NITI Aayog and UNICEF India partners to develop India’s first report on child development

To achieve the child development priorities under the SDGs, UNICEF India and NITI Aayog are developing a comprehensive measure to understand the multidimensional attainments and deprivations among children across health and nutrition, education, water and sanitation, household living standards and protective environment

NITI Aayog and UNICEF India has signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on children. Reiterating a mutual commitment towards realsing the rights of children in India, the SoI seeks to formalise a framework of cooperation to develop and launch the first report on the ‘State of India’s Children: Status and Trends in Multidimensional Child Development.’

The Statement of Intent was signed by Sanyukta Samaddar, Nodal Officer -SDGs, NITI Aayog, and Hyun Hee Ban, Chief of Social Policy, UNICEF India, in the presence of Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairperson, NITI Aayog and Arjan de Wagt, Officer in Charge – Deputy Representative, UNICEF India.

To achieve the child development priorities under the SDGs, UNICEF India and NITI Aayog are developing a comprehensive measure to understand the multidimensional attainments and deprivations among children across health and nutrition, education, water and sanitation, household living standards and protective environment, with the aim of analysing the status of children around critical child related SDGs to establish recent trends. This effort will contribute to the realisation of the India’s commitments on the 2030 Agenda and provide a set of policy recommendations for concerted action in terms of accelerating progress towards the SDGs to ‘leave no child behind’ and achieving their holistic development.

Dr Kumar in his address said, “This child focused SDG initiative builds on our effort of monitoring progress through the SDG India Index & Dashboard which continues to be a unique data-driven initiative for triggering policy action. This new initiative with UNICEF is built on the ethos of SDG attainments for children and ensuring that no child is left behind.”

Wagt said, “Addressing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children is vital to recovery efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda. Comprehensive measurement of the status of children will pave the way for multi-sectoral policies and programmes across health and nutrition, education, safe water and sanitation, child protection, social protection and climate action to reach the most vulnerable children. We congratulate NITI Aayog on this pioneering step and stand committed to provide all support.”

Articulating the way forward, Ban said, “We commend NITI Aayog for this initiative to develop a multidimensional measure of attainments and deprivations among children. It’s a demonstration of India’s strong commitment to achieve the SDGs, by focusing on child related SDGs. One in every third person in India is a child below the age of 18, while one in every fifth person is an adolescent between the ages of 10 to 19. Through this process, we look forward to engaging with various stakeholders particularly children, adolescents and young people to jointly carve out solutions to harness the true potential of India’s demographic dividend.”

The collaboration between NITI Aayog and UNICEF India will draw up the methods, technical analysis, reporting and action planning for the first report on the ‘State of India’s Children’ with a focus on multidimensional aspects of child development like health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation, protection and other relevant areas. This project will undertake a whole-of-society approach of involving all stakeholders ranging from Union Ministries, State Government, Academia, Civil Society Organizations and child rights collectives.