Moving Minds Alliance Calls For Prioritising Early Childhood Development In Emergencies

New York, NY – The Moving Minds Alliance (MMA) has issued a strong call to prioritise Early Childhood Development in Emergencies (ECDiE) for refugee, displaced, and host community children aged 0-8 and their carers as world leaders gather at the Summit of the Future to reaffirm their commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and forge a new consensus on multilateral solutions.

With over ten million children displaced by 2023, the MMA emphasises the unique challenges that these vulnerable populations face, particularly in crisis and conflict zones.

MMA Director Tricia Young emphasises the increased risk of physical, developmental, mental, and emotional harm for displaced children, as well as the urgent need for holistic and nurturing care.

The MMA’s Position Paper emphasises the complexity of ECDiE programming in humanitarian settings.

Its cross-sectoral approach, which includes health, nutrition, education, WASH, and protection, frequently struggles to find a clear place in the siloed humanitarian system, resulting in fragmented implementation.

Effective ECD programs necessitate a collaborative effort across five key domains: stimulation, education, health, nutrition, and safety.

This necessitates strong collaboration across sectors, as well as support for parents and carers to provide nurturing care.

The MMA calls on governments, funders, and INGOs to prioritise specific actions and commitments.

For them, Governments should develop inclusive national ECDiE policies that include refugee children and their host communities, prioritise quality and gender-transformative services, and ensure that all children have equal opportunities to thrive.

Donors and funders should invest in high-impact ECDiE interventions by allocating at least 10% of humanitarian funding to ECDiE programs, assisting local ECD actors with cultural expertise, and increasing flexible funding to local and refugee-led organisations.

Development and humanitarian partners should prioritise ECD in crisis response by incorporating holistic multisectoral ECD into core programming, ensuring comprehensive support for children aged 0-8 and their carers across health, protection, education, and nutrition sectors.

Enhanced Accountability and Effectiveness: Gather and report data disaggregated by age, gender, and disability to identify service gaps, inform program design, and ensure accountability.

Capacity Sharing and Coordination: Encourage effective coordination and communication mechanisms that empower local actors, ensuring that early childhood development interventions are culturally appropriate and sustainable.

The MMA believes that implementing these recommendations will not only accelerate progress towards multiple SDGs, but will also help to build more resilient, peaceful, and prosperous societies. By adopting integrated approaches such as ECDiE, we can accelerate progress towards sustainable development and create a world in which every child, regardless of circumstance, has the opportunity to thrive and contribute to a more equitable and sustainable future.