14 April 2016: The World Bank and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced the establishment of an alliance to prioritize action and investments in early childhood development (ECD) as a foundation for equitable development and economic growth. The alliance aims to support country-led efforts to invest in nutrition, early stimulation and learning and protection for every child, and is expected to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on poverty reduction, health and nutrition, women and girls, equality and ending violence.

In particular, the alliance’s efforts on ECD are expected to help contribute to progress on: SDG 2 to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustained agriculture, particularly Target 2.2 on ending all forms of malnutrition by 2030, including by achieving targets on stunting and wasting for children under five years of age by 2025; SDG 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages; and SDG 4 to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, particularly Target 4.4 to ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

Early childhood experiences can “have a profound impact on brain development and on subsequent learning, health and adult earnings,” meaning that children who are poorly nourished or nurtured are less likely to learn in school and then become likely to earn less as adults or to achieve their full development potential, the World Bank explains in a press release. For instance, 159 million children under five are stunted due to poor nutrition, with many of these children living in Africa and South Asia.

Such new evidence on the elements that affect the development of children’s brains, including nourishment, stimulation and avoiding exposure to violence, “is already changing the way we think about early childhood development,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, who called for immediate action on the issue.

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim called for addressing childhood stunting as “a development and economic emergency.” He stressed, “Our failure to make the right investments in early childhood development is condemning millions of children to lives of exclusion. We can’t promise to equalize development outcomes, but we can insist on equalizing opportunity.”

Through the alliance, the World Bank and UNICEF invite governments, development partners, foundations, the private sector and civil society to prioritize ECD in global and national development to ensure high-quality ECD services for all children to improve their health, nutrition, learning ability and emotional well-being.

In addition to evidence showing the advantages of ECD for disadvantaged and poor children, studies also find that ECD contributes to economic growth. According to the World Bank, every dollar invested in quality ECD programmes yields a return of US$6-17. [UN Press Release] [World Bank Press Release] [UNICEF Press Release] [World Bank ECD Website]