Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam opened the regional conference citing the importance of ECD to Vietnam and the rest of the world.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (Source: UNICEF)
This year’s regional conference calls for all to work across sectors to promote nurturing and sustainable environments for young children. The Hanoi conference gathers members of parliament and ministers, government officials, experts, practitioners, academics, and advocates to raise awareness of the threats young children face and how these should be addressed.
Co-sponsored by Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC), the ECD conference highlights the role of the environment in the protection and development of the child.
ARNEC: knowledge platform for ECD in the Asia-Pacific
Through the annual regional conferences, ARNEC Board Chair Sheldon Shaeffer cited the need to share and learn ECD initiatives from participants, as well as good practices, such as those from Vietnam. Dong Hoa Nam, Director-General of MOLISA’s Department for Children’s Affairs will present Vietnam’s integrated early childhood programme.
ARNEC has also organised a special joint meeting among members of parliament, ministers, and other government officials to share key legislations and programs for young children.
Shaeffer explained that ARNEC is committed to be a leading knowledge platform for ECD in the region by connecting policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders to work together to advance the wellbeing of young children.
Photo: UNICEF
Global experts: environmental threats, ECD impacts
The Hanoi conference brings together international experts to keynote plenary discussions. In addition to Dong Hoa Nam, other experts include Dr. Carlos Dora, visiting professor at Columbia University, New York, and global health expert, on the environmental threats young children face, implications to their health and development, and the role of policies and partnerships to address these.
Dr. Aisha Yousafzai, who serves in global advisory groups such as the World Bank’s Early Learning Partnership and the Executive Group of the Early Childhood Development Action Network will speak on the importance of creating a nurturing environment for young children in the context of climate change.
Dr. Kidong Park of WHO and Dr. Mazrura Sahani of the National University of Malaysia will share insights on the adverse effects of transboundary haze and air pollution to young children.
Finally, Dr. Ana Maria Nieto from the LEGO Foundation will speaks aboutthe power of play in building the resilience of young children, including their families and communities.
Threats facing young children
Experts stress that for young children to have bright futures, a nurturing and sustainable environment should be created through the right policies and programs for the physical, community and home environments.
According to the WHO, about 7 million children die from air pollution every year, and nine out of 10 breathe air not fit for human consumption. In such an environment, the youngest children suffer the most. Not only does it harm their overall health, but it impacts their cognitive development.
In addition, risks arising from climate change and fragile environments also affect communities and households, making children more vulnerable to the effects of overty, toxic stress, insecurity, and mortality.
Vietnam ECD showcases, pre-Conference workshops
The regional conference will trigger plenary and roundtable discussions, and research presentations and exhibits, including exchange of noteworthy ECD practices around the world and study visits to successful ECD initiatives in Vietnam. Participants will do site visits to Ha Nam Province to experience Learning Clubs for the first 1,000 days, and Dong Anh for a Community Library supporting ECD.
ECD themes will focus on parenting and play; disaster risk reduction; urban environment; childcare, decent work and gender equality; and child protection, including issues of violence against children.
There are also four pre-workshops for participants on 3 December 2019. The first workshop is Humanitarian Play Lab showcasing play-based learning activities and materials that can be incorporated into emergency settings. Another workshop is training of home-based care providers using blended learning approaches in Vietnam. The third is on the Nurturing Care Framework developed by WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank Group, PMNCH and the ECDAN in response the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health 2016 -30. The final workshop is around designing ECCD programmes in the context of climate change.
Partners
The annual ECD conference is hosted by countries in the region. Nepal hosted the regional conference last year with Cambodia and China doing the same in 2017 and 2015, respectively.
Collaborating with ARNEC and MOLISA in organising the Hanoi ECD Conference are UNICEF-EAPRO and ROSA; UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education; Open Society Foundations; Bernard van Leer Foundation; Save the Children; Plan International, and ChildFund Alliance.
This year’s core sponsors include The LEGO Foundation, Generali, The Human Safety Network, China Development Research Foundation, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, ILO-Vietnam, Aide et Action, and Care for Children./.