“Brave, fresh thinking” and innovation are needed to overcome age-old inequalities that prevent children from surviving, thriving and maximizing their potential, according to The State of the World's Children 2015, ‘Reimagine the Future.' The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched the report on the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
20 November 2014: “Brave, fresh thinking” and innovation are needed to overcome age-old inequalities that prevent children from surviving, thriving and maximizing their potential, according to ‘The State of the World’s Children 2015: Reimagine the Future.’ The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched the report on the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
The report is guided by UNICEF principles on inclusive innovation in content and approach, and argues that innovation must embody and advance inclusion and opportunity for all children. The information in the report is crowd-sourced using the experiences and insights of those working on children’s issues. The report also presents statistics on child survival, development and protection, which underscore that “too many children remain excluded from the progress of the past 25 years.”
Within the context of the post-2015 development agenda, the report finds that inequalities “separate children who want for almost nothing and those who are deprived of almost everything,” questioning whether the world will continue on a path of incremental improvements that fail to close gaps, or try unconventional approaches and identify solutions to ensure rights for all children. The report calls for new partners, new partnership models, and new products and processes.
The UN marked the 25th anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child at two high-level meetings at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 20 November. UNICEF launched the #IMAGINE project, a musical and technological initiative that highlights challenges faced by children worldwide.
Speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake lamented that progress on children’s well-being is measured through national statistical averages that do not capture every life or those left behind. Lake stressed the aim of the Convention is to prepare children to become tomorrow’s adult leaders. UN General Assembly President Sam Kutesa called on Member States to safeguard the rights of children in the post-2015 agenda, describing children as “the fundamental building block for achieving the future we want.”
Speakers also highlighted persistent inequalities, addressed violence against children and called for recommitting to the full implementation of the Convention. [Publication: The State of the World’s Children 2015: Reimagine the Future] [UN Press Release] [IMAGINE Website]