Financing a Fair Future: Why Human Development must be at the Heart of Global Recovery
Practical and scalable ways to support governments in maintaining investment in children during a period of heightened economic uncertainty.
Highlights
South Asia has made strong gains for children in recent decades, but millions are still being left behind. The report shows that investments in health, education and social protection have fuelled much of the region’s progress. Yet social spending remains low by global standards and is often driven by economic growth rather than intentional policy choices. With global growth slowing and past forecasts proving overly optimistic, several countries risk stagnation or even the reversal of hard-won gains for children unless they place human development at the centre of budget decisions.
The report calls for urgent, proactive action. Governments need to strengthen and prioritise social sector investments, backed by stronger revenue measures, to protect progress during uncertain economic times. It also urges reforms to international financial frameworks so that they can better support long-term investments in human capital.
