The transformative power of early childhood development in building peace in the world

On this auspicious occasion – the 27th anniversary of Convention on the Rights of the Child and the first anniversary of the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations General Assembly, we can rightly celebrate the impressive gains achieved for the children of the world. The mortality rate for children under 5 years of age worldwide has declined from 12.7 million in 1990 to 5.9 million in 2015. Immunization coverage increased from 16 percent in 1980 to 84 percent in 2012. Improvement and nutrition have led to a 37 percent drop in stunting since 1990. The number of children out of school declined by almost half from 102 million to 57 million.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions