In a significant move to advance the rights and welfare of children in Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Nigerian Guild of Editors, and the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This partnership aims to leverage media’s influential power to promote and protect children’s rights across the nation.
The collaboration will focus on advocacy and awareness campaigns, capacity building for journalists, shared research, recognition of impactful media contributions, and influencing policy to support children’s rights. The MOU underscores a commitment from all parties to work collectively towards a society that upholds and advances the welfare of its youngest members.
“This partnership with the Nigerian Guild of Editors and DAME harnesses the media’s immense potential as an advocate for the welfare of children. Media not only informs public opinion but also influences those in power to enact changes that favour children’s rights. By joining forces, we are setting a course to transform how children’s rights are reported and addressed in the media, ensuring every child’s rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled.” Said Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.
The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Eze Anaba, highlighted the role of media in societal change, saying, “Media has the profound capacity to shape perspectives and effect real change. Through this MOU, we are pledging to uphold the integrity of journalism by focusing our collective expertise on sensitive and impactful reporting concerning children’s rights. We are committed to working together to build a robust framework that supports this cause.”
The Trustee of DAME, Lanre Idowu, emphasized the importance of excellence in journalism, “Recognition through awards plays a crucial role in elevating journalistic standards. By focusing on issues such as child rights, education, and health, we aim to spotlight and incentivize the media to cover stories that can lead to substantial social impact. This partnership is not just about awarding excellence, but about creating a movement for meaningful media engagement on issues that affect the most vulnerable in our society.”
The MOU which is for a period of two years, outlines cooperation to enhance public advocacy and awareness of children’s rights through media campaigns and journalistic content focused on education, health, nutrition and protection. It includes developing training programmes for journalists to improve reporting on vulnerable populations and sharing up-to-date research to enrich media content. Additionally, it promotes awards recognizing outstanding journalism that aligns with UNICEF’s priorities and uses media influence to drive policy changes that benefit children’s welfare.
