NITI Aayog, UNICEF sign pact on SDGs focusing on children

Government think tank NITI Aayog and UNICEF India on Thursday signed a statement of intent (SoI) on sustainable development goals (SDGs) with a focus on children.

“Reiterating a mutual commitment towards realising the rights of children in India, the SoI seeks to formalise a framework of cooperation to launch the first report on the ‘State of India’s Children: Status and Trends in Multidimensional Child Development’,” the government said in a press release.

An official release said that NITI Aayog and UNICEF India are developing a comprehensive measure to understand the multidimensional attainments and deprivations among children with the aim of analysing the status of children around critical child-related sustainable development goals.

“This effort will contribute to the realisation of India’s commitments on the 2030 Agenda and provide a set of policy recommendations for concerted action in terms of accelerating progress towards the SDGs to ‘leave no child behind’ and achieving their holistic development,” the statement said.

It further stated that this project will undertake a whole-of-society approach involving all stakeholders ranging from Union ministries, state governments, civil society organisations, and child rights collectives.

“This child-focused SDG initiative builds on our effort of monitoring progress through the SDG India Index and Dashboard, which continues to be a unique data-driven initiative for triggering policy action. This new initiative with UNICEF is built on the ethos of SDG attainments for children and ensuring that no child is left behind,” NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar said.