Child Priority Framework: Advancing Global Child Well-being

In an era marked by economic constraints and unprecedented global challenges, the Paris Peace Forum is launching an ambitious initiative to establish a comprehensive Child Priority Framework. This initiative, in collaboration with the Gates Foundation and other key partners, aims to prioritize child health, education, and nutrition as central pillars of global development efforts. By focusing on the most effective investment—our children—we seek to transform long-term global development outcomes, foster human capital, and build resilience in the most vulnerable populations.

Background and Rationale

The world is entering a new era defined by high interest rates, mounting public debt in wealthy nations, and immense capital demands for energy transitions, defense, and artificial intelligence. This shift signals the end of easy access to concessional financing, requiring a fundamental reassessment of development aid priorities. Compounding this challenge, the United States’ abrupt retreat from various development initiatives and international financing has created a void in global support systems, making it even more essential to ensure that limited resources are allocated where they can have the greatest impact. Difficult choices must be made to address these geopolitical changes and ensure the stability and well-being of vulnerable populations.

Investing in children is the most effective way to alleviate suffering and enable a better life for the greatest number of people. Children are the foundation of future societies, and their well-being is intrinsically linked to global stability and prosperity. By preserving child health, education, and nutrition, we can address immediate needs and catalyze progress across multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including reducing poverty, advancing gender equality, promoting environmental sustainability, and fostering peace.

Recent data highlights significant challenges in child development across LMICs, with poverty and malnutrition being primary concerns. In 2022, the global mortality rate for children under five was 4.9 million – although a record low, progress has slowed since 2015.

Child Poverty Trends. As of 2022, 330 million children live in extreme poverty. This figure represents a decrease from 380 million in 2013. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has stalled progress, resulting in 3 lost years of advancement. Children constitute over half of those living in extreme poverty, despite making up only 31% of the population.

Malnutrition and Food Insecurity. 27% of children under five experienced severe food poverty in 2022. Factors such as armed conflict, climate change, and economic crises have exacerbated this situation, particularly in regions like sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Educational Challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated "learning poverty" leading to educational setbacks. An estimated 70% of 10-year-olds in LMICs are unable to read and understand simple text by age 10.

Developmental Milestones. One-third of children aged 3 and 4 in developing countries do not reach basic milestones in cognitive and socioemotional development. Factors contributing to this include poverty, malnutrition, and lack of cognitive stimulation.

Maternal health significantly influences child development. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for around 70% of maternal deaths. 40% of pregnant women in LMICs are anemic, leading to low birth weights and increased neonatal mortality. Limited access to prenatal and postnatal care compounds these issues; over one-third of women in low-income countries lack skilled care during childbirth, increasing the risk of complications and mortality.

Objectives

• Reaffirm Child Well-being as a Global Imperative: Ensure child health, education, and nutrition remain at the forefront of international development efforts, particularly in low-income countries, despite shifting geopolitical priorities and pressures on concessional financing.
• Forge a Resilient Global Coalition: Mobilize a diverse network of leaders, governments, NGOs, private sector actors, civil society, and global experts to champion child well-being, recognizing the need for innovative partnerships adapting to the new realities.
• Adapt Policy and Resource Mobilization: Develop a strategic framework that guides policy and financial priorities ensuring effective allocation of scarce resources, and advocate for prioritizing investment in child-focused interventions, leveraging technological innovations to maximize impact.

Approach

The 7th Edition of the Paris Peace Forum (November 11, 2024) provided the first platform to present the Child Priority Framework, with a high-level panel titled “Reshaping Finance and Investing in Children for Sustainable Development.” The session brought together a distinguished panel of leaders, including Antón Leis García (Director of AECID, the Spanish development agency), Anneliese Dodds (UK Minister for Development), Mai Lu (Vice Chairman at the China Development Research Foundation), Patrick Achi (Special Envoy for the Bretton Woods Anniversary), Jutta Urpilainen (European Union Commissioner for International Partnerships), and Rosalie Adjuayi Diop (Director at the Institute of Population, Development, and Reproductive Health at Cheikh Anta Diop University), with Matt Reed (CEO, Aga Khan Foundation UK) moderating. This session underscored the importance of child-focused investments in global development and issued a call to action to prioritize these investments amid shrinking ODA budgets, thus laying the groundwork for the development of the Child Priority Framework.

Spain’s leadership emerged as a key highlight during the session, particularly through the insights shared by Mr. Anton Leis García, Director of AECID, who emphasized Spain’s vision of prioritizing health, nutrition, and education as a strategic approach to addressing interconnected global challenges, including economic inequality, climate change, and humanitarian crises.

The Fourth Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) represents a pivotal occasion to reset global efforts toward accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals. In an international context marked by a pressing need to restore trust in multilateralism, prioritizing children’s health, education, and nutrition offers a pragmatic and less polarizing pathway to long-term global stability and prosperity.

A side/special event during FfD4 could foster collaborative efforts among high-level policymakers, representatives from multilateral development banks, and key constituencies. Ongoing efforts aim to secure broad-based participation from governments (including major emerging economies), multilateral development banks, civil society, and philanthropic partners to support a global coalition underscoring the catalytic impact of investing in children. By offering a unifying agenda around child well-being, the conference in Seville could serve as a crucial moment to galvanize renewed commitment across North and South for sustainable development.

An evidence-based investment case would underpin the Child Priority Framework. Current efforts focus on consolidating data and research from partners—including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—to demonstrate the multiplier effect of child-centered interventions. This includes drawing lessons from successful initiatives, such as GAVI and Nutrition for Growth, and integrating key child well-being indicators (health, education, nutrition, and poverty).

A dedicated working group—comprising experts in child and maternal health, education, nutrition, and finance—will be convened to guide this process. The group plans to conduct regular consultations, validate findings through a panel of high-level specialists, and formulate a compelling, data-driven narrative for policymakers. Presenting clear, quantifiable returns on child-focused investments is intended to inspire greater political will and financial commitment, positioning child well-being as a strategic priority in global development agendas.

Moreover, the FfD4 Conference will be an opportunity to engage youth and civil society organizations, ensuring that diverse voices are heard and incorporated into the final Child Priority Framework.