17 Nov 2025

President Advocate Duma Boko on Saturday, hosted a special luncheon bringing together children from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC), marking a significant moment in the region’s ongoing commitment to child rights, participation and empowerment.

The event followed a morning of youth-focused activities and dialogues centred on strengthening regional cooperation to uplift and protect children.

Ministry for International Relations, head of consular services, Ms Tebatso Baleseng, said that the gathering served as a reminder to regional leaders to place children at the centre of all decision-making processes.

Ms Baleseng underscored the centrality of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in guiding policy across the region, adding that children must be promoted, protected and respected within each of the Southern African countries and collectively across the region.

She said that the luncheon was not simply a ceremonial gathering but a reaffirmation of the region’s responsibility to view children not just as beneficiaries of protection, but as rights holders with the agency to influence future development.

The presence of children and youth at the event symbolises a renewed commitment to creating platforms where young people could articulate their aspirations and concerns.

Ms Baleseng therefore, urged leaders across the region to open avenues for meaningful dialogue with children, ensuring that youth perspectives guided the policies and decisions that affected them. The luncheon formed part of ongoing regional efforts to strengthen child-centric governance, promote youth engagement and build a future where young voices were recognised as essential to shaping Southern Africa’s development agenda.

In attendance to the lunch were regional leaders across SADC, senior government officials and members of the diplomatic community, underscoring the spirit of cooperation and shared development priorities across Southern Africa.  BOPA