South Asian parliamentarians team up with UN agency to bolster investment for children
by Sheuli Akter
DHAKA, May 3 (NsNewsWire) — Parliamentarians from the entire South Asia region have gathered in Bangladesh capital Dhaka to express their support for children’s rights and discuss the prospects for further investment in Early Childhood and adolescent years.
The U.N. agency for children hosted the event in an effort to increase investment in children and young adults, bringing about much needed change for millions of poor and improving the prospects for healthy economic growth in the region.
This year’s meeting focused on the region’s commitment to increased investment in children.
According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), 300 million children in South Asia are so-called multi-dimensionally poor with too little to eat, a high risk of falling sick from preventable disease and a very slim chance of ever going to school.
The South Asia Parliamentarian Platform for Children was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 02 – 03 May 2018 with a view to strengthening further opportunities for children in the first two decades of their lives.
“Parliamentarians can play an important role in ensuring adequate sufficient funding and allocation of resources for the protection of the rights of children in the National Budget,” Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, speaker of Bangladesh Parliament, said Thursday, speaking at the gathering of the parliamentarians.
Evidence shows that investment in the young pays strong dividends to society.
One dollar invested in quality Early Childhood Development will give a return of between 6 and 17 dollars, revealed a study released by UNICEF.
The UNICEF revealed that if low- and middle-income countries ensured preschool enrollment to half of the country’s children, the result could be cumulative lifetime earnings gains of $15 – $34 billion.
The urgent, timely and adequate investments in early childhood and adolescent years will lead to well-developed brains and a highly productive workforce, the U.N. agency added.
UNICEF says it is honored to bring together law makers to discuss the increased need for investment in favor of the most marginalized children.
“While South Asia is home to one fourth of the world’s population, its share of global income is just 4%. This fact underlines one of the biggest challenges for South Asia’s progress on the social and economic front: namely the lack of investment in its largest asset, its Human Capital – and especially the young within the society,” said Jean Gough, Regional Director of UNICEF South Asia.
“There are very good chances for bringing about radical and important change: in most countries in the region, children and young people make up a large part of society and even smaller investments now will give good results for children and South Asian societies.”