Download Is Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia a better place for

© UNICEF Bulgaria/2012
Is Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia a better
place for children?
This week, leaders around the world will celebrate 25 years of the Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
In 1989, I was responsible for UNICEF ‘s Child Rights portfolio and Civil Society
Relations in Geneva when the final negotiations on the Convention on the Rights of
the Child took place. I recall the excitement at the adoption of this groundbreaking
convention, which codified all human rights of children and clearly articulated those
that are unique to childhood.
My reflections take me to the region of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia
where I now head the UNICEF Regional Office in Geneva.
Strong partnerships with Member States, civil society and our fellow UN agencies
have made progress for children across the region. For millions of children, life is
better.
However, much more needs to be done so that each and every one of the region’s
96 million children can celebrate future anniversaries. Progress has not been evenly
distributed and we are at increasing risk of leaving the most vulnerable behind.
Globally, the most impoverished children now live in middle-income countries. Our
region comprises primarily middle to higher income countries, where improving
averages mask some concerning inequities.
There are 2.5 million children of basic school age and another 12 million adolescents
who are out of school in this region. About one-third are children with disabilities.
Preschool education reaches only 30 per cent of children in Central Asia and 69 per
cent in Central and Eastern Europe. Three countries reported attendance as low as
0-3 per cent of children from the poorest households.
The under-five child mortality rate has more than halved from 1990 to 2012. But
major disparities persist. For Roma children, child mortality is double the average.
Pockets of extreme poverty exist, where populations face acute discrimination similar
to those in the poorest or most deprived regions in Africa and Asia. Deprivation is
disproportionately concentrated in excluded urban and remote rural areas and among
such groups as ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
Adressing the multiple and complex challenges faced by the region’s vulnerable
children and their families demands a well-coordinated, holistic and multi-sector
response.
In the last decades, a strategic shift has taken place within the region, emphasizing
support to families. It necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the multiple
and often intersecting vulnerabilities and risks facing children. By putting child rights
and wellbeing into public services in a tangible way, we are beginning to see pivotal
change in outcomes for the region’s children.
As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Convention, we must not simply take account
of successes and failures over two-and-a-half decades but commit to addressing the
unfinished business. UNICEF’s global focus on equity to close the gaps and build a
sustainable future for all children is being addressed through our regional agenda for
action.
Our aim is to track and close the equity gaps where social exclusion is a common
challenge. UNICEF in this region has identified 10 key result areas as being the most
critical for children to enjoy a rich and fulfilling childhood. The results reinforce the
need for sectoral and cross-sectoral activities to support children, families and
communities, addressing demand-supply barriers and bottlenecks. This includes
realising the right of all children to grow up in a caring family environment to ensuring
access to justice for children and including all children in quality learning.
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The current economic crisis has further deteriorated the situation of those at risk and
children’s needs slip from the political agenda. Their rights are threatened by some
who are not acting in the best interests of the child and discriminating against their
right to participation and representation.
The Convention remains the most important tool for children’s rights. When all states
in the region actively demonstrate their commitment to all children through policies,
legislation and budgets that are in line with the spirit of the convention, only then
leaders, communities and children alike will really have something to celebrate.
The writer is Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern
Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
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