Major breakthrough for the early years at G20 summit
World leaders meeting at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa (Picture: DIRCO, SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT)
World leaders made a historic commitment to young children at the G20 summit – agreeing to increase investment in early childhood education and childcare.
By putting the early years at the centre of the G20 agenda, leaders recognised that childcare and preschool education are critical for every child to thrive and that investing in them is one of the smartest moves any country can make.
The major breakthrough at the G20 summit in South Africa comes after a year of co-ordinated advocacy by the Act For Early Years campaign, working in partnership with Theirworld, Ilifa Labantwana, Smart Start, the Roger Federer Foundation and the Early Childhood Development Action Network.
These efforts led G20 leaders to understand that the global financing gap on early childhood must be addressed to ensure quality, accessible and affordable early learning and care. They realise that early care and education are drivers of growth, learning outcomes, gender equality, workforce readiness and child wellbeing.
More than half of the world’s children – about 350 million – don’t have access to the childcare they need. And about half of pre-primary aged children aren’t enrolled in any form of early education.
The momentum from the G20 summit now lays the groundwork for real and lasting action at the first-ever International Finance Summit for Early Childhood, to be held in 2027.
South Africa’s consistent leadership this year on the early years has been vital. Siviwe Gwarube, the country’s Minister of Basic Education, summed up that commitment when she said: “We wanted to put early childhood education and care at the centre of G20 priorities… It’s not just social spending, it’s an economic investment.”
Crucial investment in the future of millions of the youngest children was highlighted in the Leaders’ Declaration issued at the end of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, the first one to be held in Africa. It also said investment is needed in the wider care economy and to strengthen social protection for families
The declaration said: “We will advance a comprehensive approach to Early Childhood Care and Education policy development and implementation that engages both government and society, including their shared values and cultures, as a vital investment for a country’s social and economic future.”
It added: “We support greater recognition of the teaching profession, as a way to curb teacher shortages, especially in early and basic education. “
Princess Thandolwenkosi Nkosi, a Theirworld Global Youth Ambassador, speaks at a G20 summit side event
This is the first time since 2020 that early childhood care and education has explicitly been mentioned in the G20 Leaders’ Declaration. It moves the early years into the mainstream and offers an opportunity at the International Finance Summit for Early Childhood in 2027 to advance from recognition towards financing and implementation.
It follows months of advocacy by Act For Early Years. Launched by Theirworld in 2023, the campaign is a growing movement of more than 150 organisations around the world and a high-level advisory group consisting of early childhood networks such as UNICEF, UNESCO, LEGO Foundation, Dubai Cares and Sesame Workshop.
Global Youth Ambassadors from Theirworld made a big impact at the G20 summit by turning up the pressure on leaders to protect the world’s youngest children. On behalf of Act For Early Years, the young advocates appeared at key summit events, including a special one on early childhood. They persuaded leaders to sign the Act For Early Years ‘Minifesto’ – a child sized-document that calls for increased spending on early childhood development and pre-primary education.
Minster Gwarube gave the keynote address at a G20 side event hosted by the Roger Federer Foundation, Brookings, ECDAN and Children20, where a new Learning Brief was shared to influence decision-makers. Speakers came from expert organisations such as Smart Start, Ilifa Labantwana and the African Early Childhood Network.
The brief argues that strategic investment in early childhood can simultaneously advance multiple G20 priorities across several working groups due to its strong short- and long-term returns, and wide social and economic spill-overs.
Also speaking at the event was Theirworld’s South African Global Youth Ambassador Princess Thandolwenkosi Nkosi, who said: “Governments must re-evaluate how important early childhood development is, as tackling the early years crisis can address many issues. When the world fails young children there are huge consequences and our campaign [Act For Early Years] aims to break generational cycles of poverty and inequality.”
The Early Childhood Research Centre at Dublin City University, led by Professor Mathias Urban, Desmond Chair of Early Childhood Education, also contributed key recommendations to inform G20 decision-making through the T20 Thought Leadership programme.
Its policy paper, Early Childhood Care and Education: A Key Pillar for Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability, was adopted as an official T20 policy brief and launched at a side event hosted by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. As Professor Urban noted: “We must reframe early childhood education globally and locally as education for survival, resilience, justice and hope.”
