Africa unites for Early Childhood, Dakar, 10-13 November
African ministers of planning and finance are joining ministers of education, health and social protection to promote greatly expanded investment in services for young children at the Fourth African International Conference on Early Childhood Development (ECD).
Entitled “From Policy to Action: Expanding Investment in ECD for Sustainable Development”, the conference in Dakar, Senegal from 10-13 November, will address implementing and strengthening ECD policies and plans, increasing access to quality ECD and going to scale and expanding services for vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS, war and severe poverty. The overarching theme of the Conference is investment in ECD in a world of economic, food, fuel and ecological crises.
Participants will also engage in dialogue on rationale, knowledge and skills; experiences in planning and implementing ECD and planning the next steps to expand and improve ECD.
African decision-makers are becoming increasingly aware that investing in ECD is essential for attaining sustainable development and achieving Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals. They understand that ECD yields one of the highest rates of return of any social or economic investment.
Highlights of the conference include a First Ladies’ colloquium and field trips to innovative programs for Senegalese children, while a Development Marketplace will share exciting African innovations in ECD. The conference is being organized by Senegal in collaboration with UNESCO and other UN agencies and NGOs.
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