Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and under the effective Presidency of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, the 1st African Forum of the Children’s Parliament was kicked off on Friday in Rabat by Lower House Speaker Rachid Talbi Alami.
Held by the National Observatory for Children’s Rights (ONDE) on the occasion of the World Children's Day, this continental event brings together more than 170 distinguished guests around the theme "Children’s Participation in Africa’s Development."
According to a statement by the Observatory, presidents of national parliamentary assemblies, ministers, and other official personalities and institutional representatives from 28 African countries took part in the event.
This Forum is part of the continuation of the Perceptive Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI for Africa, a vision marked by consistent commitment to strengthening South-South cooperation, African solidarity, and placing youth at the center of all development initiatives.
It also reflects the leadership of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, whose commitment over more than 30 years to promoting children’s rights through concrete, sustainable actions adapted to contemporary challenges commands admiration.
This first edition also crowns the exchange and partnership missions carried out in 2025 by ONDE with several African countries, in partnership with the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI).
These meetings have show the growing interest of many countries in the pioneering experience of Morocco’s Children’s Parliament, created in 1999 by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and placed under the effective presidency of HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, as a space for expression, participation, and advocacy for children.
More than 80 child parliamentarians from 20 African countries and from the Kingdom’s 12 regions will debate together key topics such as access to health and mental health, inclusive education, the fight against early marriage, children in street situations, child labor, and other issues related to child protection in Africa.
Through this Forum, ONDE reaffirms its commitment to making children’s participation a strategic driver of African development. The event thus aims to contribute to strengthening African synergies, encouraging the creation or expansion of Children’s Parliaments, and promoting a shared vision for a continent that places the voices of its children at the heart of its public policies.
