Rotimi Idris
The Chief of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, has revealed that global funding cuts are threatening to push 4.5 million additional children to their deaths by 2030, leave six million more out of school by 2026 and deny over 200 million vulnerable children the critical support they need.
Lafoucriere made this revelation during the World Children’s Day Policy Dialogue with Legislators and Arts Exhibition by Children, held at the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex, Alausa, Ikeja.
Speaking at the event themed: “My Day, My Rights”, she called on lawmakers across the country to make firm, actionable commitments that will improve the lives of children across the state, warning that global setbacks in child rights must not be replicated especially, in Lagos.
She noted that while the day is globally recognised as a day the world reaffirmed that children have rights, not privileges, the current international climate shows a worrying decline in support for child welfare.
Lafoucriere stressed that children across Lagos despite their diverse backgrounds, share fundamental rights that must not depend on fluctuating budgets, urging legislators to respond with concrete timelines for improving schools, expanding digital learning, strengthening health systems and incorporating children’s voices in policymaking.
Her words, “Every November 20, we mark the day the world agreed that children have rights, not privileges. The right to survive, to learn, to be protected, to be heard.But let me tell you what is happening right now.
“Globally, we are seeing a pullback on child rights. Funding is being slashed just when children need it most. This funding cuts mean 4.5 million more children could die by 2030. Six million more children could be out of school by 2026.
“And while over 200 million children desperately need help, the money to reach them is disappearing.This is the world we are operating in right now. But it does not have to be our Lagos story.
“I have been in Lagos long enough to know what you are capable of. When you commit to something, you deliver. Your birth registration numbers are the best in Nigeria. When you decide that children matter, you prove it.
“These children here today come from various parts of Lagos. Different schools. Different circumstances. But they share something in common: they all have rights. The right to education, to health, to protection, to clean water, to be heard. These are not favors we grant when budgets allow.
“These are rights. The children will tell you about their peers going to school hungry, about schools with no toilets, on water, no books. They will tell you about violence they have endured or seen their friends endure.
“The important thing is that these children are here because they believe you can help. They believe you will help! You are sitting in the House of Assembly, the place where laws are made, budgets are approved and priorities are set. You have the power to change their lives today”.
