Target Groups | Organisation Structure | Identity Statement
State of the African Child | Partners | Trustees

The overriding mission of the Forum is to contribute to the effort to put African children on the public agenda, and, to that end, exert pressure where the political will is absent and provide support where it exists. ACPF will achieve its mission by

• Cooperating and working jointly with governments and NGOs in the promotion of the rights and welfare of the children;
• Providing an African forum for dialogue;
• Contributing to improved knowledge of problems facing African children and providing policy options;
• Strengthening the capacity of NGOs.

ACPF envisages that one day, not far away, every child in Africa will lead a healthy life and contribute to the emergence of a peaceful, democratic and prosperous Africa that can overcome marginalisation in a globalising world.  This can be achieved only through a strong socio-political Africa-based movement on behalf of children and the articulation of policy options grounded on analytical research and world experience, adapted to African realities.

The specific objectives of the Forum thus are:

• to provide a forum for dialogue and a voice for children and child-rights' advocates;
• to contribute to improved knowledge of the problems facing African children as well as of policy options;
• to strengthen the capacity of non-governmental organisations to mount effective campaigns on behalf of children and child-oriented public policies; and
• to assist governments and non-governmental organisations in developing and implementing effective pro-child policies and programmes.

ACPF within five years time, will become a point of reference for:

• new and controversial areas,
• comparative studies of African and International experiences,
• 'how-to' manuals,
• the work of NGOs and trends in research and knowledge; on child-rights issues,
• an authoritative voice on children's issues in African and
• the leading centre for policy debate and networking