The Weekly Pulse

News From Organizations and Coalitions in Advocacy for Children and Young People Globally
Volume 271

April 3, 2026
Quick Summary

First Lady hosts summit on children and technology: On March 24-25, US First Lady Melania Trump hosted representatives from 45 countries and 18 technology companies for a 2-day summit on empowering children through technology (The Hill; Reuters). She called for countries to improve access to education and technology for children around the world at the Global Coalition Summit, part of her Fostering the Future Initiative, announced at the UN General Assembly meeting last autumn. The summit was built on a November 13 Executive Order, which “unites Federal resources with innovative public- and private-sector partnerships to provide more pathways to success for young people who have experienced foster care” (press release).

Two landmark jury trials in the US found social media companies liable for damages caused to children: On March 24, a New Mexico jury fined Meta $375m (£280m) for enabling harm, including child sexual exploitation, on its platforms and for misleading consumers about their safety (The Guardian; The New York Times). The next day, March 25, jurors in California found Meta and YouTube financially liable for deliberately designing addictive products that hooked a young user and led to her being harmed (The Guardian; NPR; The New York Times). This has significant implications for thousands of other US cases alleging that platform design causes harm.

Commentary and analysis on the cases:
  • Brave Movement blog, “Safety by design: A turning point for accountability in the digital age.”
  • The Conversation article, “Landmark lawsuit finds that social media addiction is a feature, not a bug.”
  • Reuters article, “What comes next after the social media trial verdicts?”
  • The Conversation article, “Two verdicts in two days: How American courts are rewriting the rules for Big Tech and children.”
  • The Guardian opinion piece, “At last, David has landed a double punch on the tech Goliaths. Now to hit them even harder.”

Study shows maternal mortality rises with implementation of Mexico City Policy: A study published in the BMJ Global Health medical journal on March 24 found that cuts to family planning foreign assistance under presidents who implement the Mexico City Policy are linked to an 11% increase in deaths during pregnancy and childbirth in some countries. The authors stated, “We estimate that a switch from a Democratic to a Republican administration, for a country with above median reliance on US family planning aid, is associated with an additional 44.7 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births—an increase of 10.5%. This erodes roughly one-fifth of the average worldwide decline in maternal mortality achieved since 1985.” Read more at The Guardian.

State to support new assistance for forcibly transferred Ukrainian children: On March 26, the US State Department announced that, in coordination with Congress, it will commit $25 million in new assistance to support the identification, return, and rehabilitation of Ukrainian children and youth who have been forcibly transferred or otherwise held away from their families and communities.

House committee passes bill on locally-led development: On March 26, the HFAC House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a bill called the "Locally Led Development and Humanitarian Response Act" (H.R. 6196), authored by Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) and Young Kim (R-CA). The legislation would make U.S. foreign assistance more effective and sustainable by helping shift more resources and decision-making power to local partners. The move was applauded by the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network. Read more about the legislation and other developments in foreign assistance in the Devex article, “Big day on Capitol Hill for US foreign assistance.” 

Child Partnership State of the World’s Children: Futures Without Violence published a blog on March 27 summarizing the Child Partnership’s March 19 briefing on Capitol Hill, “State of the World’s Children.” The event included opening comments by Charles Harder, the US Special Envoy for Best Future Generations, and remarks by leadership from global NGOs and foundations. See The Weekly Pulse Vol 270 for the previous update. 

Supreme Court rejects Colorado conversion ban: On March 31, the US Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law that prohibited mental health professionals from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ minors in an 8-1 decision. The Court said the decision was based on free speech. Read more at the BBC and The New York Times.

European Parliament blocks internet providers from scanning for child sexual abuse materials: The EU parliament voted down rules that would allow technology companies to scan for child abuse online on March 26. (See The Weekly Pulse Vol. 270 for background, including statements from children’s organisations and tech companies opposing the move.) According to the Internet Watch Foundation, “From 3 April, the EU will become the only jurisdiction in the world where companies will not have legal certainty to search for child sexual abuse material on their platforms.” The Brave Movement issued a statement calling the move “a step backward in the global effort to protect children from sexual violence online” and called on the EU to restore a legal pathway for detection and reporting and create a strong, long-term regulatory framework grounded in evidence and survivor experience. On 1 April, nearly 250 civil society organizations condemned EU policymakers' failure, and 10 technology companies issued a joint statement calling for a durable legislative framework and warning that the impact of the EU decision will not stop at EU borders.

Middle East conflict: The ongoing military conflict in the Middle East, which started on February 28 with US and Israeli bombing of Iran and retaliatory attacks across the Middle East by Iran, has led to devastating impacts across the region for children. See The Weekly Pulse Volumes 268, 269, and 270 for previous updates.
  • UNICEF marked one month of war in the Middle East by noting that More than 340 children have reportedly been killed and thousands injured, and more than 1.2 million children have been displaced. They estimate that disruptions across procurement, production, and transport caused by the conflicts could result in delays of up to six months for critical supplies to reach countries across the globe. They noted that in the first three weeks, more than 370,000 children were forced out of their homes in Lebanon, an average of at least 19,000 girls and boys displaced every single day. See also Save the Children’s press release on the situation of children in Lebanon.
  • World Vision released a policy brief finding that hunger across parts of the Middle East and Eastern Europe is increasingly driven by economic exclusion and systemic failures rather than a lack of food availability
  • The Associated Press reported that humanitarian organizations, already under intense strain because of the United States’ steep cuts to foreign aid, say they are scrambling to find the funds needed to respond to the war in the Middle East.
  • Human Rights Watch reported that Iran is conducting a campaign to recruit children as young as 12 to volunteer to become “homeland defending combatants,” a violation of international law. Plan International condemned the reported recruitment of children.
  • ​The International Rescue Committee released a new assessment warning that Gaza’s children face grave protection risks following war and family separation.
EVENTS
  • 5th International Conference on Early Childhood Development. April 7-8. Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • NEW: To Zero and Spitfire Strategies Learning Lab series, “Learning Lab #3 - Messaging for Prevention: Overcoming Opposition, Creating Hope.” 9 April.
  • NEW: Devex and The Audacious Project webinar, “From Bold Ideas to Global Impact: How Collaborative Philanthropy Fuels Change.” April 9.
  • TheirWorld, Act for Early Years, and UNICEF high-level, in-person event during the World Bank and IMF meetings, “International Financing Summit for Early Childhood in 2027.” April 14. Washington, DC, USA.
  • NEW: ISPCAN webinar, “A Decade of INSPIRE – Evidence in Action to End Violence Against Children.” April 14.
  • NEW: World Forum Foundation conference, “World Forum on Early Care and Education.” April 14-17. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum. April 14-16. New York, USA.
  • Global Youth-Led Movement on Ending Violence Against Children youth-led summit in preparation for the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, “Youth-Led Summit on Ending Violence Against Children.” April 14-16, Rizal, Philippines 
  • Ariadne European Funders for Social Change and Human Rights annual reconnect conference, “When the ground shifts: Philanthropy with Purpose.” April 14-16. Bologna, Italy.
  • The Children's Rights Innovation Fund online film screening of “The Tiny Cave and the Magnificent Creatures,” exploring how funding systems can narrow both young changemakers and those seeking to support them. April 15.
  • Center for Global Development hybrid event, “Rewriting the Case for Aid: Purpose, Priorities and Political Realities.” April 15. Washington, DC, USA & online.
  • NEW: Action Against Hunger Canada through the Global Nutrition Cluster, webinar, “Delivering Lifesaving Nutrition and Lasting Impact.” April 16.
  • Brookings global symposium series, “Collaborative Research and Action for Education Systems Transformation.” Washington, DC, USA: April 20. Mexico City, Mexico: June 2026. Nairobi, Kenya: July 2026. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: August 26. 
  • NEW: Transforming Children’s Care Collaborative’s Reforming Care Systems series webinar, “Ground Level Systems Change and National Realities.” April 22.
  • NEW: World Health Organization, Child Health Task Force, and Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) webinar, “The role of the health sector in supporting parents and their caregiving potential.” April 22.
  • Georgetown Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues in-person event, “Engaging Young People As Partners in Policy and Practice: Lessons from 25 Years of Global Youth Development and the Path Forward.” April 24. Washington, DC, USA.
  • NEW: Grantmakers for Thriving Youth webinar, “Beyond Collaboration: Supporting Youth Thriving in Uncertain Times.” April 27.
  • Women Deliver 2026 conference, April 27-30. Melbourne, Australia.
  • RightsCon annual conference, May 5-8. Zambia and online.
  • Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), together with the Government of Rwanda, UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, and the Africa Early Childhood Network conference, “Investing in the Early Years: A Global Technical Financing Forum.” May 6-8. Kigali, Rwanda.
  • United Nations live event and webcast, “International Day Of Families 2026: Families, Inequalities and Child Wellbeing.” May 15.
  • UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; South Africa; British International Investment; and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation conference, “Global Partnerships Conference,” on the future of international development to drive shared growth and prosperity and tackle global challenges head-on. May 19-20, London, UK.
  • #Eval4Action campaign digital convening, “Youth in Evaluation Forum 2026.” May 19-21.
  • Equimundo and WOW – Women of the World conference, “MenCare Changemaker Summit 2026.” May 27-30, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 
  • NEW: International Justice Mission Advocacy Summit. June 1-2, Washington, DC, USA.
  • NEW: The Society for Global Flourishing and multiple partners hybrid conference, “Global Summit 2026: Fostering Hope for Children.” June 1-2. Patristic Institute Augustinianum, Vatican City.
  • The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action 2026 Annual Meeting for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action: Child Protection in a Resource-Constrained World. June 8-11. Online. 
  • Governments of Italy and Nigeria, and the Global Partnership for Education, conference, “Multiply Possibility - Global Education Summit 2026.” June 9, Rome, Italy.
  • Eurochild 2026 Conference on Social Protection Systems. June 16–17. Paphos, Cyprus.
  • Government of Uganda and IPSCAN policy forum, “Africa Regional Rise Up Policy Forum and Huddle.” June 24-26, Kampala, Uganda.
  • ISPCAN conference, “Transforming Approaches to Safety and Healing.” August 24-27. Melbourne, Australia.
  • Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum 2026. October 5-9. Bangkok, Thailand. Abstracts due January 30.
  • ISSA 2026 conference, “Integrated Early Childhood Systems for Every Child’s Wellbeing.” October 22-23. Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Second Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, November 2026. Manila, Philippines.

LEARN MORE

​​​Blogs, articles, and statements
  • Futures Without Violence blog, “We’re Asking the Wrong Question About Young Men & AI.”
  • International Justice Mission blog, “When Technology Changes Faster Than the Laws Protecting Children.”
  • NPR article, “Babies are an afterthought in the birthright citizenship case, advocates say.”
  • The Guardian article, “Danger after disaster: why emergencies come with increased risks for women.”
  • World Health Organization press release, “Children’s Investment Fund Foundation backs science with funding commitment for sexual and reproductive rights.”
  • Devex article, “Philanthropy in aid is growing — and it's billions more than we thought: Local philanthropy for development is bigger than previously reported, a new OECD report shows.”
  • New York Times article, “How U.S.A.I.D. Birth Control Meant for Africa Was Ruined.”
  • UNICEF data blog, “Beyond the Classroom: Using household surveys to measure learning.”
  • Center for Global Development blog, “Are Aid Agencies Paying Attention to What Works in Education?”
  • Stanford Social Innovation Review article, “Development Impact Bonds for Maternal and Child Health.”
  • Global Campaign for Education-US blog, “A Journey of Solidarity: Education, Resilience, and Reality in El Salvador.”
  • First Focus on Children blog, “Will Congress attack hungry children again, this time to pay for one hour of war in Iran?”
  • Global Partnership for Education blog series, “From barriers to breakthroughs: Transforming education for every girl.”
  • Child Rights International Network blog, “CRIN’s Climate Advisers look back at the UN Environment Assembly.”
  • Devex article, “Special edition: Moving mother and child health ‘into the fast lane’.”
  • Devex article, “UNFPA–UN Women merger ‘technically feasible,’ according to UN80.”
  • Together for Girls/UNESCO blog, “Breaking new ground in measuring school-related gender-based violence.”

Papers, reports, and resources
  • International Education Funders Group report, “Unpacking the Silence: How education funders engage with school violence.”
  • OECD report, “Private Philanthropy for Development: Taking Stock of Philanthropy’s Contribution to Development.”
  • Center for Global Development policy paper, “What Will It Mean for Development Agencies to Be Effective in the Years Ahead?”
  • The Lancet journal article, “Safe spaces for adolescent girls: a panacea or platform?”
  • The Pontifical Academy of Sciences book, “Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children: A Common Commitment for Safeguarding Children: Proceedings of Workshop 21-22 March 2025.”
  • Trauma, Violence, and Abuse journal article, “Conditions of Safety: A Systematic Review of Safeguarding Models and Concepts for Preventing Organizational Child Sexual Abuse.” 
  • Child Protection and Practice special issue, “Honouring Child and Youth Voices and Right to Participation in Child Protection Research and Practice.”
  • Global Fund for Children “Inclusive Language Guide: Guide for Embedding Asset-Framing Principles in Our Fundraising and Communications.”
  • Child Rights Connect report, "Digital Protection of Child Human Rights Defenders — Survey Outcomes for Children and Young People."
  • UNICEF paper, “From Children’s Voices to Action: A youth-led roadmap to realize the best interests of children in the digital environment.”
  • UNICEF rapid analysis, “Drawing a Line in Digital Spaces: Age-based restriction of social media.”
  • Brookings research, “When communities align: Shared priorities and educational transformation in Peru.”
  • UNICEF report, “Learning Together Data Must Speak: Reflections from co-creating education research across 15 countries.”

Watch & Listen
  • Global Parenting Initiative webinar recording, “Supporting Parents Under Pressure: Integrating Parenting and Psychosocial Support in Crisis Settings.”
  • First Focus on Children podcast, “ How OLÉ Helped Secure Universal Child Care in New Mexico.”
  • Sexual Violence Research Initiative Podcast, “Preventing Harmful Sexual Behaviour Among Children.”
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The Initiative's weekly newsletter is a collection of updates on coalitions, networks, and organizations that advocate for the U.S. government to support children and young people globally.
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