Pan African State Accountability Project (PASAP)
Africa has made significant progress in the promoting and protecting of children’s rights and gender equality over the last many years. The continent has put in place legal and policy frameworks to further strengthen Africa’s commitment to protect and promote the rights of boys and girls. Some of the principal African instruments for children and youth include the African Charter on the rights and welfare of the child (ACRWC), the African Charter on Human and People’s rights (ACHPR), the Protocol to the African charter on Human and People’s rights of women in Africa (Maputo protocol); and the African Youth Charter (AYC). Additional instruments and mechanisms on child rights and gender equality have also been developed and established at the level of the regional economic communities (RECs). A lot of African countries have ratified most of these instruments that allow for promotion and protection of the rights and welfare of children. This has led to the gradual progress in the realization of children’s rights and gender equality in the continent. However, there remains an alarming gap between policy making and policy implementation which in turn has implications on the realization of children’s rights in the continent. Many States fail to adequately live up to the standards set by these treaties, thus enabling widespread violence/discrimination among children and particularly girls.
The Pan African state Accountability Project (PASAP) is a multi-partner, multi-level Pan-African project that aims at strengthening civil societies in Africa to hold their state accountable in the promotion and protection of children rights in Africa. The project is overall coordinated by Plan International African Union Liaison Office (AULO) with a support from the two regional offices of Middle East, East Africa and Southern Africa (MESSA) and West and Central Africa Hub (WACAH). Currently, the project is on its second phase which started on 1st of July 2019.
The first implementation year of PASAP Phase II started on the 1st of July 2019 and ended on the 30th of June 2020. The Second implementation year started on the 1st of July 2020 and will end on the 30th of June 2021.
The added Value of the AMWCY is to ensure the participation of children and youth themselves and holding the states accountable for the respect of child rights.