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Blog on the 2016 theme of the High-Level Political Forum - Ensuring that no one is left behind

Week 4 - A Fair chance for Every Child: Involving children in change (UNICEF)

18 May 2016

The great strengths of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are its focus on reducing inequalities within and between nations and its pledge that “no one will be left behind” in the quest to create a more sustainable, peaceful and prosperous world.

Societies around the globe have a moral and economic stake in honouring that pledge. If left unaddressed, inequalities will trap nations, children and families in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage that will impede progress and interfere with basic human rights.

For UNICEF, efforts to break the cycle of disadvantage start by making sure that every child has a fair chance to survive and thrive. They start by placing equity at the centre of everything the organization does to support children and families.

The pathway to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the 2030 Agenda will certainly require financing, innovation, data and coordination across development and humanitarian sectors. However, the sustainability of these efforts will also rely on engaging the leaders and custodians of the future; it will rely on engaging children. The 2030 Agenda got off to a good start. As the SDGs were being developed, interactive platforms such as The World We Want, offered children from all walks of life an opportunity to express their opinions, priorities and dreams for a better world. As a result, the SDGs were able to reflect the needs of the world’s most marginalized children – children with disabilities, children living in poverty and children whose lives were disrupted by conflict and emergencies.

Success in achieving the SDGs in an equitable way requires further deepening this engagement, including the involvement of children in monitoring progress. Collection, analysis and use of disaggregated data will be crucial to monitoring progress and accelerating efforts where needed. But official data must also be complemented by qualitative data – including people’s perception of progress. A numerical statistic cannot always capture the full human story that identifies a gap, barrier or solution to a given problem. An attendance rate indicator, for instance, did not explain why children are skipping school to avoid ‘sex 4 grades’ propositions from their teachers in Nigeria. Identifying that required giving legitimacy to children’s voices. Through participatory data, the monitoring of the SDGs can more accurately reflect the realities of those traditionally left behind and so that solutions can be sought and applied.

UNICEF – and others – have already been employing such participatory techniques using innovative tools such as U-Report, a mobile phone-based social messaging tool. U-Report has allowed young reporters in more than 20 countries to identify and report service gaps in battles against challenges such as Ebola in Liberia, HIV in Brazil and sexual violence in Uganda. Other methods to involve communities include the Participate Initiative, a consortium of academic institutions and civil society organizations, who use a variety of participatory approaches to give marginalized communities a voice in the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs. The goal of leaving no one behind on the road to 2030 requires a continued effort to meaningfully engage children and young people as ‘torch bearers’ of change. And the more all children have a fair chance to contribute their ideas and actions to creating a better future, the more responsive – and sustainable – development will be.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org.
United Nations