24/06/2026
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF AN AFRICAN CHILD
( ACERWC- AFRICA COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD)
DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD 2026
THEME: ENSURING UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE FOR EVERY CHILD IN AFRICA
CONCEPT NOTE
ACERWC Secretariat | E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +266 52 01 00 18 | P.O.Box: 13460,
Address: Nala House, Balfour Road Maseru
Kingdom of Lesotho
I. Background
The Day of the African Child (DAC) was launched by the Assembly of Heads of State ofthe Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1991 to be commemorated on 16 June eachyear. The DAC pays tribute to the 1976 student uprising in Soweto, South Africa, which
resulted in the killings of students who demonstrated against the poor quality of educationthey received and demanding to be taught in their own language by the apartheid regime.
Over the years, the Day has been an opportunity for all stakeholders and actors involvedin the protection and promotion of children's rights in Africa to come together, to consolidate common goals and to tackle the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving
an Africa fit for its children.
As guardian of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (the African Childrenâs Charter/ACRWC), the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare
of the Child (ACERWC/Committee) has spearheaded the commemoration of the DAC since 2002. The ACERWC is an Organ of the African Union established in accordance with articles 32 and 33 of the ACRWC mandated to promote and protect the rights and
welfare of the child in Africa and monitor its implementation. Each year, the Committee identifies a relevant theme for the Day, which is further adopted by the Executive Council
of the AU, organizes and coordinates activities and events to commemorate the Day at continental level.
For 2026, the theme of the Day of the African Child is âEnsuring universal access to water,sanitation and hygiene for every child in Africa.â This theme aligns with the African Union
Theme of the Year 2026: âAssuring sustainable water availability and safe sanitation systems to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063,â adopted by the Assembly of Heads of
State and Government at its 38th Ordinary Session held in February 2025 in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia1 and at its 39th Ordinary Session held on 14 February 2026, in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia. The African Unionâs focus on water and sanitation for 2026 reflects growingcontinental recognition that sustainable water resource management is central to Africaâs economic growth, industrialisation, employment creation and social transformation.
Achieving the AUâs broader vision of building robust, competitive and climate-resilient economies depends on the effective planning, development and management of Africaâswater resources, as articulated in the Africa Water Vision 2025, the AU Agenda 2063,
and related continental commitments, including the Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration on Water and Sanitation, the Malabo Declaration on agricultural transformation, and other
AU and AMCOW policy frameworks aimed at strengthening water security, food production, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods. In this context, African leaders
dedicated 2026 to water and sanitation, recognising that improving sustainable water availability and sanitation systems is essential for advancing inclusive socio-economic development and safeguarding the well-being and future of Africaâs children. This is
evidenced in the crucial policy document, the Africa Water Vision 2063 & Policy
1 Decisions of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, 15â16 February 2025, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
Assembly/AU/Dec.912(###VIII), available at: AU Assembly Decisions (Assembly/AU/Dec.903-941(###VIII))
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(AWVP63), which will serve as the primary strategic framework to achieve water security on the continent.
Recognising the central importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to childrenâs survival, development and well-being, as well as the critical link between access to WASHservices and the realisation of all child rights, the ACERWC, during its 46th Ordinary Session, adopted a child-centred theme for the Day of the African Child 2026.
This theme aims to highlight the specific implications of water insecurity for children and to elevate childrenâs rights to water, sanitation, and hygiene within continental policy discussions..
Through this theme, the Committee seeks to galvanise renewed commitments by Member States, development partners and stakeholders to accelerate progress towarduniversal, equitable, climate-resilient and child-responsive WASH systems, for children across Africa, with particular attention to children living in rural areas, informal settlements, humanitarian contexts and climate-vulnerable regions, enabling all children
in Africa to survive, learn, grow and thrive.
The purpose of this concept note is to provide guidance to Member States on the main objectives of the theme, and the various measures that should be undertaken by States
in the celebration of the theme. The Committee notes that the DAC provides an opportunity for children, Member States, policy makers, organisations and other stakeholders on the continent working on children's issues to review and evaluate efforts,policies and programmes aimed to protect and promote children's rights considering thetheme.
The DAC calls for serious introspection and a commitment to addressing the challenges facing African children.
II. Rationale for DAC 2026
Although Africa is endowed with significant water resources2
, the continent is facingincreasing and interconnected water security challenges that threaten sustainable development, human well-being and the realization of childrenâs rights. According to the
African Unionâs water development priorities framework rapid population growth,urbanisation, industrialisation and expanding economic demands are placing unprecedented pressure on water resources. These trends, combined with insufficient
expansion of sanitation infrastructure, are expected to intensify environmentaldegradation and pollution of water bodies, further constraining safe water availability.3
Africaâs population, estimated at 1.5 billion in 2024, is projected to reach approximately
2.5 billion by 2050, while the continent is expected to host nearly one billion children by2055
, significantly increasing the demand for WASH services for both present and future
generations.
2 Africa Water Vision 2025, page 7.
3 AU Theme 2026 CN: para 22, available at:
https://archives.au.int/bitstream/handle/123456789/11188/EX%20CL%201623%20%28XLVII%29_E.pdf?sequence=1
&isAllowed=y
4 As above.
5 UNICEF, Children in Africa: Key Statistics on Child Survival, Protection and Development, 2019,available at:https://data.unicef.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Children-in-Africa.pdf
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Despite progress in expanding water services across Africa, significant inequalities persist, particularly in access to safely managed drinking water. Disaggregated data from
the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme disparities highlight disparities that disproportionately affect rural populations, where gaps in access can reach as high as 35
percentage points compared to urban areas. In many communities, women and girls often spend considerable time collecting water, frequently exceeding 30 minutes daily, which affects their education and health outcomes.
6 Furthermore, climate change is intensifying these challenges by altering rainfall patterns, increasing water scarcity, and raising the
frequency and severity of droughts and floods. This worsening situation is evident in
critical areas like Lake Chad, which has shrunk drastically since the 1960s, leaving millions dependent on it for fresh water, agriculture, fishing, and livestock vulnerable.
Such pressures are particularly acute in fragile contexts affected by conflict and environmental degradation, where limited infrastructure reduces resilience and access to
basic services, further exacerbating the difficulties faced by communities across the continent.
The consequences of inadequate WASH services are especially severe for children.
According to UNICEF, over 190 million children across ten African countries are at high risk from water-related threats, including unsafe water, poor sanitation, climate-related hazards, and WASH-related diseases. Approximately two out of five deaths in these
nations are attributable to unsafe WASH services.7 The lack of safe WASH contributes significantly to preventable child mortality, malnutrition, school absenteeism and reduced developmental outcomes, disproportionately affecting children in rural areas, informal settlements, humanitarian settings and children with disabilities.
These structural pressures have direct and disproportionate implications for children, affecting their health, nutrition, education, protection and overall development. Without strengthened investments in inclusive, climate-resilient and child-responsive WASH systems, Africaâs development aspirations under Agenda 2063, the child rights Agenda 2040, and the Sustainable Development Goals risk being undermined.
Addressing water security and ensuring universal, equitable and sustainable WASH access is therefore both a development priority and a human-rights obligation. In line with the African Charter
on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and continental and international policy frameworks, strengthening child-responsive WASH systems is essential for safeguarding childrenâs survival, dignity, resilience and long-term development, while contributing to a sustainable future for the continent.
6 UNICEF and WHO, Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000â2024:
Special Focus on Inequalities, WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), 2025, available at:
https://data.unicef.org/resources/jmp-report-2025/
7UNICEF, Triple Threat How disease, climate risks, and unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene create a deadly
combination for children,2023:https://www.unicef.org/media/137206/file/triple-threat-wash-EN.pdf
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III. Objectives
The overall objectives for the 2026 DAC on ââEnsuring universal access to water,sanitation and hygiene for every child in Africaâ is to mobilize political commitment,resources, and coordinated action across the continent. This initiative aims to ensure equitable, safe, and sustainable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for every child,in line with Statesâ obligations under the African Childrenâs Charter and other relevant frameworks.
The DAC 2026 celebration aims specifically to achieve the following key objectives:
Integration: Strengthen the integration of WASH in child-centred policies and budgets, including health, education, nutrition, social protection, and climate adaptation strategies.
Evidence and Monitoring: Raise awareness of WASH as an essential rights issue for children; highlight its interdependence with health, education, nutrition and protection and spotlight existing gaps and good practices in WASH provision for children.
Inclusion and Participation: Promote child participation and ensure inclusion of vulnerable groups including girls, children with disabilities, rural and informal settlement communities, and displaced children in WASH strategies and interventions.
Accountability: Promote accountability and monitoring towards progressiverealization of the rights to water, sanitation and hygiene in line with AU, national and international commitments. Secure renewed commitments from Member
States with specific, measurable pledges on c
