3 November 2014: Children emphasized the importance of family in their happiness and well-being, in an e-consultation on the post-2015 development agenda hosted on by World We Want 2015. The consultation posed 11 questions to children, ranging from what makes them happy and what they would like to change in their community, to describing what sustainable development means to them.

Children highlighted: peaceful, safe and supportive communities; health; time to play; a clean environment; education; financial stability and youth employment; equity and equality; good governments; a voice; and better infrastructure. On education, for instance, children stressed the importance of receiving a quality education, with one child writing, “I need to interact with people of more advanced knowledge than mine.”

On a clean environment, children expressed a desire for clean water and air for both their health and recreation. Some children recognized the concept of sustainable development and the importance of a balance between people, animals and plants, expressing concern about disregard for the natural environment or cruelty to animals. Some children suggested raising public awareness about harmful environmental practices, such as cutting and burning trees. Children also described poor sanitation systems and poor garbage collection in their communities, suggesting that governments should focus on service provision and establishing better infrastructure, and recommending more parks in their communities.

Children International, a civil society organization, led the consultation, which generated over 4,460 responses from girls and boys aged 8 to 18. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) summarized the results. [World We Want 2015 Press Release] [Consultation on Children and Post-2015]