Parliamentarians from across South Asia discuss the need for stronger investment in children and adolescents.

Dhaka, 2 May 2018 -  UNICEF hosted parliamentarians from the entire South Asia region this week in an effort to increase investment in children and young adults, bringing about much needed change for millions of poor and improving the prospects for healthy economic growth in the region.

The South Asia Parliamentarian Platform for Children was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 02 – 03 May 2018 to strengthen opportunities for children in the first two decades of their lives. Lawmakers from all eight countries in South Asia met to prioritize, promote, and safeguard children’s rights and discuss the prospects for further investment in Early Childhood and adolescent years.

“While South Asia is home to one fourth of the world’s population, its share of global income is just 4%. This fact underlines one of the biggest challenges for South Asia’s progress on the social and economic front: namely the lack of investment in its largest asset, its Human Capital – and especially the young within the society,” said Jean Gough, Regional Director of UNICEF South Asia.

Three Members of Parliament (MP) from Bhutan participated in this meeting: Ritu Raj Chettri, Rinzin Jamtsho and Gopal Gurung. The delegation members said that with the advent of democratic and increasingly decentralized governance, and Bhutan’s expected graduation to lower middle income status within the next five years, Public Finance for Children becomes increasingly important. This is as an area that can help to maintain the focus of development on children and bridge existing equity gaps to leave no one behind.

“We as parliamentarians have the potential to move forward the agenda for children, that we are learning more about Public Finance for Children in this forum and sharing our experiences with counterparts from the region,” said MP Ritu Raj Chettri, who is leading the delegation.

This year’s meeting focused on the region’s commitment to increased investment in children. 300 million children in South Asia are so-called multi-dimensionally poor with too little to eat, a high risk of falling sick from preventable disease and a very slim chance of ever going to school.

Evidence shows that investment in the young pays strong dividends to society. One dollar invested in quality Early Childhood Development will give a return of between 6 and 17 dollars. If low- and middle-income countries ensured preschool enrollment to half of the country’s children, the result could be cumulative lifetime earnings gains of $15 - $34 billion. The urgent, timely and adequate investments in early childhood and adolescent years will lead to well-developed brains and a highly productive workforce.

UNICEF South Asia is honored to bring together law makers to discuss the increased need for investment in favor of the most marginalized children.

“There are very good chances for bringing about radical and important change: in most countries in the region, children and young people make up a large part of society and even smaller investments now will give good results for children and South Asian societies”, said Jean Gough of UNICEF South Asia.