July 2014: “There is much to celebrate for children in the goals and targets proposed by the Open Working Group (OWG),” declares a report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The report, titled ‘A Post-2015 World Fit for Children: A Review of the OWG Report on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from a Child Rights Perspective,’ welcomes proposed goals and targets related to children while stressing the need to maintain progress for children’s rights in negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.

The OWG’s proposed goals and targets – which include targets on reducing inequality, ending violence against children and combating child poverty – capture critical issues for children, enhancing the strengths of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) while tackling neglected areas, according to the report.

It argues that “leaving no one behind” must be a critical focus in the post-2015 agenda, and emphasizes the importance of targets on prioritizing and accelerating progress for the poorest and most disadvantaged children, with targets and indicators that measure progress within and across countries and track equity gaps.

To further strengthen links between children’s rights and the SDGs, UNICEF recommends, inter alia: recognizing social protection systems for all in addressing child poverty; referencing the rate of exclusive breastfeeding and growing challenges of overweight children under the child nutrition target; including targets on reducing neo-natal and under-five mortality rates; including boys and men in promoting and achieving gender equality; emphasizing the need for universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in households, schools and health facilities; dedicating public investments in climate change adaptation to directly benefit children; and refining Proposed Goal 16 on peace to include universal access for children to independent justice systems with child-friendly processes.

The report concludes that “investments in the rights of all children in every place in the world—regardless of the child’s gender, ethnicity, race, economic, disability or other status” is the fundamental building block for achieving the world’s shared vision of a the future we want. [Publication: A Post-2015 World Fit for Children: A Review of the OWG Report on SDGs from a Child Rights Perspective]