New Delhi, June 29 (UNI) India is a hub of youth power and has the potential to assist other countries in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), a top UNICEF official said on Thursday.
Sanjay Wijesekara, UNICEF Regional Director of South Asia, who is on a three-day visit to India from June 27, said, "India has the world’s largest child population and therefore plays a pivotal role in shaping future for children in the region and worldwide."
"Over the seven decades, India has been an important partner of UNICEF and it continues to be. It is one of the largest country programmes we have in UNICEF.
I am looking forward to returning to India and witnessing firsthand how UNICEF’s country programme is uplifting children in partnership with the Government of India," he said.
Referring to various programmes, Wijesekara said, "India has implemented some of the world’s largest development programmes and social schemes, with UNICEF as a valuable partner. Swachh Bharat, Jal Jeevan Mission, Ayushman Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and the National Education Policy have been rolled out and scaled up to reach children in remote areas."
"UNICEF is supporting the Prime Minister’s visionary Mission LiFE initiative on climate change. Through the G20 Presidency, Government of India is leading discussions on important global challenges through multilateral cooperation. UNICEF is supporting the dialogue on global sustainable development and child rights," the Regional Director said.
Moreover, India has embraced the localisation of the SDGs, particularly in ensuring that the goals effectively reach the most vulnerable populations, especially children, he added.
Talking about his visit to India, Wijesekara said, "We are here to learn from India’s innovative and scalable models that can assist other countries in achieving the SDGs. For example, we are impressed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Poshan Tracker App, which utilises digital transformation to enhance nutrition and well-being of children."
"In addition, we are honoured to support India’s Presidency of the G20 by assisting various tracks and engagement groups, such as those focused on Health, Education, DRR and Climate, Urban, Youth, and Empower 20 and W20 on empowering women and girls," he said.
The Regional Director said, "We firmly believe that India can reinvigorate the focus on the power of young people and children in advancing the global SDGs, benefitting not only the next Presidency, but also the broader multilateral system."
He also lauded India’s remarkable immunisation efforts, recently recognised in the UNICEF global State of the World’s Children report.
"Since 2020, UNICEF India has been actively engaged in one of the most extensive Covid response efforts in the country. Through accurate information dissemination and support for the largest vaccine drive, UNICEF has reached over 660 million children and their families," he said.
The Regional Director further said, "In the past year alone, we have supported India’s efforts towards pandemic recovery and achieved remarkable results. We have reached over 358 million with vaccination related and Covid sensitive behaviour messages."
"Our vision as a global organisation is to see every child, everywhere, surviving, thriving, well nourished, learning and fulfilling their true potential. We will continue to work hand in hand with the Government of India to achieve that vision," he added.
In response to a question on partnerships with the Centre, Wijesekara said, "Together with the Government, we have set ambitious targets for the next five years. We are thrilled that the Government of India-UNICEF Country Programme Document, endorsed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, has outlined targets for 2027 that hold the potential to address these challenges on a global scale."
"In this endeavour, we are privileged to collaborate with our key partners, particularly our nodal Ministry, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, led by Smriti Irani. We also work closely with the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Jal Shakti, Panchayati Raj, Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Social Justice and Empowerment, Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, as well as NITI Aayog," he added.
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