NITI Aayog, UNICEF India sign Statement of Intent on SDGs with focus on children

NITI Aayog and UNICEF India signed a Statement of Intent on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on children.

• This seeks to formalize a framework of cooperation to launch the first report on the State of India’s Children – Status and Trends in Multidimensional Child Development.

• This new initiative is built on the ethos of SDG attainments for children and ensuring that no child is left behind.
• The child-focused initiative builds on government’s effort of monitoring progress through the SDG India Index and Dashboard, which continues to be a unique data-driven initiative for triggering policy action.

What is the actual state of children in India?

• Lack of access to fundamental needs: A high level of percentage of children are living in ruralareas, often have limited access to fundamental needs such as nutrition, access to healthcare, education, and protection.
• Gender discrimination: Due to poverty, security or cultural factors, male children are educated while their female siblings do not get much attention.
• Poverty is considered as bane in childhood.
• Child marriage is still a reality in the country. Though it is considered as the gross violation of human rights in any civil society, it still happens
• Child labour is a social problem that affecting the enjoyment of childhood since time immemorial.
• Trafficking: The slavery persists in the modern society in the form of trafficking. Children are the worst victim of this social evil.
• Climate Change: The climate crisis-induced disasters are among the most relevant dangers to human survival. Children, in particular, are at the receiving end.

What needs to be done?

• Social protection: Social protectionis essential for preventing and reducing poverty for children and families, for addressing inequalities, and for realizing children’s rights.
• Child-sensitive social protection: Child-sensitive social protectionhas the opportunity to address chronic poverty, social exclusion, and external shocks which can irreversibly affect children.
• Addressing the needs of Children: The government must work towards realisation of the following rights:
  • Right to Health
  • Right to Education
  • Right to life
  • Right to protection, and freedom of expression
  • Right Identity

How would the collaboration between NITI Aayog and UNICEF India would help?

• UNICEF India and NITI Aayog are developing a comprehensive measure to understand the multidimensional attainments and deprivations among children across
  • health and nutrition
  • education
  • water and sanitation
  • household living standards
  • protective environment
• It would help to analyse the status of children around critical child-related SDGs to establish recent trends.
• Achieving 2030 Agenda: This effort will contribute to the realisation of India’s commitments to the 2030 Agenda and provide a set of policy recommendations for concerted action in terms of accelerating progress towards the SDGs to ‘leave no child behind’ and achieve their holistic development.

How would it be done?

• The collaboration between NITI Aayog and UNICEF India will draw up the methods, technical analysis, reporting and action planning for the first report on the ‘State of India’s Children’.
• This project will undertake a whole-of-society approach involving all stakeholders ranging from Union Ministries, state government, academia, civil society organisations and child rights collectives.