COJOJ and ChildFund Senegal sign partnership in Senegal; Cross-cutting child protection across all operations.

Signing of a partnership agreement between the COJOJ and ChildFund Senegal

Making the Youth Olympic Games a model for child protection is the shared objective set out by the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee and the NGO ChildFund Senegal.

On July 29, 2026, the two organisations signed a partnership agreement aimed at strengthening the protection of children and young people during the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, which will take place from 31 October to 13 November this year.

This collaboration has already been well underway for several months, during which time Childfund has been supporting the Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (YOGOC) in establishing its safeguarding framework, notably through the drafting of the Child Safeguarding Charter, signed on 16 June to mark African Children’s Day.

Ensuring that Dakar 2026 is a safe event for every child

Through this partnership, ChildFund and the YOGOC are committed to making the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games a respectful, inclusive and protective environment for all children.

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‘Beyond its institutional scope, this agreement reflects a deep-seated conviction that has guided the YOGOC’s work from the outset: to make child protection a cross-cutting principle that underpins all our operations,’ said Ibrahima Wade, General Coordinator of the YOGOC.

In practice, this agreement should help to strengthen the capacities of all those involved in the organisation and running of the event, develop awareness-raising tools and promote prevention and reporting mechanisms, amongst other things.

At the heart of these Games, child protection is therefore enshrined as one of the key commitments of this shared vision, with the aim of leaving a tangible human and social legacy for this section of the population beyond the event itself.