On 30th Anniversary Of World Summit For Children, Countries Must Prioritize, Renew, Update Commitments To Protect Children, Opinion Piece Says

IPS: 30th anniversary of World Summit for Children — Today Children Need a New Initiative
Richard Jolly, honorary professor at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex

“…Thirty years ago, on 29/30 September 1990, the largest gathering of world leaders that had ever taken place, met at U.N. Headquarters under the auspices of the U.N. Children’s Fund, UNICEF. This was The World Summit for Children. … Today when children are under serious threat from COVID-19, the 30th anniversary of the Children’s Summit is a highly appropriate time for countries to renew and update the vows they made then. Though children are much less likely to suffer direct effects from the virus, the indirect effects are already serious — in disrupted education, in neglect of essential medical care, in disturbed relations with family, relatives, and friends. Many are also suffering the consequences of domestic violence and child abuse. … Today’s COVID crisis could be an opportunity — for a new impetus to invest in our children and in the next generation of doctors, nurses, scientists, statisticians, and carers, who will need to be well prepared to deal with future crises and emergencies. Though a collective meeting is not possible, every country needs to consider and plan for its children, both to recover from the immediate effects of the virus and to set new paths for the next five and ten years. Prime ministers and heads of state should take the lead, citizen’s assemblies should add to the specifics, and communities and governments should make the commitments…” (9/28).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.