30 June 2025

The Arab Network for Early Childhood Development (ANECD) has joined the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) and its partners in calling on global stakeholders to prioritize and increase investments in early childhood development.

This joint call to action coincides with the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, taking place in Seville, Spain, from 30 June to 3 July. Governments, financial and trade institutions, businesses, civil society organizations, and UN stakeholders will convene to discuss reforming national and global financing systems and strengthening cooperation to accelerate sustainable development.

ECDAN is urging other networks and colleagues to join this global appeal, emphasizing that by working together, we can significantly improve the lives of young children and their caregivers. Investing in services that enable children to survive, thrive, and reach their full potential is more urgent than ever.

This is a critical moment to reaffirm the importance of early childhood investment as a foundation for building human capital and ensuring that no child is left behind. We have now passed the midpoint in the timeline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet progress has stalled—or even regressed—for many of them. Without a bold shift in investment, strategy, and international collaboration, these goals will remain out of reach, and the consequences will grow increasingly severe.