Samarkand summit opens with calls to turn child pledges into results
UN-backed World Summit Investing in Children's Wellbeing opens in Uzbekistan with 600 participants from over 100 countries as aid declines and SDG progress lags.
The story in focus
A UN-backed summit on children's wellbeing opened in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, drawing more than 600 participants from over 100 countries. Speakers warned that conflict, climate shocks, debt and falling aid threaten child health and welfare, and urged governments to back commitments with budgets and deadlines.
- More than 600 participants from over 100 countries are attending the World Summit Investing in Children's Wellbeing in Samarkand.
- Only 36 per cent of assessable SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress, the General Assembly President said.
- More than 80 per cent of children with cancer are cured in high-income countries, versus below 30 per cent in many low and middle-income countries, according to WHO.
Why the summit is taking place
In a message read at the opening, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said progress on child wellbeing is under threat from conflicts, economic pressures, health emergencies, poverty and climate-related shocks. He noted that humanitarian and development assistance is declining while developing countries carry heavy debt burdens.
The summit is organised by the Government of Uzbekistan with the Office of the UN Special Representative on Violence against Children, UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank. Its focus is on systems working together rather than a single programme.
Calls for financing and deadlines
UN General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said only 36 per cent of assessable SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. He set out four priorities, including putting children before process and matching political promises with financing, responsibility and deadlines.
Uzbekistan's First Lady, Ziroat Mirziyoyeva, said experts expect deaths among children under five to rise in 2025 for the first time this century, calling it a serious warning. She said one billion children grow up in countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Childhood cancer and national progress
The summit includes the Second International Congress on Childhood Cancer. WHO says around 400,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed worldwide each year and aims for a 60 per cent global survival rate by 2030. In Uzbekistan, UN Resident Coordinator Sabine Mahl said preschool enrolment rose from 27 per cent in 2017 to 78 per cent in 2026.
What did the UN Secretary-General say is threatening progress on child wellbeing?
He said conflicts, economic pressures, health emergencies, poverty and climate-related shocks put children at risk, particularly vulnerable groups. He also noted declining humanitarian and development assistance and heavy debt burdens in developing countries.
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