Within the framework of the Project to Support the Protection of Children Victims of Human Rights Violations (PAPEV), the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through its Gender Development Centre (EGDC), and the West Africa Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN HCHR), are organising a High-Level Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Child Protection and Gender and Ministers responsible for Human Rights of ECOWAS Member States covered by the PAPEV project.

The Ministerial Meeting which is on the theme “Assessment of Experiences on Transnational Collaboration in the fight against Child Trafficking, the example of the PAPEV project, and the implementation of strategies to support legislative processes for the protection of children victims of Human Rights Abuses and Violations in West Africa”, would be preceded by the meeting of Directors/Experts of Child Protection and Human Rights, scheduled to take place from 23^th – 25^th May 2022 in Banjul, The Gambia.

The PAPEV project is being funded by the Italian Development Cooperation and implemented by the UN HCHR and ECOWAS in six ECOWAS Member States, namely The Gambia, Guinée, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger and Senegal. The project aims to support the beneficiary member States to strengthen their national legal frameworks for the promotion of child rights, to facilitate access to child protection services for children victims of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, and to strengthen collaboration and cooperation at the regional level on child protection.

The objectives of this high-level meeting are, among others, to share the experiences and best practices of Member States in the promotion of child rights and protection against violence, in particular child trafficking, and above all to formulate and adopt the Banjul Declaration aimed at creating a safe and just environment for children victims of human rights violations as well as at addressing their legal, judicial and social needs in the ECOWAS region.

Besides the Ministers and Directors responsible for child protection/human of the countries covered by the PAPEV countries, the meeting will be attended by the Chairpersons of the National Steering Committees, Representatives of the ECOWAS Commission (CSAG, Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, EGDC), the UN HCHR, including the National PAPEV Coordinators, the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development and Civil Society Organizations and partners (Plan International, WILDAF, UNICEF, Save the Children, SOS Children’s Village, ENDA and Jeunesse Action).