ABOUT US
Save the Children African Union Liaison and Pan Africa Office (AULPAO) operates at the intersection of policy influence, strategic diplomacy, and child rights advocacy. As a trusted partner to the African Union, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Human Rights Institutions, AULPAO is uniquely positioned to translate continental commitments into actionable protections for children.
We have a diverse team working across the African continent, leading our direct engagement with AU Member States, AU organs beyond Ethiopia, and the Regional Economic Communities. Our office closely works with various African Union organs and departments, including the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, and the Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development.
Aligned with Save the Children’s global diplomacy strategy, the AU Liaison and Pan-Africa Office contributes to shaping international commitments on child protection, humanitarian access, equitable financing, and child rights governance. By connecting regional diplomacy, global advocacy, and country-level evidence, we help translate children's realities into policy change.
Our Vision
A world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.
Our Mission
To influence African and global decision-making so that children’s rights, protection, and voices are prioritized in policies and actions across Africa.
Our Strategic Focus
The AU Liaison and Pan-Africa Office contributes to Save the Children’s Global Diplomacy & Engagement (GDE) strategy, focusing on influencing political decisions and multilateral outcomes that impact children within the continent organs and mechanisms such as the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities and Mechanisms ( RECs/REMs.
Ancha* (13) lives with her aunt Charifa* and cousins in a coastal town in Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique, where conflict has disrupted and destroyed lives since 2017. Ancha and Charifa’s family were forced to flee their home in 2020 when their town was attacked by an armed group. Charifa says that after the attack and a year living in a camp for displaced families, Ancha carried a sadness in her heart and had lost the will to play. She then dropped out of school. Save the Children's case worker, Sofi* has supported Ancha to start playing again at the Child Friendly Space and has also helped her to return to school. Sacha Myers / Save the Children
Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC)
We advocate for stronger policies and action to prevent and respond to grave violations against children in conflict.
This includes promoting accountability, ensuring humanitarian access, and integrating children’s voices and evidence from affected countries into international decision-making processes.
Alina (8) and her family – including her mother Silvie (38) and baby sister Dorca (9 months) – live close to the Limpopo River in southern Mozambique. In January 2026, after weeks of torrential rain, the river burst its banks, forcing Alina and her family to flee their home and take refuge in her school, which was turned into an evacuation centre for hundreds of children and adults. Alina missed going to school during the floods but attended one of Save the Children’s Temporary Learning Spaces and received a back-to-school kit so she could continue to study and find a sense of safety amid the chaos of the crisis. Now back at home, Alina says she loves playing with her baby sister Dorca and carrying her until she falls asleep. See written story for the full details of Alina's story Sacha Myers / Save the Children
Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises
We advocate for policies and sustainable financing that ensure education continuity for children affected by conflict, climate shocks, poverty, and fragile systems across Africa, while positioning education as essential resilience infrastructure and strengthening continental commitments under the AU Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034) to build inclusive and resilient education systems.
We promote international commitments such as the Safe Schools Declaration, which aims to protect education from attack and ensure the continuation of safe and quality learning during armed conflict and other crises.
Selma lives in Ethiopia’s Somali region where female genital mutilation (FGM) – and other harmful tradition-al practices such as child marriage – have been all too common. But today she’s part of a Save the Children-supported Child Club, where she and her peers are learning to become powerful campaigners for girls’ rights. One of the ways they spread the message is using theatre and street drama. Selma has helped to write these performances and stars in them too. Maheder Haileselassie / Save the Children
Advancing Children’s Rights through Accountability and Meaningful Participation
We engage in major African Union and regional platform discussions to ensure that child rights, protection mandates, civic space, and equitable financing are reflected in emerging policy frameworks.
17-year old climate champion Emran speaking at a climate conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Save the Children.
Strategic Diplomatic Engagement
We build relationships with diverse African Member States and partners to shape political positions and influence outcomes affecting children.
Our work includes diplomatic engagement, and coalition-building across the AU, UN agencies represented in Ethiopia as well as like-minded International NGOs.
Kasongo* was part of the team of para social workers that supported Shukrani*, 12, Josée*, 19, and Muteba*, 9 in North Kivu. Patou Dombi/Save the Children
Strengthening Global Advocacy Coordination
The office plays a key role in strengthening coordination between Save the Children’s global diplomacy hubs, ensuring coherent engagement with African institutions and alignment with global and country-level priorities.
Group photo of MIARINTSOA staff and child participants after the JMOFA2 climate change consultation. iAko Randrianarivelo/Save the Children
Climate and Children's Rights
We promote the integration of children’s rights and voices in climate policies and AU frameworks, advocating for increased investment in child‑sensitive adaptation and loss and damage responses.
Our work strengthens child participation in climate decision‑making and supports policies that protect children most affected by climate impacts.
OUR IMPACT IN 2025
40
children from 16 countries supported to engage at the Second Africa Climate Summit
200
children consulted in their countries on how the climate crisis is impacting children in Africa
60
children from 16 countries were supported to share their declaration through digital media
OUR IMPACT AREAS
Children and Armed Conflict
Supporting African and regional institutions to prevent grave violations against children and strengthen compliance with international humanitarian law.
Child Rights Governance
Promoting policies and commitments that uphold children’s rights across African and regional governance frameworks.
Humanitarian Advocacy
Advocating for improved humanitarian access, protection of civilians, and stronger responses to crises affecting children.
Meaningful Child Participation
Ensuring that the African Union embeds children and young people’s perspectives into various spaces and discussions.
KEY ENGAGEMENT PARTNERS
The AU Liaison and Pan-Africa Office works with:
- The African Union
- African Member State Permanent representations to the AU and Ethiopia
- Regional Economic Communities ( RECs) and Regional Mechanisms ( REMs)
- The United Nations representations in Addis
- Civil society coalitions and advocacy networks
- Youth and child-led organizations
Through these partnerships, we aim to influence policy decisions and multilateral outcomes that shape the future for children across Africa.
GET IN TOUCH
AU Liaison & Pan-Africa Office
Debre Ziet Road
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
P.O.Box 387
Telephone
Tel. (251) 4671065-68
infoadvocacyaddis@savechildren.org
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LATEST NEWS
14 May 2026
About half of children under 5 in Somalia battling malnutrition as risk of famine announced for the first time in four years – Save the Children
About half of children under 5 in Somalia are facing acute malnutrition as poor rains and rising costs drive up hunger levels, with risk of famine announced for the first time in four years.
1 May 2026
Giving Rwanda’s Youngest Learners a Better Start through Innovative Financing
Kumwe Hub made its first catalytic investments in Early Child Development (ECD) centres in 2023 to improve operational and management capacity of the centres for better outcomes. Owners who grasped the opportunity saw their initiatives growing in different dimensions to parents and children expectations.
1 May 2026
Protection of at-risk children remains one of the pressing needs in Busuma Refugee Camp
The recent upsurge of conflict and violence in South Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, put thousands of populations on the way to seeking refuge in the neighbouring Burundi. In such massive displacements in precarious conditions and in absence of basic psychosocial and health services, the most vulnerable, including children, suffer the most.