National Children's Forum Brings Young Voices to Niger's Electoral Process

This video from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports on the launch of a campaign aimed at putting children at the heart of Niger's development agenda. It shares the voices of young participants in the National Children’s Forum held in late November 2010 in Niger’s capital, Niamey. "I want our rights to be respected and ask that the new president build schools with well-built classrooms," said Hourey Amadou, age 12, who was among the 161 participants in the forum. Children from all backgrounds and from 36 districts had the opportunity to speak out about their concerns during 3 days of meetings with political leaders, researchers, journalists, and UN staff. In the run-up to the forum, a UNICEF-supported training programme gathered children in their respective regions and encouraged them to express their needs and concerns through messages that would then be shared with decision-makers. On November 26 2010, the children invited members of the country’s three main political coalitions, as well as government ministries, UNICEF staff, and others, to attend a ceremony that ended with the youth delegates reading a declaration. In it, they summoned leaders to listen, stating: "We want to live our dream of a better tomorrow. We have some proposals to make. Do listen!"

Children's messages from the forum were broadcast on TV and radio stations on a daily basis in advance of presidential and local elections, which were scheduled for early 2011. The media was expected to play its part by informing voters about child rights through interviews, debates, and investigations.