Abuja — ECOWAS is willing to strengthen its legal and other relevant instruments to address child rights issues in the region, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency James Victor Gbeho, said on Thursday, 20th October 2011 in Abuja.

"We are one of the most troubled regions in Africa due mainly to our history and the prevalence of poverty and so we are ready to work out a framework that will deepen our relationship with partners", he told Mr. David Gressly, UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Director, who was at the Commission to discuss areas of further cooperation between ECOWAS and UNICEF. President Gbeho praised the existing level of cooperation between the two organizations and noted that the prospects for improving child rights in the region have improved with the increased school enrolment among children. He also expressed the willingness of ECOWAS to deepen relations with UNICEF.

The President applauded the interest of UNCEF in improving birth registration in the region, noting that this revived campaign, which was frustrated in the past by illiteracy, poor access and misinformation that linked the exercise to taxes, now stands a better chance of success with improvements in information technology and the environment. "A new dawn has broken in West Africa with the development of other means to generate data on births complemented by the work we are doing with the civil society in this area", the President said. He added that it should be feasible for both organizations to undertake a joint campaign for the registration of every child in the region within five years.

The UNICEF official told his host that his visit was motivated by the need for both organizations to collaborate effectively, especially on registration of births in order to generate data for planning to address children and child rights challenges. "We think it should be possible for ECOWAS to take the lead in these areas supported by UNICEF", said Gressly, who was accompanied by other UNICEF officials.