THE donor community has urged the media in Zambia to be more proactive on reporting on the plight of children if the world and the country are to be safer places for children.

UNICEF country representative, Lotta Sylwander said the donor community had organised more media trainings for journalists but little probing reporting was being done on issues affecting the children.

She said this in Lusaka ahead of today's 20th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly of the Convention on the Rights of the Child cerebrations.

"The media should make the Government and the donor community more accountable on the plight of the children," she said.

She said the media should not only report about the budget allocations in the education or health sector but should probe to see whether the money was utilised or not.

Ms Sylwander said the media was key in national development but there was more journalists could do to help the children grow in a peaceful environment.

UNICEF would now promote child rights clubs in schools where children would learn about their rights and responsibilities.

She said Zambia needs to put up learning facilities across the country to ensure that the 15 per cent of children who lacked school development programmes had access to better education as one to fulfill the MDG goal on education.

European Union head of delegation in Zambia, Derek Fee urged the media to hold accountable politicians for their promises to implement development projects.

Dr Fee said children were key in national development and every government should invest in the young people if it were to sustain its social and economic development.

He challenged the media to hold accountable the politicians on the MDG promises, especially on education and health, which are directly affecting the children.

He said as the world was cerebrating today's 20th anniversary UN convention, stakeholders on children should be voices for the plight of the young people.