The Weekly Pulse
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News From Organizations and Coalitions in Advocacy for Children and Young People Globally
Vol. 103: The Transforming Education Summit, Organizational Sign-On Letter, & Youth Protection and Safeguarding.
September 26, 2022 CALLS TO ACTION
ChildFund, InterAction, First Focus, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) are requesting organizations to sign onto their organizational sign-on to a letter supporting strong oversight of youth funding by requesting report language in the State, Foreign Operations and Other Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2023 in the House and Senate. The letter to leadership expresses a desire to see this language reflected in the Explanatory Statement that will accompany the final FY 23 SFOPS bill. They hope to “use this letter to not only push for this language reflected but that if and once it is enacted that the report it calls for is created.” If your organization is interested in signing on, please fill out the form by Monday, October 3rd. If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Clement at rclement@childfund.org. USAID is seeking feedback from interested persons, particularly implementing partners and other development stakeholders on its draft guidance “Collecting Feedback from Beneficiaries of Development Programs: A Guide for USAID Implementing Partners.” USAID commissioned this draft guidance document to help USAID implementing partners integrate beneficiary feedback into their USAID-funded development activities. It describes basic concepts of beneficiary feedback and good practices for collecting and responding to it. To review the draft guidance, click here. To provide comments to USAID, please email IndustryLiaison@usaid.gov until the close of business (5:00 p.m. EDT) on October 12, 2022. Please put “Comments on Beneficiary Feedback Guidance” in the subject line of your email. QUICK SUMMARY The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) held its 2022 Forum, which is the “largest global, abstract-driven research and advocacy conference on violence against women and violence against children.” The goal of this forum was to “learn about the newest innovations for prevention and responding to gender-based violence in low- and middle-income countries and to meet some of the most influential researchers and practitioners in the fields of violence against women and violence against children.” There were a multitude of events around children, including events on child marriage, violence against children, and meaningful youth engagement. In addition, the Global Women’s Institute of George Washington University presented awards to A Breeze of Hope for their exceptional work to end child sexual abuse and to the Nicaraguan women political prisoners who are incarcerated for their work on democracy, human rights, and an end to violence against women. To learn more about the award and recipients, click here. To learn more about SVRI and watch forum events, click here. Search for Common Ground and Youth Excel held an event on “Shrinking Civic Spaces Facing Youth: Protecting Young Activists Worldwide.” Hosted by Meghana Srikrishna, Youth, Peace and Security Fellow at Search for Common Ground, this event highlighted the need for youth protection and safeguards when advocating for social change, especially around climate change and gender-based violence. Nikki Enersen, Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development, leads the Children, Youth, and Families team, the Indigenous Peoples Program, and is the acting deputy director for the Inclusive Development Hub. She acknowledged the risks youth take when taking on humanitarian and development projects and highlighted that the burden should not be on youth leaders. Civil spaces for youth have shrunk globally due to COVID, which has increased the need for youth engagement, consultation, and participation. Participants heard from many youth voices, including Dumiso Gatsha, Founder and Director of Success Capital Organisation, and Catherine Mootian, Founder and Director of Girls Redefined. Dumiso emphasized the importance of story-telling as an evidence-building tool, eliminating harmful gender norms, and addressing legal loopholes. Catherine spoke on her experience living and growing up in Kenya. Where she is from, elders do not engage with youth. Youth are not seen as partners. She also emphasized the need for education, especially around gender-based violence. Some people do not know what gender-based violence is and that they are experiencing it. To learn more about this event and Youth Excel, click here. SPOTLIGHT: U.N. TRANSFORMING EDUCATION SUMMIT
The UN Transforming Education Summit kicked off the UNGA 71 session with attendance from organizations, governments, activists, and youth from around the world. The summit provided a “unique opportunity to elevate education to the top of the global political agenda and to mobilize action, ambition, solidarity, and solutions to recover pandemic-related learning losses and sow the seeds to transform education in a rapidly changing world.” Notable speakers included UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, U.S. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and many more world leaders. Youth were at the forefront of the Summit. With the help of the Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, youth from around the world wrote the Youth Declaration. It is presented as “young people’s inputs to the Transforming Education Summit Chair Summary/Secretary-General’s Vision Statement. Its aim is to drive political commitment on the need to transform education and build young people’s ownership over this process.” In the Youth Declaration, there is a list of 25 demands that youth are calling on world leaders to address. To read the Youth Declaration, click here. 
Throughout the TES, there were many sessions and events covering all aspects of education globally. Anny Lin, Student Fellow at Global Campaign for Education-US spoke with world leaders during the "Education financing observatory: setting the grounds for sustainable, fair and inclusive financing." This session responds to the call for action of Action Track 5 and proposes to scale up a specific initiative on Education financing data and accountability (Action Area 3) called "Education Financing Observatory", developed by the Global Campaign for Education. The session brought together diverse voices to discuss alternative pathways for more sustainable, fair, and inclusive education financing. Anny emphasized the need for gender and disability inclusive transformative education. She highlighted that “when we talk about transforming education, we must use an intersectional lens.” She called on world leaders to incorporate a “whole-child support approach. Not just in programming, but also in financing. If a child lacks nutrition, housing, and health services, how can we expect them to be able to learn in school?” To watch and hear her full statement, please use this link here and scroll to timestamp 3:25:22.
EVENTS
REPORTS, ARTICLES, & RESOURCES
For more information, visit the Children’s Policy and Funding Initiative website: www.childrensinitiative.net |
ARCHIVED NEWSLETTERS
SEPTEMBER 2022
Vol. 103: The Transforming Education Summit, Organizational Sign-On Letter, & Youth Protection and Safeguarding. Vol. 102: UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Together for Girls Report, and CPFI Youth Alliance Working Group Update Vol. 101: UNDP Report, Updated COVID-19 Orphan numbers, & Lancet Report. Vol. 100: First Focus Sign-On Letter, U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, & The End Tuberculosis Now Act of 2022. AUGUST 2022 Vol. 99: GCE-US OMB Letter, WHO Youth Council, & New UNICEF publication. Vol. 98: First Focus backgrounder, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) brief, & Event on Youth Perspectives on the Nexus of Climate and Peacebuilding Vol. 97: Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council, International Youth Day 2022, & Biden’s Africa Agenda. Vol. 96: The Children’s Safe Welcome Act, Washington Post Op-Ed, & USAID Policy Framework: Draft for Comment virtual event. Vol. 95: Keeping Girls in School Act MarkUp, USAID Policy Framework draft, & various House and Senate Foreign Affairs hearings. JULY 2022 Vol. 94: Global Education Advocacy Day, The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, & U.S. Department of State report. Vol. 93: The Brave Movement, the Youth Alliance Working Group, & Devex World 2022. Vol. 92: Devex & The Hill Op-Eds, G7 Summit Final Communique, and How to Child Rights Event. Vol. 91: International Children with Disabilities Protection Act, Reach Every Mother and Child Act (Reach Act), USAID Humanitarian Policy, & G7 Summit. JUNE 2022 Vol. 90: The FY 23 House of Representatives State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill, International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict (IDESVC), & USAID comments on US Global Water Strategy draft. Vol. 89: U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Hearing, Together to #ENDviolence Leaders Event, & Children’s Week 2022. Vol. 88: FY 2023 President’s Budget Request and Congressional Budget Justification Appendix 2, USAID Menstrual Health and Hygiene guidance, & USAID’s Leading Through Learning Global Platform. Vol. 87: First Focus Legislative Scorecard, Youth Alliance Working Group, & United Nations held the 90th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. MAY 2022 Vol. 86: Devex Op-Ed, Grantee Language during Fiscal Year 2023 USAID Budget Request Committee Hearing, & Reactions to Texas School Shooting. Vol. 85: The G7 Foreign Ministers statement on Afghan Women and Girls, The Hill Op-Ed, & House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on USAID’s FY23 Budget Request. Vol. 84: Children’s Policy & Funding Initiative POTUS Letter, White House 2nd COVID-19 Summit & Thrive Coalition Positive Parenting Event. Vol. 83: Dangers Facing Children with Disabilities in Ukraine’s Orphanages, USAID Youth in Development Policy 2022-2030, & International Basic Education Letter. Vol. 82: First Focus Letter & COVID Event, USAID Child Care Event, and Funding & Professional Opportunity. APRIL 2022 Vol. 81: Sign-On Letters, Choose to Invest in Development and Humanitarian Action report for FY 2023, and The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum. Vol. 80: Global Action Week for Education, Elevate Children Funders Group (ECFG) Consultancies, & U.S. Department of State 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Vol 79: USAID calls for comments, Global Campaign for Education-US (GCE-US) sign-on letter, & Mainstreaming Youth, Peace and Security in the United States. Vol. 78: Children's Policy & Funding Initiative Presidential Letter and Youth Alliance Working Group,, Biden Administration Budget Request, and the READ Act Reauthorization, Landmark CSA Case at Inter-American Court. MARCH 2022 Vol. 77: What Kids Want Congress to Know, InterAction statement on the FY 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, & Ukraine. Vol. 76: FY 2023 SFOPS GBV Appropriations Request, FY 2022 Humanitarian Account, President's remarks on GBV, Advocacy on Ukraine, Syria, and Online Abuse. Vol. 75: UNICEF Executive Director Interviewed on MSNBC, USAID's $2.6B requests for Gender Equality and Equity, & Annual Day of the Right of the Child. Vol. 74: Children's and Youth Community Appropriations Letter FY23, First Focus Letter to Biden-Harris Administration, President Biden's address at the State of the Union & Children in Ukraine. FEBRUARY 2022 Vol. 73: Crisis in Ukraine & The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security Virtual Event. Vol. 72: Children and Youth Sign-On Letter, Updated Caregiver Loss Numbers, & Global Disability Summit 2022. Vol. 71: USAID 2022 Protecting Children and Youth from Digital Harm Symposium, Human Rights Watch, * Professional & Funding Opportunities. Vol. 70: Devex article on Online Sexual Abuse of Children, NGO Community’s Response to USAID’s Climate Strategy, & United States GBV Strategy. JANUARY 2022 Vol. 69: Increase in Child Sexual Abuse, Rise in Violations Against Children in Conflict, & the State of Community-led Development. Vol. 68: 25th Anniversary of the Children and Armed Conflict Mandate, Global Vaccine Deliveries, & the High Level Global Conference on Youth Inclusive Peace Processes. Vol. 67: Anniversary of the Thrive Act, Global School Closures, the MINDS Act, & USAID Global LEAD Toolkit Launch. Vol. 66: Human Trafficking Prevention Month, New UNICEF Executive Director & Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity (APCCA) Civil Society Convening. |
