Pacific Islands Forum Chair and Prime Minister, Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama was today recognised as the Pacific Regional Champion for Early Childhood Development (ECD) by the Pacific Regional Council for Early Childhood Development (PRC4ECD). In her remarks, Samoan Prime Minister Mata’afa said, “Ensuring a better future for the youngest citizens of the Blue Pacific requires a whole of society approach- across all generations and integrated into all sectors that address the key pillars of sustainable development and involving all stakeholders. Samoa is proud to co-chair with Fiji for the Pacific Council for Early Childhood Development.“I congratulate the Council and commend the leadership of its fifteen member countries on their progress thus far. I also want to thank our development partners, UNICEF and the World Bank, and our fellow Forum member governments, Australia and New Zealand. Their technical expertise and guidance provide us with the momentum to make real change,” Prime Minister said. The launching complements the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, which recognises that, “Our Children are our Leaders of Tomorrow” and that children’s empowerment is of paramount importance in realising the core objectives of 2050 Strategy. “I commend the work of my fellow Pacific Leaders in supporting their countries’ progress in securing policy and investment designed to meet the needs of their young; and I look forward to many more years of collaboration, as we protect the aspirations of Our Children Today; and help them become Our Leaders of Tomorrow.”The Prime Minister said that if we want resilient communities, we must invest in children today. “This is why I am honored today to accept the Council’s invitation to serve as Pacific Champion for Early Childhood Development. I have six children, nineteen grandchildren, and very recently became a great grandfather – so I guess you could say I qualify for the job!In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Bainimarama said, “As the Council implements its Pasifika Call to Action on Early Childhood Development, the Pacific Child website launched today will be an indispensable platform for countries to exchange information and resources. It will directly support our nations in coordinating our investment priorities, as well as our action. All geared towards ensuring our young children reach their full potential. At the occasion, the Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to collectively coordinate and collaborate towards investing in the empowerment of young children for more resilient, inclusive and prosperous societies. The PRC4ECD was established in 2019 with the 15 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) committing to multi-sectoral action for young children. This announcement was made at the official launching of the program called, “Our Children Today, Our Leaders Tomorrow.” The launching included new PRC4ECD website, Communications Plan and PRC4ECD’s Commitment to Climate Change, as part of this week’s 51st Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting held in Suva and ahead of the 2050 Strategy launching scheduled for this Thursday. PRC4ECD is the only intergovernmental unit for Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the world, with representations from the PICs, with UNICEF Pacific as the Secretariat of the Council, with its role in advocating for the rights of children and promoting ECD in the region.The launch was officiated by Prime Minister Bainimarama together with Prime Minister of Samoa, Hon Fiamè Naomi Mata’afa.
