NITI Aayog and UNICEF India sign SoI on SDGs focusing on Children

• 22 Apr 2022

On 21st April 2022, NITI Aayog and UNICEF India signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on children.

The SoI seeks to formalize a framework of cooperation to launch the first report on the ‘State of India’s Children: Status and Trends in Multidimensional Child Development’.

Aim

To analyze the status of children around critical child related SDGs to establish recent trends.

Finer Points of this Initiative

• To achieve the child development priorities under the SDGs, UNICEF India and NITI Aayog are developing a comprehensive measure to understand the multidimensional attainments and deprivations among children.
• Various parameters that will be considered are - health and nutrition, education, water and sanitation, household living standards; and protective environment.

Approach

• This project will undertake a whole-of-society approach of involving all stakeholders ranging from Union Ministries, State Governments, Civil Society Organizations, and child rights collectives.

Benefit

• This effort will contribute to the realization 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.

India’s Initiative: SDG India Index and Dashboard

• This child-focused SDG initiative builds on India’s effort of monitoring progress through the SDG India Index and Dashboard, brought out by the Niti Aayog - a unique data-driven initiative for triggering policy action.

Why focus on Children is Significant?

• One in every third person in India is a child below the age of 18, while one in every fifth person is an adolescent between the ages of 10 to 19. This process looks forward to engaging with various stakeholders particularly children, adolescents and young people.