FIJI’S future depends on how well its children are nurtured, protected and supported.
This is the view espoused by Government and UNICEF last week commitments to child wellbeing were renewed during the launch of the Multidimensional Child Poverty in Fiji report.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran said national development must be judged by the lives of its youngest citizens. She reminded stakeholders that progress went beyond economic growth and required strong investment in children’s health, learning and safety.
“The true measure of our nations progress is how our children grow up- healthy, safe, educated and able to pursue their dreams,” she said.
Ms Kiran said families, communities, and institutions all played an important role in shaping children’s futures, and she called for continued co-operation to ensure that every child had the support they needed to thrive.
The report, she added, reinforced the urgency of strengthening systems that protected children and gave them equal opportunities.
UNICEF Pacific Deputy Representative Roshni Basu said children’s experiences of hardship extended far beyond income levels.
“Poverty was not just about how much a family earned,” she said.
“A child’s reality was shaped by many more dimensions.”
The absence of nutritious food, clean water, and a safe place to rest carried lifelong consequences.
“When a child was unable to access nutritious food, clean water or a safe place to sleep, their future was stolen before it ever began.”
Ms Basu said UNICEF stood ready to work alongside Fiji.
“Together with the Government of Fiji and our partners, UNICEF was committed to urgently act on these findings as the cost of waiting was measured in lost childhoods, and every day without action was a day too many.”
