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‘A Future for the World's Children’ Report

  • 24 Feb 2020
  • 4 min read

Why in News

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and The Lancet medical journal have released ‘A Future for the World's Children’ report.

  • The report calculates the Flourishing Index and Sustainability Index of 180 countries.
  • India secures 131st rank on a flourishing index that measures the best chance at survival and well-being for children.
  • Further, India ranked 77th on a sustainability index that takes into account per capita carbon emissions and the ability of children in a nation to live healthy lives.

Flourishing Index

  • Methodology:
    • Flourishing is the geometric mean of Surviving and Thriving.
    • The parameter of Surviving considers maternal survival, survival in children younger than 5 years old, suicide, access to maternal and child health services, basic hygiene, sanitation, and lack of extreme poverty.
    • The parameter of Thriving considers educational achievement, growth and nutrition, reproductive freedom, and protection from violence.
  • Global Scenario:
    • Norway leads the table for survival, health, education and nutrition rates - followed by the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands.
    • The Central African Republic, Chad and Somalia rank at the bottom.
    • It also mentioned that the world’s survival depended on children being able to flourish, but no country is doing enough to give them a sustainable future.
  • Marketing of Junk Food:
    • The Index has linked an aspect of harmful marketing of junk food and sugary beverages with the alarming rise in childhood obesity.
    • Thus to protect children, it has called for a new global movement driven by and for children.

Sustainability Index

  • Methodology:
    • The Sustainability Index ranks countries on the basis of excess carbon emissions compared with the 2030 target.
    • It also states that today’s national conditions for children to survive and thrive must not come at the cost of eroding future global conditions for children’s ability to flourish.
  • Global Scenario:
    • The leading countries in the Flourishing Index trail behind in the case of the Sustainability Index, with Norway (156th), the Republic of Korea (166th) and the Netherlands (160th).
      • Each of the three emits 210 per cent more CO2 per capita than their 2030 target.
    • The only countries on track in Flourishing as well as in Sustainability Index are Albania, Armenia, Grenada, Jordan, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay and Vietnam.
    • The lowest emitters are Burundi, Chad and Somalia whereas the U.S, Australia, and Saudi Arabia are among the 10 worst emitters.

Recommendations

  • It suggests the elimination of CO2 emissions with the utmost urgency and requests to place children and adolescents at the centre of global efforts to achieve sustainable development.
  • New policies and investment in all sectors to work towards child health and rights with the incorporation of children’s voices into policy decisions.

Source: TH

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