Summary
Gillian Huebner, executive director of the Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues, was the lead author of this article for the National Academy of Medicine.
The “Beyond Survival: The Case for Investing in Young Children Globally” report argues that improving child survival alone is insufficient—global development must prioritize holistic early childhood development (health, nutrition, education, protection, and caregiving) through coordinated, multisectoral investments. Drawing on evidence from neuroscience and economics, it shows that early experiences shape lifelong outcomes and that underinvestment leaves millions of children unable to reach their potential, perpetuating poverty and instability. The paper makes a strong economic and social case that investing early yields high returns and calls for integrated policies and scaled-up funding to help children not just survive, but thrive, thereby supporting long-term national and global development.
Beyond Survival: The Case for Investing in Young Children Globally
Author: Gillian Huebner
Tags: Early Childhood Care and Education Early Childhood Development Technical Reports or Briefs Health and Nutrition Care Reform Social Protection Education Child Protection and Care Violence Against Children and Youth
Investing in young children globally is a primary means of achieving sustainable human, social, and economic development, all of which are vital to ensuring international peace and security. Strategic investments in children have been recognized by the world’s leaders in their recent adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to further peace, end global poverty, and ensure that all human beings can fulfill their potential in dignity (United Nations, 2015). For the first time, early childhood development is acknowledged as a critical part of the global development agenda. Although child development is explicitly referenced under the new education goal, it is naturally linked to other goals—reducing poverty, improving health and nutrition, promoting equality for girls and women, and reducing violence (United Nations, 2015). Indeed, coordinated, evidence-based investments must be made across sectors to ensure that more and more children not only survive but also thrive.