The 2024 G20 Summit: An inflection point for young children around the world?

When G20 leaders meet in Rio de Janeiro, they have an opportunity to accelerate progress toward fighting hunger, poverty, and inequality by investing more in comprehensive policies for young children. Evidence shows that investing in young children is critical to achieving these goals, and as the host of the G20, Brazil’s President Lula da Silva has put this fight at the forefront of the summit’s global agenda. Brazil is poised to finalize a national comprehensive early childhood development (ECD) policy and put young children’s needs at the center of the newly established Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. These steps offer hope, but will this translate to more countries establishing and financing holistic ECD policies?

In 2018, the G20 countries established the G20 Initiative for Early Childhood Development, which emphasized comprehensive and coordinated strategies to ensure children can thrive. Brookings’ research found that 11 out of 19 G20 countries have made progress and now have universal early childhood education provision, and five of them now have a comprehensive ECD policy, which include social protection, economic, and health and nutrition supports. G20 countries such as Argentina, Canada, Germany, and Japan have well-established ECD frameworks and programs. Argentina and Japan both have child care programs, Argentina through the National Early Childhood Strategy (ENPI) and Japan through a network of integrated child care centers.

Supporting ECD requires financial investment from multiple sectors. Currently, financing for comprehensive ECD is not tracked internationally so it is not clear what the true investment in ECD is. While some G20 countries have increased investment through some sectors, it has not been enough to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and other global benchmarks. Brookings found that G20 countries’ spending on early childhood education varied between 2% and 10% of the total education budgets in their countries. Theirworld recently published a study demonstrating that an investment in ECD yields immediate impacts—as quickly as within two to three years—as well as long-term societal benefits. The analysis found that even a 0.6% GDP investment across the G20 in universal support for families, which includes multiple family-friendly supports such as child care and paid family leave, would have lifted 16.7 million children out of poverty in two years. Further, increasing universal child care investments in G20 countries by 0.4% of GDP would have brought more women into the workforce in three years and prepared up to 5 million more children for primary school, bringing enrollment close to 100%.

Hopeful signs

Since 2018, momentum has been building. Four hopeful signs emerged at the recent meetings of the United Nations General Assembly indicating a greater political commitment for comprehensive support and investment that widens the current funding pot for young children.

Governments showed up as ECD champions

Government officials from Brazil, Paraguay, and more showed support for ECD. Paraguay’s minister of childhood and adolescence, Walter Gutiérrez, highlighted the success of their integrated community early childhood centers. First Lady of Paraguay Leticia Ocampos led a Latin America First Ladies meeting to share experiences and discuss the way forward to support more young children and families. A similar First Ladies of Africa event backed a call to action for ECD. Most notably, Brazil’s minister of social development, Wellington Dias, announced that the 2030 sprints of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty will prioritize ECD. 

Donors committed more funds for ECD

Key donors such as the World Bank (through their Early Learning Partnership), the International Finance Facility for Education, Education Cannot Wait, and the Global Partnership for Education verbally made additional commitments at UNGA to increase their financial support for young children, particularly in early childhood education. They join other donors including the Hilton Foundation, LEGO Foundation, USAID (through its Global Child Thrive Act) and more. But we still need existing donors to give more and new donors to increase the overall pot. Governments need to take more responsibility in investing in their countries through existing budgets.

Conversations went beyond sector silos

Education, health and nutrition, social protection, climate, and humanitarian actors came together in the same rooms and discussed collaboration and what each could contribute to supporting young children in the humanitarian crisis. This included stakeholders such as the World Health Organization, Education Cannot Wait, and more. Crucially, youth activists committed to gender equity and climate change now see ECD investment as a critical driver of change.

Businesses committed to young children 

The Global Business Coalition for Education and the Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood and others have been coordinating businesses around the world so they can understand the critical importance of their involvement in supporting their employees and their young children. At UNGA, many of them including the LEGO group, Ikea, Deloitte, Unilever, Salesforce and more stated how they will adopt more family-friendly policies and child care support for their employees.

The way forward

Much has been happening since the 2018 G20 and the most recent UNGA meetings—verbal or expected commitments, and significant events being planned for the G20 social and main summit. Some commitments are general while others are specific. G20 countries can lead other countries in combating hunger, poverty, and inequality by enacting policies and investing funds for:

1. Universal access to quality primary health care in support of health, well-being, and development across pregnancy, birth, and early childhood.
2. Universal access to quality, inclusive preschool education.
3. Universal support for families, including affordable and quality child care, child benefits, and parent and caregiver support.

These goals will require at least $1 billion in new funding commitments by 2028 from governments, international donors, businesses, and philanthropic donors to kick-start progress and action for the youngest children. A leap forward from the G20 could provide the spark that is needed to achieve these goals and ensure children have the best start in life.