Ahead of elections in CAR, UNICEF urges to focus on children's needs

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Sunday 14 Feb 2016 - 13:18 Makkah mean time-5-5-1437 Voters in CAR went the polls (UN News Center file photo) Bangui (IINA) – As voters in the Central African Republic (CAR) prepare for the second round of presidential and legislative elections on Sunday, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) urged the candidates to make strong commitments to invest in the survival, education and protection of children to ensure lasting peace in the country. “The only way for the next President of the Central African Republic to break the cycle of violence for good will be to invest in children,” UNICEF Representative in CAR Mohamed Malick Fall said in a press statement on Friday.  “Children will not vote this Sunday, their voices will not be reflected in the ballots, but the most serious political mistake would be to ignore those who will determine if the future holds a lasting peace in Central African Republic,” he added. Fall expressed hope that the final stage of the electoral process will confirm the country's return to peace, saying that “children have paid the highest price in this conflict". He also stressed the need to mobilizing all energy and resources to ensure that the return of peace enables young people to flourish in the best interests of the country and its development. Fall added that UNICEF has launched an appeal for $55.6 million in 2016 to meet the humanitarian needs for children in the CAR. Almost three years into a civil war and sectarian violence, the main childhood indicators in the CAR include an under-five mortality rate that is eighth-highest in the world, according to the UNICEF Representative. In addition, 41 percent of children under five are chronically malnourished, one third of school-age children do not go to school, and between 6,000 and 10,000 children have been recruited by armed groups during the crisis. AB/IINA