Preserve and value achievements with special attention to children.

Luanda, 31 May 2025 - UNICEF congratulates all children on the occasion of 1 June, International Children's Day. This year, the celebration takes place in a special context - celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Angola's Independence.

"Preserve and Value the Achievements Achieved, Building a Better Future" is the motto chosen for this celebration in order to recognize and celebrate the successes achieved, but also to maintain these achievements as a basis for the future.

Prioritizing the education, protection, health, and well-being of children is the best and most solid investment that can be made to preserve and value all the achievements achieved by Angola, including independence and peace.

It is important to highlight that over this half century and despite the challenges, the country has achieved several achievements, both legislative and political, which demonstrate its commitment to the Rights of the Child.

It is never too much to remember that Angola was one of the first countries in the world to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990; the country recognizes, in the Constitution of the Republic, the child as an Absolute Priority and also recognizes him as a person with all the human rights recognized to adults and that are applicable to his age, in addition to his special rights, arising from the very process of development in which he is.

This recognition was later transformed into Law and Commitments with the creation of Law 25/15 on the Development and Integral Protection of Children, which included the 11 Commitments assumed by the State and Partners for the well-being of the child.

"On this International Children's Day, UNICEF wants to reiterate that children deserve attention every day. This attention must be given by the State, families, and society as a whole and translated into investment, policies, and concrete actions", appeals Antero de Pina, UNICEF Representative.

"According to one of the principles of the Convention, every child must be an absolute priority of governments, and this premise must be applied consistently. Whether in the area of education, protection, or health", adds the UNICEF Representative.

Angola is a mostly young country. More than 56% percent of the population is under 18 years of age.

Looking at these numbers, we see the challenges to ensure all the essential services that this fringe requires to fully develop, but also the numerous opportunities that can come from investing in sectors that guarantee the development of young people, such as health, education, protection against all forms of violence, or access to water and sanitation.

Evidence shows that this type of investment has a return for the country and for children, contributing to the development of human capital. Consistent investment in these areas also has a major impact on the resilience of systems and households, preparing them to deal with situations such as economic shocks and public health emergencies, such as the cholera outbreak that Angola is facing, for example.

The most recent data from the Multiple and Health Indicators Survey 2023-2024, presented by the National Institute of Statistics, report on the progress and challenges in key indicators for child development. An achievement to highlight is the reduction in mortality of children under 5 years of age from 68 to 52 thousand live births in 10 years.

However, the challenges in areas such as nutrition, access to birth registration or reducing the number of children without vaccines, reiterate the need for joint reflections - Government, families, community leaders, civil society and the private sector - in order to identify more effective and effective strategies to ensure these services, as any situation that puts a child's well-being at risk is a threat to the present and the environment. future of this child and the society where he is inserted.

UNICEF calls for the continuation of the trend of growth in the resources allocated to the social sector through the State Budget, whose impact is certainly significant on the lives of children.

"Investing in children today, particularly girls and children with disabilities, can put an end to a series of social inequalities and contribute to the consolidation of all the achievements achieved by the country to date," concludes Antero de Pina, UNICEF Representative.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of all children, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate our commitment into concrete action, with a particular focus on reaching the most vulnerable and marginalised children, for the benefit of all children, everywhere in the world.

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For additional information, please contact:

Heitor Lourenço, Oficial de Comunicação, UNICEF Angola, +244 936 836 015, [email protected];