Reflections from the UN Human Rights Council’s Annual Day on the Rights of the Child
How can early childhood development be better financed to generate both immediate and lasting impact?
This guiding question framed the side event Making Early Childhood Development Real: Stories from Grassroots to Government Action, held during the UN Human Rights Council’s Annual Day on the Rights of the Child in Geneva.
The discussion brought together voices from policy, research, and community-based organisations to spotlight the role of early ECD in shaping inclusive national strategies. Panellists explored how coordinated approaches—grounded in care, equity, and rights—can strengthen social protection, health systems, and emergency response efforts from the earliest years.
The Learning for Well-being Foundation shared evidence on how universal social protection measures support families and promote children’s well-being.
“We need universal child benefits to enable all families to invest in and care for their children. The returns are immediate—you don’t need to wait 40 years to see the impact of childcare. It happens the day a mother can access the labour market and increase family income, or when a child has a good day. That alone is worth the investment.”
— Dominic Richardson, Learning for Well-being Foundation
This event reinforced the need for integrated, well-financed ECD strategies and echoed a growing global consensus: investing in the early years is not just cost-effective—it is a social, economic, and moral imperative.
Image credit: Hope and Homes for Children
