UNICEF: "Prospects for Children in 2025: Building Resilient Systems for Children’s Futures"

1. In 2025, UNICEF published a report (Prospects for Children in 2025: Building Resilient Systems for Children’s Futures).
2. It is a series of Global Outlook reports produced each year by UNICEF.
3. It tells that the world is facing a new and intensifying era of crisis for children.
4. Many of these crises including climate change, conflict and economic instability are closely interconnected.
5. It also highlights the transformative role of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in delivering digital public services that benefit children's well-being.
6. The report tells how DPI can ensure equitable access to essential services, improve education and healthcare, and promote inclusion.
    

Key Highlights of the UNICEF Report on Children's Challenges:
 

1. In 2023, 473 million children (over 1 in 6 globally) lived in conflict zones, nearly doubling since the 1990s.
2. Children in conflict face risks such as displacement, starvation, disease, and psychological trauma.
3. 400 million children live in countries burdened by debt, limiting investments in essential services like education, healthcare, and social services.
4. Debt servicing now outpaces social protection by 11 times, leaving 1.8 billion children vulnerable to economic shocks and poverty.
5. A 5% rise in debt for low- and middle-income countries could reduce education spending by USD 12.8 billion.
6. Only 2.4% of global climate finance is directed towards child-responsive initiatives, weakening services crucial for children’s welfare.
7. Climate disasters are increasingly affecting children’s health, education, and psychological well-being.
8. A digital divide exists, with high-income countries offering more internet access to youth (15-24 years) compared to only 53% of youth in Africa.
9. Adolescent girls and children with disabilities are particularly impacted by digital exclusion, with 9 out of 10 adolescent girls in low-income countries offline.
    

What is Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)?
 

DPI refers to a set of shared digital systems designed to deliver and provide equitable access to public and/or private services at a societal scale. The DPI ecosystem consists of:

1. Technology: Digital tools and platforms.
2. Markets: Access to services and resources.
3. Governance: Policies and regulations that ensure fair use and accessibility.
    

Role of DPI in Children’s Well-being:
 

1. Digital IDs linked to civil registration systems provide children with lifelong access to essential services like healthcare, education, and social welfare
2. DPI platforms such as DIKSHA (India’s national digital education platform) help bridge educational gaps by making learning resources accessible to children, even in remote areas.
3. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and systems like the Electronic Immunization Registry in Jamaica ensure better healthcare delivery for children by improving tracking and vaccination rates.
4. DPI fosters financial literacy by enabling children to participate in the digital economy, promoting skills for future financial independence.
5. DPI strengthens social protection systems by enabling targeted delivery of benefits and improving data sharing for child services (e.g., health, education, welfare).

Key Facts About UNICEF:   Established: 1946, originally to support children affected by World War II. Global Presence: UNICEF operates in over 190 countries, including India. Mandate: Protect children's rights, provide aid, and advocate for global child welfare. Funding: Supported by voluntary contributions from governments, foundations, private sector, and individuals. Awards: Nobel Peace Prize (1965), Princess of Asturias Award (2006), Indira Gandhi Prize (1989).

 

UNICEF and India: Key Contributions:
 

1. ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services): UNICEF played a crucial role in launching ICDS in 1975, reaching nearly 40 million children.
2. Polio Campaign: Helped eliminate polio in India by 2012.
3. Maternal and Child Nutrition (2013): Promoted nutrition awareness to reduce Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR).
4. India Newborn Action Plan (2014): Launched to reduce neonatal mortality and stillbirths.
5. Guiding Framework: Works in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), ratified by India in 1992.
    

Challenges Faced by Children in Contemporary India:
 

1. Climate & Environmental Hazards:
 

1. 1. India ranks 26^th in the Children’s Climate Risk Index.
   2. Heatwaves, floods, and air pollution severely impact children’s health and education, especially in rural and low-income areas.
       

2. Child Trafficking:
 

1. 3. India faces widespread child trafficking, exploiting children for labor, sexual services, and child pornography.
       

3. Child Labor:
 

1. 4. 10.1 million children (5-14 years) work, mostly in agriculture, domestic work, and small industries.
   5. Recent amendments to child labor laws allow children to work in family enterprises, potentially leading to exploitation.
       

4. Juvenile Crimes:
 

1. 6. 30,555 juvenile crimes in India (2022), linked to poverty and lack of education.
       

5. Child Marriage:
 

1. 7. India ranks 4^th in South Asia for child marriage, which restricts education and health opportunities, especially for girls.
       

6. Gender Inequality: Girls from low-income or rural areas face school dropouts, early marriage, and poor healthcare.
 

7. Disadvantaged Children: Children from rural areas, slums, and marginalized communities face severe deprivation in education, nutrition, sanitation, and clean water.
 

8.Population Growth: By 2050, India will have 350 million children, accounting for 15% of the global child population.
 

9. This requires climate-resilient, child-friendly urban planning as urbanization increases.
 

India’s Initiatives for Child Welfare:
 

1. Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0: Focuses on child nutrition and early childhood education.
2. Mission Vatsalya: Aims at child protection and welfare, with a focus on children in need of care and protection.
3. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Promotes gender equality and the empowerment of girls.
4. PM CARES Fund: Provides emergency relief, including support for children during crises.
5. DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing): Enhances education access via digital platforms.
6. The Right to Education Act (2009): Ensures free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14.
7. Child Labor (Prohibition & Regulation) Act (2016): Protects children from exploitation through labor.
8. National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme (1988): Focuses on rehabilitating children involved in labor.
9. Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act (2015): Addresses care and protection for children in conflict with the law.

 

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