‘A Future for the World's Children’ Report | 24 Feb 2020

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 131^st rank on a flourishing index that measures the best chance at survival and well-being for children.
• Further, India ranked 77^th 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 (156^th), the Republic of Korea (166^th) and the Netherlands (160^th).
    
    • 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