The Child-Lens Investing Framework – One Year On

2024 has been a remarkable year for UNICEF’s Child-Lens Investing Framework (CLIF), marked by increasing adoption and international acclaim. This year’s milestones demonstrate how the CLIF is transforming global investment practices to better align with the well-being of children and the future of our planet.

In an era of growing needs and widening funding gaps for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNICEF’s CLIF guides investors to intentionally include children in their decision-making. By doing so, the framework ensures that global capital drives meaningful impact for the most vulnerable stakeholders—children—while helping to achieve sustainable, long-term change.

New and stronger collaborations

Early adoption of the CLIF has shown its potential to inspire new thinking in the investment sector. Triodos Investment Management is among the first organizations to integrate the child-lens into its strategy. In the ESGpresso podcast, Sjoerd Rozing, Fund Manager, Triodos Future Generations Fund, shared his experience. 

“This framework helps you to zoom in on companies, sectors, or subsectors that you otherwise would not have done, and to me that is very positive,” said Rozing. “We engage with all of the portfolio companies to make sure that they start recognizing children as a separate stakeholder, that they start taking into account their needs. But what we also try to do is to inspire our peers to follow suit. That they start to realize that applying the child-lens into our investment decisions makes actually a lot of sense because children are future co-workers, future customers, and so on.”

The Framework’s development was a collaborative effort involving more than 100 global stakeholders, including six asset managers who provided practical insights. A key partner in advancing this work has been Finnfund, a Finnish impact investor, which strengthened its engagement with UNICEF in 2024 by signing the first-ever Memorandum of Understanding between UNICEF and a development financier to formalize the adoption of the CLIF.

Kaisa Alavuotunki, Director of Impact and Sustainability, Finnfund, shared, “We are looking for opportunities to integrate the child-lens into our already robust and comprehensive impact investing approach, namely as part of our new Finnfund Digital Access Impact Fund, allowing us to even better address the needs of children.”

The Framework’s adaptability ensures it integrates seamlessly into portfolios alongside existing investment frameworks, lenses, and best practices. In a Financial Times article, this feature was further explored with additional commentary from impact investors on the framework’s significance.

Jennifer Pryce, President and CEO, Calvert Impact Capital, underscored the holistic nature of the approach. “Children don’t live in silos. Children can have educational opportunities but, if they don’t have a house, they’re not going to grow up to be productive citizens.”

International recognition

In October 2024, UNICEF’s Child-Lens Investing Framework earned recognition as one of TIME’s Best Inventions of the Year for its groundbreaking role in aligning global investments with children’s needs. “UNICEF is a key partner for Finland in advancing children’s rights. The CLIF channels market investments to achieve children’s rights and the SDGs. This TIME award highlights UNICEF’s innovative leadership,” said Ville Tavio, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Finland.

The framework’s success was further recognized in November with a bronze medal at the Anthem Awards for Humanitarian Services and Services Innovation. Together, these accolades underscore the Child-Lens Investing Framework as a transformative tool for channeling global capital toward a future where children thrive.

Developing the ecosystem

First published in September 2023, the Child-Lens Investing Framework continues to evolve through collaboration led by UNICEF’s Innovative Finance Hub  and UNICEF USA, with support from the Finnish Government.

In 2024, UNICEF Finland and UNICEF Switzerland further explored how financial institutions, including banks, asset managers, and insurance companies, integrate child considerations into their operations Findings in the reports, Child-Lens on ESG and Child Rights and the Financial Industry indicate significant room for improvement — a point emphasized in a Hufvustadsbladet article.  

Looking ahead

In the coming year, the Innovative Finance Hub will continue to champion Child-Lens Investing, encouraging broader integration into investment strategies, cycles, and processes. The Hub will collaborate with diverse stakeholders to develop additional guidance, insights, and metrics, further strengthening this emerging field.

For more information on the CLIF and related guidance click here.