The UN-backed World Summit Investing in Children’s Wellbeing opened on Wednesday, bringing together more than 600 participants from over 100 countries.
A child’s wellbeing depends on many factors, including health, access to education, protection from violence, family support and access to help when they need it.
Progress in peril
In a message to the summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that “when we invest in children, we invest in the future”.
The Secretary-General’s message was read at the opening by Sabine Mahl, the UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan.
Mr. Guterres warned that progress on child wellbeing is under threat. Conflicts, economic pressures, health emergencies, poverty and climate-related shocks put children at risk, particularly those from vulnerable groups.
He also noted that humanitarian and development assistance is declining, while developing countries continue to carry heavy debt burdens, which is why the summit is focusing not on a single programme or service, but on systems that need to work together.
Put children before process
Addressing the summit, Khalilur Rahman, the President of the UN General Assembly, called for a sharper focus on turning commitments to children into tangible results, declaring that “a target matters when a child eats, learns, receives treatment and returns home safely.” With only 36 per cent of assessable Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) targets on track or making moderate progress, he urged countries to accelerate collective action rather than lower their ambitions.
He set out four priorities: put children before process; build services and social protection around their needs; reach those furthest behind; and match political promises with financing, responsibility and deadlines. He also called for child-centred approaches to artificial intelligence and other technologies, saying digital transformation should expand opportunity while protecting children from exploitation, discrimination, manipulation and privacy violations.
The Assembly President argued that governments should judge progress not simply by improving averages but by closing gaps for children most at risk, including those living in poverty, with disabilities, on the move or affected by conflict and climate shocks. And he challenged governments to make their commitments visible in their budgets: “A declaration cannot vaccinate a child. A promise itself cannot pay a teacher. Applause itself cannot purchase cancer medicines.”
‘A serious warning’
The summit was organized by the Government of Uzbekistan in partnership with the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, child rights agency UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank.
Minsters, academics and experts are taking part along with civil society and business representatives – as well as children and adolescents themselves.
Uzbekistan’s First Lady Ziroat Mirziyoyeva said that, according to experts, amid a sharp decline in international humanitarian assistance, the number of deaths among children under five is expected to rise in 2025 for the first time this century.
“This is a serious warning to us all,” she said. Ms. Mirziyoyeva also noted that one billion children are growing up in countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
National priority
In Uzbekistan, where more than half the population is under 30, children’s wellbeing is a government priority. This agenda, actively supported by UN agencies, is also linked to changes in social services and access to early education.
According to UN Resident Coordinator Mahl, preschool enrolment in Uzbekistan has risen from 27 per cent in 2017 to 78 per cent in 2026.
More than 10,000 children with disabilities attend mainstream schools and about 1.5 million families receive social assistance.
UNICEF says the share of children living in monetary poverty has fallen significantly, in part thanks to government social support.
In 2025, the country adopted a law to protect children from all forms of violence, as well as an action strategy for 2026–2030.
Childhood cancer: tackling inequality
The Samarkand summit also includes the Second International Congress on Childhood Cancer – “From Cure to Wellbeing” – dedicated to paediatric oncology and haematology.
According to WHO, more than 80 per cent of children with cancer are cured in high-income countries, while the figure is below 30 per cent in many low and middle-income countries.
In his message, the UN Secretary-General called this “an unacceptable inequality driven by inadequate investment and weak social services.”
Cancer is diagnosed in around 400,000 children and adolescents worldwide each year. WHO aims to increase the global survival rate to 60 per cent by 2030.
Children with cancer need more than medical treatment. The State-sponsored institution Mehrli Maktab – which means “caring school” in Uzbek – operates at the Scientific and Practical Medical Centre for Paediatric Oncology, Haematology and Immunology in the capital Tashkent.
Children aged two to 18 can continue their education there during lengthy treatment, studying mathematics, information technology, electronics, music and other subjects.
They make friends and can discover new interests – many return after completing treatment to see their former classmates. Some former students also attended the summit to share their experiences.
Organizers gave prominence to the voices of other children and adolescents. As Najat Maalla M’jid, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, put it: “They have voices, ideas, expertise, and urgency.”
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- UN News Service
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