A declaration on investing in child well-being was adopted in Samarkand

Declaration on Investing in Children's Wellbeing Adopted in Samarkand

The World Summit "Investing in Children's Wellbeing" has concluded. At the forum's closing ceremony, Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva, First Deputy Director of the National Social Protection Agency under the President, announced the adoption of the Samarkand Declaration.

The document includes four parts: a shared vision, country commitments, financing, and joint work.

In the first section, the participants rely on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the principle of "leaving no one behind." They recall that children make up one-third of the world's population. Overlapping crises — climate change, conflict, forced displacement, economic pressure, and technological change — exacerbate inequality, and children, who are least responsible for them, suffer the most. A separate point is dedicated to the family: the primary responsibility for upbringing lies with parents or guardians, and states are obliged to assist them in this.

The second section lists eight commitments that countries undertake "taking into account national circumstances, priorities, and capabilities":

The third section is dedicated to financing. Participants recognize that political commitment must be backed by financial commitments. They promise to prioritize public investment in children and gradually increase it in social protection, early childhood development, healthcare, education, and child protection "to the maximum extent of available resources."

Essential services for children are proposed to be preserved even during periods of fiscal constraints. Budgets should become more transparent, and spending on children should be tracked and evaluated, including through data disaggregated by sex, age, and disability. The declaration calls on international financial institutions, development partners, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector to scale up financing, especially for low- and middle-income countries and countries affected by conflict, climate change, and natural disasters.

The fourth section deals with cooperation. Countries commit to sharing data and practical solutions, including through South-South channels, and expanding cooperation in family tracing and reunification in cross-border situations. According to the text of the document, children and adolescents are rights holders and independent agents of change, and their participation in decision-making is proposed to be institutionalized, including in the implementation of the declaration itself.

Every child should grow up healthy and happy in a safe environment, learn, dream, and achieve their goals, emphasized Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva. She called investing in children an investment in the future.

"Children should feel care and attention not tomorrow, but today. Together we will strengthen the child social protection system. We will protect them from any violence. We will create an opportunity for every child to get a good education. We will make sure that medical services are accessible to all children. Together we will fight pediatric oncology. To achieve these goals, we will unite all forces and capabilities. Children expect from us not promises, but practical work," she said.

UNICEF Regional Director for Europe, Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder stated that the declaration sets a common direction. Among its emphases, he named prevention, integrated systems, a strong workforce, and sustainable financing.

Based on the results of the two days, he added, four general conclusions emerged: support is needed from birth to the end of school age, service quality is no less important than coverage, government agencies and budgets must work together, and financing is a matter of priorities and partnership.

World Bank Country Director for Central Asia Naji Benhassine noted that governments today are resource-constrained and forced to choose where to direct them. Against this backdrop, he said, it is important to declare that investing in children's wellbeing is a priority. He also recalled the economic logic: what is missed in the early years of a child's life can no longer be made up.

Benhassine called Samarkand and Uzbekistan a fitting place for such a declaration: it is the land of al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina, and Imam al-Bukhari. He shared that he visited the al-Bukhari mausoleum in Samarkand and learned a story that he called a story of a gifted child. Al-Bukhari lost his father early, and a teacher told his mother that the boy had an extraordinary memory. The mother, raising the family alone, decided to support her son and took him to Medina to study further.

According to Benhassine, it is precisely in such a land of geniuses that such declarations should be adopted so that no child is left without attention. He added that today, thanks to Uzbekistan's investments in higher education, gifted children do not need to go far away for the necessary knowledge.

The main problem identified by the speakers is the gap between promises and their fulfillment.

World Health Organization Representative in Uzbekistan Ashina Khalakdina said that the biggest difficulty is not coming up with new commitments, but fulfilling those already made.

Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children Najat Maalla M'jid gave concrete examples. Countries maintain separate plans on violence, child marriage, and other topics, whereas a single plan for child protection and wellbeing within national development programs is needed. Instead of numerous pilot projects, a sustainable continuum of services is required. Separately, she mentioned protecting children online and the participation of children themselves: they should not be displayed at events, but listened to and engaged.

"Increasing the budget is one thing, but it is very important to track spending and make sure it affects people's lives. We need to ask those who use the services — families, guardians, the most vulnerable children — how they evaluate them and how they can be improved. And last but not least is accountability: we must make sure that everyone who has made a commitment fulfills it," she said.

Over the two days of the summit, three panel sessions on social protection and separate sessions on pediatric oncology and hematology took place, and studies by J-PAL, the World Bank, and UNICEF were discussed. Many documents were signed, including roadmaps and memorandums with other countries, and for a number of projects Uzbekistan is on the verge of starting work with grant funds, reported Mansurbek Olloyorov, Director of the National Social Protection Agency under the President.

UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan Regina Castillo noted that foreign delegations visited the "Inson" center; many were interested in Uzbekistan's experience, and they also shared their own.

The next step is Manila, which will host the second Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in November. Beigbeder and Maalla hope that the Samarkand Declaration will serve as a foundation and a "bridge" for it. The first such conference took place two years ago in Bogotá. In 2027, Uzbekistan plans to host a high-level conference on maternal and child health.

For his achievements, the actor said, he is indebted to his loving parents.

"I grew up in a working-class neighborhood. My father was a school teacher, my mother a painter and photographer. Despite the rather challenging environment of New York, my parents always guided me with love and recognized that artistic curiosity and the desire to create were valuable," he shared.

From this, Brody continued, follows a moral obligation toward other people's children.

"When we give them attention, recognize their value, hear them, and show patience, we give them faith that they can be brave and can be individuals. And that they can have hope in a world that, unfortunately, is fractured. And without that hope, there will be neither prosperity nor unity," he concluded.

He then presented Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva with his painting: before his acting career, he drew and painted. A mouse, Brody explained, is a recurring image in his works: it is his way of speaking about those who are unnoticed and unloved. He drew this parallel with homeless people, people with disabilities, and children who need help.