UNICEF Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities

EAPRO Regional Workshop - Bangkok

Sharmila Kurukulasuriya [skurukulasuriya@unicef.org]

Policy and Practice, May 2008

Agenda

Context

Child Poverty Network

Methodology

Analysis

Updates

Looking Ahead

Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities

Why focus on child poverty now?

Insufficient attention to child poverty Persistent disparities Emerging risks and new development opportunities Demand for child-focused data – new surveys Exchange of experiences / regional – global

comparisons Strengthening of UN/UNICEF’s contribution to

development discourse Need for child-centred socioeconomic analyses

Context

Regional income poverty

Source: WB, Global Monitoring Report 2008

Introducing the Global Study…

Launched in September 2007– initial results

expected in June/July (first statistical and policy template received from Kyrgyzstan!)

Child poverty from two perspectives: outcomes

and policy with a focus on children left behind National ownership and Independence in Analysis Linking people with complementary expertise and

shared interests and goals National, Regional and Global Analyses

Context

Child Poverty Network

child-poverty@groups.dev-nets.org

43 Participating Countries with a network of over 200 members:Government Ministries - National Statistics Offices - AcademiaThink tanks – NGOs - UN Agencies - UNICEF

Knowledge Sharing Objectives

Provide a forum to exchange ideas on child poverty Exchange comparative experiences and good

practices related to the process, analysis and advocacy of the global study

Link Country teams to cutting edge knowledge and innovations from centres of excellence around the world

Share resources and information on training opportunities, and other events

Child poverty network

Statistical and Policy Templates

To identify linkages between economic and social policy and child outcomes.

Statistical Template: child outcome tabulations and relevant contextual information using data from MICS, DHS or relevant national surveys.

Policy Template: designed to assess existing national efforts aimed at reducing child poverty and disparities.

Focus on five areas of outcomes:1. Income2. Nutrition3. Health4. Child Protection5. Education

Methodology

University of Bristol’s Role in the Study

1) The Bristol University produces a set of tables (20 out of the 45 statistical tables) to support the work of country teams using MICS/DHS data available

2) Discussion is underway with the Bristol team (and other International Partner institutes) on involvement in further support/collaboration

3) The Study uses – among other conceptualizations of child poverty and disparities – the so called “Bristol concept”

Professor David Gordon & Shailen NandySchool for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UKdave.gordon@bristol.ac.uk s.nandy@bristol.ac.uk

Methodology

No Deprivation Extreme Deprivation

Mild Moderate Severe

The “Bristol method” conceptualises deprivations as a continuum which ranges from no deprivation through mild, moderate and severe deprivation to extreme deprivation.

Continuum of deprivation

Based on the 1995 Social Summit declaration the method defined threshold measures of severe deprivation of basic human need for:

1. food2. safe drinking water3. sanitation facilities4. health

5. shelter6. education7. information

Methodology

Operational Definitions of Severe Deprivation of Basic Human Needs for Children

1) Severe Shelter Deprivation – children in dwellings with five or more people per room (severe overcrowding) or with no flooring material (e.g. a mud floor).

2) Severe Water Deprivation - children who only had access to surface water (e.g. rivers) for drinking or who lived in households where the nearest source of water was more than 30 minutes round trip away (e.g. indicators of severe deprivation of water quality or quantity).

3) Severe Deprivation of Sanitation Facilities – children who had no access to a toilet of any kind in the vicinity of their dwelling, e.g. no private or communal toilets or latrines.

4) Severe Information Deprivation – children aged between 3 and 18 with no access to newspapers, radio or television or computers or phones at home.

5) Severe Food Deprivation– severely malnourished children whose heights and weights were more than 3 Standard Deviations below the median of the international reference population e.g. severe anthropometric failure.

6) Severe Health Deprivation – children who had not been immunised against any diseases or young children who had a recent illness and had not received any medical advice or treatment.

7) Severe Education Deprivation – children aged between 7 and 18 who had never been to school and were not currently attending school (e.g. no professional education of any kind

Methodology

Regional income inequality

Source: WB, Global Monitoring Report 2008

OverviewPart One: Children & Development1.1 Children, poverty and disparities1.2 The political, economic and institutional context 1.3 Macroeconomic strategies and resources allocationPart Two: Poverty and Children2.1 Income poverty and deprivations affecting children 2.2 Child survival and equity2.3 Causal analysis: what factors explain the levels and trends in poverty?Part Three: The Pillars of Child Wellbeing3.1 Nutrition 3.2 Health3.3 Child protection 3.4 Education3.5 Social ProtectionPart Four: Addressing Child Poverty and Disparities - A Strategy for Results 4.1 What needs to be done4.2 How it could happenStatistical Annex

Country Analysis: Proposed LayoutAnalysis

Regional Updates

WCARO, CEE/CIS, ESARO (internal) and ROSA have had regional workshops to discuss the global study (MENA and TACRO workshops planned)

New School/UNICEF Conference on Child Poverty (NY) + meeting on global study

Hands-on Training (planned) - tailored technical support (useful?)

TACRO had first technical meeting for their regional report

Additional Countries have joined the study – all are welcome!

Updates

Country - HighlightsSierra Leone FGDs with140 children (boys

and girls), aged 13-17 years Issues: participation, defining

poverty, protection, solutions Findings:

• poverty is getting worse • more children working to

improve earnings • lack of involvement in

decision making• occurrences of sexual abuse,

corporal punishment• children define extreme

poverty as a lack of access to a education

Updates

Kyrgyzstan Quality of education: School age

children show decreasing levels of learning achievements over last seven years

Number of children deprived of parental care has increased in the last 10 years

Children are not explicitly featured in the main policy document

Policy initiatives do not address regional disparities

Information on program effectiveness is not available (coverage, costs, etc.)

Milestones

Sept 07-Jan 08 Country teams Plans

Feb-June 08 National-Regional- Global Workshops

June-July 08 Statistical-Policy Templates

Aug-Sept 08 Draft country analyses, Peer review process, hands-on training

Sept-Oct 08 Final Analysis

Advocacy Strategy

Regional Analyses

Global AnalysesMay-June 08 Data from Bristol

Looking Ahead

Oct 08 - 2009 Advocacy/ Follow-up

Generate new country level evidence Strengthen partnerships, networks Mobilise national interest in child poverty work Focus on children left behind Target key decision makers ADVOCATE FOR POLICY CHANGE

Looking Ahead

Translating evidence-based analysis and partnerships into

results for children

Over the next 2 days…

Taking time out from doing the work, to talk about the work, with the goal of enhancing the analysis

Learning lessons that can shape this region, other regions and the global analyses

Improving support from UNICEF’s regional – global teams and international partners / facilitate networking

Identifying opportunities for sharing and collaboration across countries

Setting an agenda and a strategy for the work ahead Building a global team – building a common

understanding

Looking Ahead

THANK YOU!

Child Poverty Network: email/web/face-to-face child-poverty@dev-nets.org

? Help desk: email globalstudycpd@unicef.org

Contact–focal point HQ: Sharmila Kurukulasuriya (skurukulasuriya@unicef.org)

Global Study Blog: web http://www.unicefglobalstudy.blogspot.com/