Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Social Action, Family, and Women’s Promotion, Ana Paula Neto, reaffirmed on Friday the government’s commitment to defending and promoting children’s rights along with a set of priorities aligned with the National Development Plan (PDN) for 2023–2027.
Neto made the statement during the conference on advances and challenges in child protection, which was organized by the National Institute for Children (INAC) and UNICEF.
According to the minister, priorities for the future of Angolan children include universal civil registration and identity card issuance, strengthening the protection of children in conflict with the law, expanding and rehabilitating social infrastructure, and developing pre-school, primary, secondary, and technical-professional education.
Neto mentioned that modernizing the education system, increasing the literacy rate, promoting sexual and reproductive health, strengthening immunization, improving child nutrition, expanding social transfers, and including people with disabilities are also part of the process.
The minister added that the municipalization of social action services, expansion of the network for the protection, prevention, and combating of violence against children, updating the Family Code, promoting gender parity in education, expanding access to electricity and the internet, and promoting human capital and social responsibility are also part of the process.
Neto said these priorities reflect the state’s determination to ensure that every child can grow up protected, healthy, educated, and integrated into a society that recognizes their intrinsic and inalienable value.
Despite the progress, Ana Paula Neto acknowledged that Angola still faces challenges such as poverty, malnutrition, domestic violence, child labor and early marriages.
UNICEF
Cristina Brugiolo, the acting representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Angola, congratulated the government on its achievements and emphasized the three pillars marking Angola’s progress in this area: promise, progress, and partnerships.
However, she noted that one in three children under one year old in Angola has not received any vaccines, two in three children under five do not have birth certificates, only 40% of fourth-grade students can understand simple texts, and only 22% can perform basic mathematical operations.
Despite the improvements, she emphasized that “the journey is not over” and that investment in children must be continuous and urgent.
Brugiolo also presented the 2025 State of the World’s Children report, which focuses on combating child poverty. She reiterated that fighting this phenomenon is not just a moral responsibility; it is also a strategic investment in prosperity and peace.
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