Government ministers from 15 Pacific island nations, working in education, finance, health and social welfare, have endorsed plans for a new Pacific Regional Council for Early Childhood Development. This is in line with a nine-point action plan, the Pasifika Call to Action on ECD, which was developed at a 2017 conference organised by UNICEF and the World Bank. The new Pacific-wide council is expected to help with the development of national ECD systems, services and programmes.
Speaking at the meeting, the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor, said: “…our Blue Pacific region faces new challenges, none more pressing than the unprecedented threat of a climate change crisis and its impact on human development and security. Most concerning is that children and future generations will suffer its worst consequences.”
You can access Dame Meg Taylor’s address here. UNICEF’s press release is available here.
