Lesotho urges child-centred AI governance at AU-EU peace and security retreat

In a statement distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Government of Lesotho and dated 6 November 2026, Lesotho called for child protection to be built into the governance of AI in peace and security work. Ambassador Ntsiuoa Sekete, Lesotho's permanent representative to the African Union, made the case at the 9th Annual Retreat of the AU Peace and Security Council and the EU Political and Security Committee in Addis Ababa. Besides AI governance in peace and security, the retreat covered maritime security, counter-terrorism and the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Sekete said AI could improve early warning, mediation and civilian protection, but warned that misuse or unreliable use could worsen risks to children caught up in armed conflict by spreading false information, enabling surveillance and privacy breaches, and informing security decisions blind to what children need. She cited UN data: 38,558 grave violations against children were verified in 2025, touching 24,174 children, a record since monitoring started. Girls were a third of those affected, and 3,176 children suffered multiple violations. The statement adds that the UN report also raised concern over AI in targeting, but that the violations are not blamed on AI alone.

She urged that child protection be part of AI governance from the start, with systems assessed before deployment, children's data protected, bias addressed and meaningful human oversight kept over decisions on life and safety. She referred to the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the AU, along with its child protection policies,, and encouraged child-sensitive indicators, such as recruitment by armed groups, abductions and attacks on schools and hospitals, in the Continental Early Warning System. She also asked for closer AU-EU cooperation, citing EU guidelines on children and armed conflict as possible tools.