The Cabinet, at its meeting held today, Thursday, in the capital, Aden, chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Shaia Mohsen Al-Zindani, approved the National Child Protection Plan 2026–2029, submitted by Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Mukhtar Al-Yafei, as a national framework for organizing and strengthening child protection efforts.

The plan aims to develop an integrated national child protection system and enhance the capacity of government institutions and relevant stakeholders to prevent and respond to child protection risks, manage cases, and provide care and referral services. It is intended to contribute to creating a safer and more caring environment for children and improving access to protection services for the most vulnerable and those in greatest need.

The plan sets out a number of strategic objectives, including the establishment of a modern national information system and categorized databases on children, linked to a case management system and an electronic services map; building the capacities of national personnel working in child protection; and developing alternative care arrangements for children deprived of family care or at risk of separation from their families.

The objectives also include mobilizing national, regional, and international resources to finance child protection programmes; updating and harmonizing legal frameworks, national guidelines, and referral, coordination, monitoring, and accountability mechanisms; expanding and improving child protection services and strengthening cross-sectoral integration; as well as developing the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour at both the central and governorate levels.

The Cabinet stressed the importance of adopting the plan as a reference framework for relevant government entities when designing and implementing child protection programmes and interventions. It tasked the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour with leading and coordinating its implementation in cooperation with ministries and government institutions, local authorities, international partners, and civil society organizations.

The Cabinet also directed the adoption of a national mechanism for coordination, monitoring, and accountability in relation to the implementation of the plan, including the submission of periodic progress reports. Relevant entities are to be assigned their respective responsibilities and implementation contributions in accordance with the plan and its annexes, while financial requirements are to be incorporated into annual plans and budgets and the necessary domestic and international resources mobilized to support implementation.

The plan targets 11 governorates and estimates that approximately 504,000 children will benefit from child protection services. It also aims to build the capacities of approximately 27,000 national personnel working in relevant sectors. The total estimated cost of implementing the plan over the 2026–2029 period is approximately US$351.4 million.