Cross-Sectoral Partnerships and Solutions to End Child Poverty: Lessons and Actions
Side Event at the Second World Summit for Social Development
Date: 5 November, 10:00-11:15 (GMT+3)
Location: Doha, Qatar (Qatar National Convention Centre, Exhibition Hall 5, Room 3)
Background:
The Second World Summit for Social Development offers a pivotal opportunity for global leaders to recommit advancing social inclusion, eradicating poverty, and creating equitable opportunities for all. UNICEF, Save the Children and a group of member states are proposing an inspiring, motivating and energizing event – bringing to the fore that ending child poverty is a policy choice and within our reach.
Globally, hundreds of millions of children still live in multidimensional poverty, deprived of access to health, education, nutrition, housing, sanitation, and social protection. Children are over-represented among the poorest people; they are twice as likely as adults to be living in both extreme and multidimensional poverty. In short, prioritizing children is crucial for tackling overall poverty. Further, tackling the scale of child poverty requires more than sector-specific interventions; it demands integrated, cross-sectoral solutions that reach children and families holistically.
The Global Coalition to End Child Poverty, chaired by UNICEF and Save the Children, promotes effective strategies implemented by countries that demonstrate how coordinated investments in health, nutrition, education, WASH, and social protection can tackle child poverty. Recent analysis by the Coalition highlights that about 4 in 10 children in low- and middle-income countries experience multidimensional poverty. There is a silver lining: since 2000, multidimensional child poverty has been modeled to have decreased by about one-third and twenty countries have successfully halved their multidimensional child poverty rate during the same period, demonstrating that meaningful change is possible given the right approach.
This side event (Solution Session) at the Second World Summit for Social Development will spotlight these lessons and mobilize collective action among governments, multilateral agencies, and civil society to scale up cross-sectoral solutions and coordination to tackle and end child poverty. A key focus will be on the role of social protection, particularly child benefits, in driving positive impacts across sectors such as health and education.
Objectives:
Share evidence-based good practices and solutions to tackling child poverty.
Explore further and promote cross sectoral policy innovations linking social protection, health, nutrition, education, and WASH sectors.
Mobilize commitments among Member States, civil society, and international partners to scale cross-sectoral responses.
Speakers:
Moderator: Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi, Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, Save the Children International
Youth Speaker: Ms. Jackline Wambui, Social Policy Associate and UN Volunteer, UNICEF Tanzania
Setting the Scene and Key Takeaways: Ms. Jenn Yablonski, Chief of Child Poverty and Social Protection, UNICEF
Country Panelists:
Ms. Josephilda Hlope-Nhlapo, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, South Africa
Mr. Sarwar Kamal, Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet Division, Bangladesh
Mr. Cao Yapeng, Deputy Division Chief of National Development Reform Commission, China
Mr. Rafael Osório, Secretary for Evaluation, Information Management and the Single Registry, Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger, Brazil
Closing Remarks: Mr. Omar Abdi, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director
Participation: This is an in-person event only. Only participants who are registered for the WSSD2 can attend. For more information on registration for WSSD2, please see here.