The Moving Minds Alliance (MMA) has called om World leaders to prioritize early childhood development in emergencies (ECDiE) for refugee, displaced, and host community children aged 0-8 and their caregivers.
This is as world leaders convene to reaffirm commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A new inter-governmentally negotiated, action-oriented Pact for the Future is expected to emerge at the summit of the Future in New York, which aimed at forgeling a new consensus on multilateral solutions.
A statement on Sunday by Lola Ayanda, Network Communications Manager
Moving Minds Alliance – International Rescue Committee UK, said in 2023 alone, over 10 million children were displaced.
The statement quoted MMA Director, Tricia Young to have said: “While all children in low-resource settings can face immense obstacles to attaining their full potential, those displaced, especially in crisis and conflict zones, are at a higher risk of physical, developmental, mental, and emotional harm. Hence deliberate efforts must be made to address their holistic and nurturing care needs.”,.
According to the statement: Early childhood development programming in humanitarian contexts faces unique challenges due to its cross-sectoral nature, encompassing health, nutrition, education, WASH, and protection. This multifaceted approach often struggles to find a clear place within the typically siloed humanitarian system, resulting in peripheral implementation rather than integration into standard procedures.
It added that effective ECD programmes require coordination across five key domains of child development: stimulation, education, health, nutrition, and protection. This necessitates strong collaboration among all sectors and the inclusion of support for parents and caregivers to provide nurturing care.
Moving Minds Alliance (MMA) in its Position Paper therefore urged that the Future summit discussions should prioritise specific actions and commitments on for governments, funders and INGOs as follows:
Governments should develop Inclusive National ECDiE Policies by establishing and fund comprehensive policies that include refugee children and their host communities, with these policies prioritizing quality and gender-transformative services, ensuring that children in all their diversity have equal opportunities to thrive.
It posited that “by investing in integrated ECD programmes, governments can enhance social cohesion between displaced populations and host communities, reducing potential conflicts and contributing to national stability and security. By fostering a culture of equity, peaceful conflict resolution, non-violence, diversity, empathy, and positive relationships, we create enabling environments that support children’s optimal development. These nurturing conditions not only benefit the children themselves but also have far-reaching positive impacts on their families, communities, and countries.”
It added that donors, funders, and philanthropic organisations should invest in High-Impact ECDiE Interventions, meaning that donors should allocate at least 10% of humanitarian funding to ECDiE programmes, ensuring early, equitable, and quality investments that lay the foundation for long- term societal benefits, with this including supporting local ECD actors with cultural and community expertise and increasing unrestricted multi-year, flexible funding to local and refugee-led organisations supporting children in humanitarian and development settings.
It also stated that funders should prioritise direct funding to local, national, and community organisations, noting that these stakeholders understand their communities and have the on-the-ground knowledge and capability to implement culturally relevant and sustainable ECD programmes, which are crucial for addressing the needs of displaced and crisis-affected populations and host communities.
It advised that development and humanitarian partners should prioritize ECD in Crisis Response, stressing that humanitarian organisations must integrate holistic multisectoral ECD within their core programming, ensuring that children aged 0-8 and their caregivers receive comprehensive support, urging that this integration should span the health, protection, education, and nutrition sectors.
It also advised that there should be enhance accountability and effectiveness, which should be collecting and reporting data disaggregated by age, sex, and disability to identify gaps in service provision and ensure accountability, as the data-driven approach will inform the design and implementation of more effective programmes for young children in crisis contexts.
It also called for strengthening of capacity sharing and coordination, urging humanitarian actors to support successful local solutions rather than displace them, and that they should foster effective coordination and communication mechanisms that empower local actors, ensuring that ECD interventions are culturally appropriate and sustainable.
It said the implementation of these recommendations will not only advance progress towards multiple SDGs but contribute to building more resilient, peaceful, and prosperous societies, adding that: “As we approach the 2030 deadline for the SDGs, the integration of ECDiE into national and international development strategies represents a critical opportunity to “leave no one behind” and secure a brighter future for generations to come.
“By embracing the principles outlined in the Pact for the Future and prioritising integrated approaches like ECDiE, we can accelerate progress towards sustainable development, thereby creating a world where every child, regardless of their circumstances, has the opportunity to thrive and contribute to a more equitable and sustainable future.”
