THE world has made huge improvements in meeting the needs of the world’s most vulnerable children but UNICEF Australia is calling on the government to use the evidence and tackle child poverty more effectively and efficiently.
UNICEF’s annual flagship report, State of the World’s Children, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and highlights the success of data collection and analysis to better target aid for good social and economic outcomes.
UNICEF Australia chief executive Norman Gillespie said data provided clear evidence to make targeted investments for child survival, health and protection, but the will of government was equally important in galvanizing action.
“In 1989 the world made a set of promises to children when it adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child,” Dr Gillespie said.
“We promised every girl and boy the right to survive and be healthy. We promised every child the right to an education. The world has taken great strides, but have we kept our promises?
“In an era of balancing national budgets and eliminating debt, we must continue to keep our promises,” he said.
Dr Gillespie said UNICEF’s annual report and its extensive set of league tables reflecting the welfare, health and educational attainment for children in the 190 countries where UNICEF works, was about making every child count and provided data important to making informed and evidence-based decisions that delivered for the most vulnerable children.
“If the Australian Government increases investment where the data tells us we have the biggest gaps, our aid dollar can go further with greater impact,” Dr Gillespie said.
“UNICEF’s evidence shows a targeted approach can increase effectiveness by up to 60 per cent” Dr Gillespie said.
UNICEF has been at the forefront of improving data on children and women for the past 30 years and continues to support governments and donors in using this information to prioritise effective and efficient investment in women and children.
Source: UNICEF Australia
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.
