Brussels commits to protecting Africa's children

The European Commission has officially acknowledged an initiative by a coalition of Sahrawi NGOs aimed at protecting African children in conflict zones. The NGOs launched the "Geneva Declaration on Stolen African Childhood" following an international conference in Geneva on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council's 62nd session.

The commission's response came in a formal letter from the office of the Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management, addressing a message sent by the initiative's organizers after their international conference on June 24, 2026. The declaration serves as a reference document calling for enhanced international efforts to protect children, particularly those in Tindouf camps, from recruitment and exploitation in armed conflicts. It also advocates for disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs, accountability mechanisms, and post-conflict reconstruction with a child-centric approach.

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The European Union reaffirms its firm commitment to preventing and ending the six grave violations committed against children in armed conflicts, foremost among them the recruitment and use of children by armed groups and state forces.

While the European Commission stated it could not provide direct political or institutional support, it reaffirmed the European Union's firm commitment to preventing and ending grave violations against children in armed conflicts, especially the recruitment and use of children by armed groups and state forces. The commission emphasized that child protection remains a central priority of European humanitarian and diplomatic action. The EU has updated its guidelines on children and armed conflict and adopted a joint statement on European humanitarian action, placing children at the core of humanitarian responses and addressing the root causes of vulnerability and conflict. The EU also continues to coordinate with the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict.

This interaction marks the first official response from the European Commission to the initiative, which seeks to establish a normative framework for protecting African children, particularly those in the Tindouf camps, from the risks of recruitment and exploitation during armed conflicts. The initiative also aims to bolster disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs, reinforce accountability and justice principles, and support post-conflict reconstruction in line with international humanitarian law and child rights conventions.

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The protection of children remains one of the central priorities of European humanitarian and diplomatic action.