In a note distributed to the press, Unicef emphasizes that the Government of Angola is one of more than 160 States that responded positively to the call of the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, for countries to prioritize education, food, health and security during the response to the new coronavirus.
The response to the appeal is contained in an intergovernmental declaration on the crisis of the covid-19 and the rights of the child, presented last week, in an initiative launched by the European Union, the Group of Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (Grulac) and the Group of Friends of the Child and Sustainable Development Goals.
According to the Minister of Social Action, Family and Women Promotion, Faustina Alves, cited in the note, the Government, by supporting this United Nations appeal, wants to reiterate that the emergency situation will not “relegate the commitments assumed with the protection and integral development of the child ”.
“The National Contingency Plan for Pandemic Control brings concrete actions that contribute to the implementation of several actions that aim to ensure key social services in the lives of vulnerable children and families, such as health, child protection, education and protection social, ”said Faustina Alves.
For his part, the acting representative of Unicef in Angola, Jean Basse, highlighted the technical and material support to the main actions carried out by the Government during the response to covid-19, welcoming with satisfaction the fact that the country is a signatory to the declaration.
“The protection of the most vulnerable children and families is urgent and involves actions that must be adapted to their real needs and living conditions”, said Jean Basse.
As measures to ensure the rights of the child during the pandemic, the Government, in addition to the implementation of radio and tele-classes for children and adolescents, from the beginning to the 9th grade, determined the intensification, through the media, awareness-raising activities for families to guide dialogue rather than violence against children.
The acceleration of the implementation of the “Valor Criança” cash transfer program, which aims to benefit families with children under the age of 5, within the scope of the Social Protection Support Project, the creation of temporary spaces for the reception of street children and the provision of basic goods for vulnerable families are also other actions carried out by the Angolan authorities.
The authorities are also assisting children who are in the provisional and quarantine reception centers, also describes the Unicef note on care for children in combating covid-19.
In the intergovernmental declaration, governments pledge to work together to protect all children and act to prevent and mitigate all the risks they face, ensuring access to inclusive and quality social services, such as education, nutrition and care health, and strengthen the social protection system, during the response and prevention of covid-19.
