Future for World's Children report

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