The Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, has urged lawmakers and policymakers in Lagos State to take decisive and measurable actions to protect and empower children, warning that global setbacks in child rights must not be allowed to define the Lagos experience.

She made the call on Wednesday during the World Children’s Day Policy Dialogue with Legislators and Children’s Arts Exhibition held at the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex, Alausa, Ikeja.

Addressing legislators, government officials, and schoolchildren drawn from different parts of the state, Lafoucriere said November 20—World Children’s Day—remains a reminder that children’s rights are not privileges but entitlements that must be protected at all times.

“Every November 20, we mark the day the world agreed that children have rights, not privileges—the right to survive, to learn, to be protected, to be heard,” she said.

However, she expressed concern that the world is witnessing a major pullback on child rights, with funding cuts threatening children’s survival and development. According to her, current global funding gaps could result in 4.5 million additional child deaths by 2030 and push six million more children out of school by 2026. Over 200 million children in need of urgent assistance also risk being left unsupported.

“This is the world we are operating in right now. But it does not have to be our Lagos story,” she stated, commending the state’s progress in areas such as birth registration.

Lafoucriere highlighted the realities faced by many children—hunger, lack of learning materials, unsafe school environments, limited access to clean water, and exposure to various forms of violence. She stressed that despite their different backgrounds, all children share equal rights that must be upheld consistently.

She urged the lawmakers not to merely listen to children’s stories but to respond with concrete commitments, saying the power to transform children’s lives lies within the legislature.

“You are sitting in the House of Assembly, the place where laws are made, budgets are approved, and priorities are set. You have the power to change their lives today,” she noted.

Lafoucriere called for deliberate investments in education, health, digital learning, child protection, and platforms that amplify children’s voices in decision-making processes. She emphasized that every investment in a child contributes to building a safer, smarter, and more prosperous Lagos.

“When the children finish speaking, we would love to hear specific commitments… on when to fix that school or expand digital learning, when to build that health center or expand the health insurance scheme, when to create space for children’s voices in your decisions,” she appealed.

Reaffirming UNICEF’s readiness to continue working with Lagos State, Lafoucriere urged leaders to make the 2025 commemoration of World Children’s Day a turning point.

“Let us leave here with actions that children can see and feel in their daily lives. Let us show them what leadership looks like,” she said.

Government officials present included the Chairman of the House Committee on Youths and Social Development, Hon. Abiodun Orekoya; the Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende; and the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Pharm. (Mrs.) Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu.