Yehualashet Mekonen is the Director of the African Child Observatory Programme at African Child Policy Forum (ACPF), a Pan-African centre for policy research and advocacy on children. Mr. Mekonen has worked for more than 25 years in policy research, programme management and development of research tools and methodologies. He developed the Child-friendliness Index of African governments, a quantitative framework for measuring government’s performance in realising the rights and wellbeing of children. This composite Index is being used as an advocacy tool to promote state accountability and greater commitment to children in Africa and beyond.

Mr. Mekonen is also the lead author of the African Report on Child Wellbeing series, a flagship biennial publication of ACPF that monitors the extent to which African governments are living up to their obligations to international and regional child rights treaties. He has authored and co-authored numerous papers, articles and reports focusing on issues related to children. Before joining ACPF, Mr. Mekonen was the Team Leader of Researchers at the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia. As an Independent Consultant, he has also served several non-governmental organisations, UN agencies and private firms in undertaking surveys and data analysis on a range of social, economic and governance related issues.