The EU & Child Poverty & Well Being – Where Do We Go from Here?

1. The EU & Child Poverty & Well Being – Where Do We Go from Here? Margaret Wachenfeld, UNICEF Brussels Office 26 November 2009

2. Why Do We Focus on Child Poverty? “While an adult may fall into poverty temporarily, falling into poverty in childhood can last a lifetime – rarely does a child get a second chance at an education or a healthy start in life.”  For each child “Child poverty threatens not only the individual child, but is likely to be passed on to future generations, entrenching and even exacerbating inequality in society.”  To improve equality in our societies

3. Work to Date • Analysis • Benchmarking Studies • Indicators • Significantly… • shifting to multi-dimensional view of poverty & multi-dimensional response • increasing recognition of child rights perspective • increasing attention to connections to other policy areas

4. Work in Progress • Further strengthening needed: • Child rights approach in addressing child poverty • Child participation • within policy making processes • within the data collection process • Leveraging & connecting to on-going processes & policies

5. At the highest political levels • EU 2020 – Post Lisbon Strategy • EU response to the Economic Crisis • Building on the Lisbon Treaty • Children for the 1st time • In the continuing Child Poverty Work • Commission Communication • Highlighting during BE Presidency • Council-Parliament Recommendation • Indicators Work • In Related Policy Areas • EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child • EU Youth Policy • … and others Opportunities Ahead to Address Child Poverty

6. Moving Ahead – What Do We Want to See? Bridging the Gap – Bringing Together … Child Poverty Approach Child Rights Approach Comprehensive EU Child Rights Strategy

7.  Strategy that reflects a Child Rights Lens on Child Poverty • A Strategy that reflects a Child Rights Perspective on Child Poverty … • Recognising that child well-being is about child rights and vice-versa • That the well-being of the child is considered per se, independently of his/her family situation, while recognising the importance of family and the family situation to a child’s well being • Keeping up the momentum on expanding a multi-dimensional approach  importance of child’s holistic development • Focusing on the most vulnerable • Involving children – child participation – and child rights community • Reflecting children’s voices in the data collection process

8.  That sets a clear goal and path for Member States • Council Recommendation on Child Poverty • Child poverty reduction target • Mainstreaming children into relevant policies • Integrating child poverty into national child rights responses and vice-versa • Reinforcing the importance of child participation • Building on 3 key policy objectives: • Ensuring that children grow up in families with sufficient resources to meet their essential needs • Ensuring that children have access to the services and opportunities and make sure that children in vulnerable situations are protected • Promoting the participation of children in society and in particular in social, recreational, sporting and cultural life

9.  That leverages and coordinates relevant policy areas across EU Families with sufficient resources Participation of Children in Society ECED Parental Leave Enhance access to services & opportunities Family Support Leisure, sports, culture Child protection systems Health Integration Decent housing; safe environments Education Child Rights Policy Youth Policy UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

10.  That ensures consistent follow up • Child Well-Being Becomes a regular feature of the OMC process • Common analytical framework, Scorecard & Benchmarking • Consistent monitoring • Followed up regularly • Based on & continues to drive research • That is based on relevant data • Indicators process that reflects child well-being in all its dimensions, including from the child’s perspective • Based on their lived experiences – relationships, risks, health, etc.

11. For Another Perspective… to enhance the dialogue

12. The Global Perspective: The Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities • Carried out in 40+ countries and seven regions in 2007-2009 through UNICEF support, • using MICS, DHS and other available  data • Purpose: to strengthen the profile of children at the national policy table • to influence the economic and social policies that affect resource allocations, and to make children a priority in national programmes

13. The Global Perspective: The Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities

14. The Child Poverty Network Community of Practice • ChildPov-Net is a Community of Practice that serves as a core, global network of child poverty experts - including country teams participating in the Global Study as well as development professionals from national governments, UN agencies and other international organisations, academia,  NGOs and research institutes - who foster knowledge sharing and collaboration across every region.  • join-child-poverty@groups.dev-nets.org

15. Visit our Document Repository http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_43137.html