Every child has the right to health, education and protection, and every society has a stake in expanding children’s opportunities in life. Yet, around the world, millions of children are denied a fair chance for no reason other than the country, gender or circumstances into which they are born.
For unless we accelerate our progress, by 2030:
•Almost 70 million children may die before reaching their 5th birthdays – 3.6 million in 2030 alone, the deadline year for the Sustainable Development Goals.
•Children in sub-Saharan Africa will be 10 times more likely to die before their 5th birthdays than children in high-income countries.
•9 out of 10 children living in extreme poverty will live in sub-Saharan Africa.
•More than 60 million primary school-aged children will be out of school – roughly the same number as are out of school today. More than half will be from sub-Saharan Africa.
•Some 750 million women will have been married as children – 3 quarters of a billion child brides.
These vast inequities and dangers do more than violate the rights and imperil the futures of individual children. They perpetuate intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and inequality that undermine the stability of societies and even the security of nations everywhere. More than ever, we should recognize that development is sustainable only if it can be carried on – sustained – by future generations. We have an opportunity to replace vicious cycles with virtuous cycles in which today’s poor children – if given a fair chance at health, education and protection from harm – can, as adults, compete on a more level playing field with children from wealthier backgrounds. Thus making not only their own lives better, but their societies richer in every sense of the word.
For when we help a boy access the medicine and nutrition he needs to grow up healthy and strong, we not only increase his chances in life, we also decrease the economic and social costs associated with poor health and low productivity. When we educate a girl, we not only give her the tools and knowledge to make her own decisions and shape her own future, we also help raise the standard of living of her family and her community. When we provide education, shelter and protection for children caught in conflicts, we help mend their hearts and their minds – so that someday, they will have the ability and the desire to help rebuild their countries.
