Event: Putting children first: identifying solutions and taking action to tackle poverty and inequality in Africa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

23/10/2017 - 09:00 to 25/10/2017 - 17:00

This three-day international conference aimed to engage policy makers, practitioners and researchers in identifying solutions for fighting child poverty and inequality in Africa, and in inspiring action towards change. The conference offered a platform for bridging divides across sectors, disciplines and policy, practice and research.

The conference was framed around the following themes:

“Setting the scene: Who and where are the poor children?” This theme aims to provide insight into the plight of overlooked children, to strengthen data collection and measurement efforts to ensure that no child is overlooked in the future.
“Child-sensitive social protection: Making social protection work for children”. This theme aims to promote a better understanding of how social protection can be improved to help children, including links to services and the adoption of more child-oriented approaches.
“Ensuring access to basic services for all: Reaching the poorest and most marginalised children”. This theme aims to gain insight into how access to services can be secured for the most excluded and marginalised, including views on how to remove specific barriers and involve a social workforce and community-based mechanisms.
“Supporting secure transitions to adulthood”. This theme aims to explore how the ‘youth bulge’ can be considered a ‘demographic dividend’ and how young people can be supported in the transition to adulthood with regard to education, work, family and aspirations.

More detailed information about the themes, key questions that were considered and the conference objectives can be found in the conference concept note:

Putting Children First - Concept note.pdf

Programme and speakers

Speakers included:

H.E Ms Demitu Hambisa, Minister Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ethiopia
Ms. Leila Pakkala, Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, UNICEF
Dr. Agnes Akosua Aidoo, International Board of Trustees, ACPF
Jane Kabubo-Mariara, Executive Director, PEP
Nora Groce, Director of the Leonard Cheshire Disability and Inclusive Development Centre, UCL
Jo Boyden, Director of Young Lives

The Keynote Speech by Dr. Agnes Akosua Aidoo can be read here:

Agnes Aidoo - Putting Children First Keynote Speech [23-Oct-17].pdf

More detailed information can be found in the conference programme and conference book:

Putting Children First - programme FINAL revised [20-oct-17].pdf

PDF icon Putting Children First - Conference book FINAL revised [20-oct-17].pdf

Call for action

The conference concluded with a commitment to action towards fighting child poverty and inequality in Africa.

Putting Children First - Communique final [31-Oct-17].pdf

Conference highlights

Watch conference highlights in this Storify.

Conference photos

Photos from the event are available here.

ESRC-DFID research evidence for policy makers and practitioners

The Impact Initiative has produced a downloadable booklet for the conference. This presents research evidence from the ESRC-DFID's Strategic Partnership and provides a map and glossary of 38 projects in 22 countries focused on children and young people enabled by the Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research and the Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems Programme. Read/download booklet: ESRC-DFID Research on Children and Youth in Africa.

A key issues guide highlights ESRC-DFID research from the Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation that has directly engaged young people, or looked at the factors that enable (or inhibit) their ability to influence what happens in their lives. Read guide: Research with children and young people: how children's choices influence their wellbeing and how research can help.
An Evidence Synthesis Research Report (ESRA) explores the specific achievements and contributions of research on children and young people from the ESRC-DFID Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation. Read/download full review, and summary: New knowledge on children and young people: a synthesis of evidence.