Rabat hosts 1st African Forum of Children’s Parliament
The 1st African Forum of Children’s Parliament, a new continental framework to amplify youths’ voices on the World Children’s Day, kicked off on Friday in Rabat under the effective Presidency of Princess Lalla Meryem.
The continental event, held by the National Observatory for Children’s Rights (ONDE) under the theme “Children’s Participation in Africa’s Development”, brings together more than 170 participants from 28 African countries, including Speakers of parliaments, governmental officials, and institutional leaders.
This initiative is part of Morocco’s ongoing commitment to African cooperation based on solidarity, convergence, and investment in younger generations. It also reflects more than three decades of continuous action by Princess Lalla Meryem, whose involvement has shaped an exemplary approach to defending children’s rights.
The organization of this first edition is the result of a year of travels, exchanges, and partnerships established by the Observatory in several African countries, with the support of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation. These efforts confirmed the growing interest in the pioneering experience of the Moroccan Children’s Parliament, created in 1999 by royal decision and chaired by Princess Lalla Meryem.
More than 80 child parliamentarians, coming from Morocco’s 12 regions and various African countries, are participating in the forum. They will discuss priority issues such as access to healthcare, integrating mental health into public policies, improving education quality, combating early marriage, protecting street children, and eliminating child labor. Thematic workshops, led by former junior parliamentarians and government experts, will allow platforms for sharing experiences and formulating recommendations for public authorities.
Beyond the debates, the event aims to strengthen African cooperation, encourage the creation or consolidation of children’s parliaments, and promote a shared vision in which young people’s voices become a structural element of public policy. This forum serves as a unique space for reflection, fostering civic learning, free expression, and the development of innovative solutions.
Through this initiative, the National Observatory for Children’s Rights reaffirms its ambition to make youth participation a strategic force for the continent’s development, in harmony with a Moroccan vision that places human beings—and especially children—at the heart of Africa’s future paths.