Photo by: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its Goodwill Ambassador and international pop star Shakira urged global leaders today September 22 2015 to invest heavily in early childhood development in the wake of new science that is creating a revolutionary shift in understanding the lasting effects of deprivation and stress on the developing brains of young children.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking at an event on “Investing in Early Childhood Development as the Foundation for Sustainable Development,” said “too many countries have yet to make early childhood development a priority.”
Ban said “we need to invest more, not just in education, but in health and protection,” in particular targeting “children in the poorest communities and countries, children from ethnic minorities and other marginalized groups, children with disabilities.”
Shakira stressed that early childhood years “are crucial in the development of the human brain”
“The first years of life are crucial, are crucial in the development of the human brain. And the advances in neuroscience are revealing striking information, striking discoveries about how early experiences in the first five years of life can have a huge impact on the developing brain of a child, and repercussions that can last the whole lifetime.”
She noted that “advances in neuroscience are revealing striking information, striking discoveries about how early experiences in the first five years of life can have a huge impact on the developing brain of a child, and repercussions that can last the whole lifetime.”
At a later press conference, the Colombian international pop star said investing in Early Childhood Development (ECD) “boosts economic growth, it offsets inequality, and it helps eliminate crime and violence.”
“Investing in ECD boosts economic growth, it offsets inequality, and it helps eliminate crime and violence. So, it really, it really works and it is without a doubt the most effective way to guarantee a more stable world, a more peaceful world, and a more prosperous world.”
She added that it is “without a doubt the most effective way to guarantee a more stable world, a more peaceful world, and a more prosperous world.”
Speaking about the war in Syria and the subsequent refugee crisis, Shakira, who has roots in the Middle East, said it was “without a doubt one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our time.”
“It is without a doubt one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our time, and the image of that little boy washed up on the shores is a tragic one and one that we shouldn’t ignore and shouldn’t forget. And it should humanize the plight of the refugees, because children should not pay the price of war and because all of us have a responsibility today and we cannot escape it.”
She said “children should not pay the price of war and because all of us have a responsibility today and we cannot escape it.”
She called for countries to be more receptive of refugees and sang a line from John Lennon’s song Imagine.
According to UNICEF, brain development is most intense during early childhood, with nearly 1,000 neural connections happening every second. These early synaptic connections form the basis of a child’s health and wellbeing, including the lifelong capacity to learn, adapt to change, and handle adversity.
Photo by: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
Yet nearly one-third of all children under five years of age in lower- and middle-income countries are reportedly growing up in environments and situations that can interfere with this period of rapid growth and development.
Meanwhile, new scientific research shows that the developing brains of young children are as affected by environmental factors as they are by genetics. Inadequate nutrition, lack of stimulation, and toxic stress all can have a negative impact on brain development.
Photo byt: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
But it also shows that early, cost-effective interventions, such as encouraging breast feeding, or reading and playing with young children, as well as formal early education programmes, all support healthier brain development.
Source: UNTV and EuropaNewswire