to an Open Session on the theme: “Inclusive Education in Conflict Situation”.

The Peace and Security Council

Recalling the AU Theme for 2024, namely: “Educate an African fit for the 21?? Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality and relevant learning in Africa”; and all decisions and pronouncements of AU Policy Organs, particularly, Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.753(XXXIII)] adopted by the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, held in February 2020; Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.718 (XXXII)] adopted by the 32?? Ordinary Session of the Union held from 10 to 11 February 2019; Executive Council Decision [EX.CL/Dec.712 (XXI)] adopted during the 21st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council held in Addis Ababa from 9 to 13 July 2012; the Conclusions of the PSC Ministerial and High-Level Open Session on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights and Welfare of Children in Situations of Conflict in Africa, held from 4 to 5 December 2023 in Banjul, The Gambia;

Also recalling its previous decisions, including Communiques [PSC/PR/COMM.1110 (2022)] adopted at its 1110?? meeting held on 5 October 2022; [PSC/PR/COMM.1101 (2022)] adopted at its 1101?? meeting held on 18 August 2022; [PSC/PR/COMM.1070 (2022) adopted at its 1070th meeting held on 29 March 2022; [PSC/PR/COMM.(CMXCIV)] adopted at its the 994th PSC meeting, held on 11 May 2021; and [PSC/PR/COMM.(CMLXV)], adopted at its 965?? meeting held on 19 November 2020;

Further recalling the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; the Policy on Child Protection in African Union Peace Support Operations and the Policy on Mainstreaming Child Protection into the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), adopted by the 14th Ordinary Meeting of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Defence, Safety and Security (STCDSS) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 9 to 13 May 2022; as well as all International Instruments, including, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particularly Article 26, which provides that “Everyone has the right to education”; the 1960 UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education and the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which outlines the fundamental rights of every child, regardless of race, religion or abilities.

Taking note of the opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Tebelelo Alfred Boang, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Botswana to the AU as PSC Chairperson for August 2024; the
introductory statement by the H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political
Affairs, Peace and Security; the presentations by Professor Saidou Madougou, the AU Director for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation; by the Dr. Rita Bissoonauth the Director of Liaison Office of the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to the AU; and by Mr. Bruce Mokaya the Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Liaison Office to the AU, as well as of the statements by the representatives Member States and Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs); and 

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Expresses deep concern over the adverse effects of armed conflict on education, particularly on children’s personal, social and cognitive development as evidenced by continued violations and abuses of children’s rights, as well as violence perpetrated against children, including gender-based violence, forced marriages, child labour, recruitment as child soldiers, and radicalization, which further erode the general welfare of children and deprive them of their human dignity and agency towards the development of the Continent;

2. Strongly condemns the recruitment of child soldiers and use of children as suicide bombers in conflict situations in the Continent, the deliberate targeting of schools and other education facilities by armed groups, including occupation and use for military purposes and warns the perpetrators of these heinous crimes that they will be held accountable for their actions;

3. Emphasizes the need for enhanced protection of children in conflict situations and also the need for the promotion of children's rights in AU peace, security and development agendas;

4. Stresses the importance of redoubled efforts by all concerned stakeholders in implementing the AU Master Roadmap of Practical Steps for Silencing the Guns in Africa, including investing more in conflict prevention, in order to facilitate the creation of the necessary conditions for guaranteeing inclusive and quality education in Africa and in this context, encourages Member States to improve governance and to holistically address all structural root causes and drivers of violent conflicts;

5. Underscores the importance of always ensuring the right to education for all, including, in conflict situations and, in this regard, encourages Member States to prioritize the development and implementation of comprehensive conflict-sensitive and crisis-resilient education policy frameworks that guarantee the right to quality education for all children and youth, regardless of their background or circumstances.

6. Commends the efforts of the AU Commission and the African Platform on Children Affected by Armed Conflict (AP CAAC), including through the institutionalization and regularization of the Banjul Process, towards promoting the mainstreaming of the rights of children and the Children Affected by Armed Conflicts agenda in the Commission and in the Member States, working in collaboration with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child;

7. Also commends the efforts being deployed by UNESCO, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), ICRC, Save the Children and all other organizations that are promoting and facilitating inclusive education in Africa, particularly in conflict contexts;

8. Underscores the need for effective implementation of the Conclusions of the PSC Ministerial and High-Level Open Session on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights and Welfare of Children in Situations of Conflict in Africa, held from 4 to 5 December 2023, in Banjul, The Gambia;

9. Strongly urges all actors in conflict situations in the Continent to fully respect International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and to also ensure the protection of children from the six grave violations against children in armed conflicts as identified by the United Nations Secretary-General, which include the killing and maiming of children, the recruitment or use of children as soldiers, sexual violations, abduction, attacks against schools or hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access;

10. Encourages all Member States that have not yet done so, to adopt the Safe Schools Declaration and to effectively implements its Guidelines;

11. Underlines the importance of addressing the specific needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups and in this regard, encourages Member States to develop policies and programs to target the educational needs of girls, children with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, and other marginalized groups, with a view to ensuring their equal access and participation in education; 

12. Calls for increased funding and strengthening of educational infrastructure and services and in this context, encouraged Member States to allocate more resources to education, particularly in regions affected by conflict, prioritizing inclusive education programs, and to redouble investments in rebuilding and rehabilitating educational facilities, as well as for the development of teacher training programs, the provision of teaching and learning materials including technology, with a view to effectively promoting inclusive education in conflict-affected regions;

13. Underscores the importance of post-trauma psycho-social support to, both, learners and educators affected by conflict, including by integrating health services into educational programs and by implementing targeted measures to ensure the safety of students and educators, such as safe school routes and secure learning environments;

14. Emphasizes the need to foster community engagement and multi-stakeholder collaboration and coordination, including community-based organizations, civil society organizations, and international partners in the design, implementation, and monitoring of inclusive education initiatives to ensure their sustainability;

15. Acknowledging that education is a fundamental right for everyone, further emphasizes the need for Member States, working in collaboration with the relevant humanitarian agencies and bilateral and international development partners to ensure continuous provision of education to all internally displaced persons and refugees;

16. Underlines the need for improving data collection and evidence-based policymaking, in order to effectively address the unique challenges facing education in conflict situations, as well as the need for establishing a quality control mechanism to monitor and evaluate inclusive education initiatives to ensure effectiveness and accountability, and the need to mainstream inclusive education as an integral component of post-conflict reconstruction and development (PCRD) in countries emerging from conflict situations, consistent with the provisions of the Revised AU PCRD Policy Framework;

17. Reiterates the request for the Chairperson of the Commission to expeditiously appoint a Special Envoy on Children in Situations of Conflict pursuant to Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.718 (XXXII)] adopted by the 32nd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government held from 10 to 11 February 2019 in Addis Ababa, to ensure that particular attention is paid to issues of children’s rights and welfare in conflict and crisis situation in Africa; and

18. Decides to regularize the Open Session as an annual event of Council; and

19. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter

COMMENTS