Africa-Press – Lesotho. In 2017, Lesotho won the bid to host the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) which is the African Union child rights Secretariat.
The secretariat is now expected to kick start its operations in Lesotho. Although plans to construct the headquarters of the Secretariat are still at infancy
stage, the Minister of Social Development Hon. Motlohi Maliehe said Lesotho is expected to have completed the construction of the new headquarters six years from now.
This follows a Host Agreement that was signed last week at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was piloted by the AU Commissioner of Social Affairs
Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil and the AU Permanent Representative and Lesotho Ambassador to Ethiopia Professor Mafa Sejanamane, who signed on behalf of the Minister of
Social Development Maliehe. “This is a milestone intended to deal with people as they grow up, protecting them and ensuring that their rights remain intact,” said Prof Sejanamane at the
signing ceremony. Speaking to Informative Newspaper, Maliehe expressed confidence for the work done in ushering the relocation of the Secretariat. He said the Secretariat will move in shortly from its previously substantive
Ethiopian headquarters to Lesotho and it should commence its operations by month end. He hailed it as “the first international organization to have its
headquarters based in Lesotho. ” Delegation from AU assessed progress made, adding that they were impressed with logistical issues. He said arrangements are at an advance stage and “95%” of work has been
done. The ACERWC Charter was adopted by the Twenty-sixth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of then Organization of African Unity in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July 1990. The Bureau of the Committee consists of a Chairperson, two Vice-Chairpersons, a Rapporteur and a Deputy Rapporteur.
