Children in the Pacific
UNICEF is Banging the Drum for children and young people in the Pacific.
We want leaders in the Pacific region to (1) invest in health and education (2) build the capacity and skills of young people and (3) give young people a voice in decision-making.
STATE OF PACIFIC YOUTH
The State of Pacific Youth 2011 report by UNICEF Pacific and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) warns that not investing in youth NOW means risking the capacity of Pacific Island countries to escape dependence on aid, to develop economically and, in some cases, remain viable as societies.
Young people (15- 24 years) account for one fifth of the Pacific population and one-third of the adult working population.
Pacific youth have the potential to contribute to the economic and social development of their nations and communities – but only if they are given the chance to become better educated, healthier, and to engage in useful and meaningful work.
TAKING IT TO PACIFIC LEADERS
At the 2011 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting, UNICEF
and the SPC presented regional
governments with the new information from the State of Pacific Youth 2011 report describing the challenges facing
Pacific youth and the long-term strategies and investment needed to
build their resilience and realise their potential.
The report will feed directly into the development of a new Pacific Youth Strategy based on further research and lobbying of Pacific leaders to accelerate investment in young people.
POVERTY IN THE PACIFIC?
'Poverty' is not a word you might normally associate with the picture-perfect images of the Pacific Islands, yet one in four households - and almost one third of the population - is living below national poverty lines.
Now these families face futher hardship as soaring food and fuel prices impact on household budgets - putting children's health and development at risk.
Poverty in a Pacific context means not having enough money to buy the things you need, to send your kids to school – even to maintain a nutritious diet. It’s about a lack of opportunity: to find a job, to get a good education, to access health services. That’s the reality for many families living in poorer communities in remote rural villages and squatter settlements on the outskirts of towns and cities in the Pacific.
UNICEF's monitoring of vulnerable communities in six Pacific countries shows that the Global Economic Crisis is still affecting families, through increased unemployment and falling household incomes.
Food prices have increased dramatically in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu and families are resorting to eating fewer and less nutritious meals.
Children are not going to school in Tonga and Vanuatu because their parents can’t afford the fees. Domestic violence is rising across the region because of financial pressures. Young people in some communities are having to resort to petty crime and transactional sex to support themselves.
We want leaders in the Pacific region to (1) invest in health and education (2) build the capacity and skills of young people and (3) give young people a voice in decision-making.
STATE OF PACIFIC YOUTH
The State of Pacific Youth 2011 report by UNICEF Pacific and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) warns that not investing in youth NOW means risking the capacity of Pacific Island countries to escape dependence on aid, to develop economically and, in some cases, remain viable as societies.
Young people (15- 24 years) account for one fifth of the Pacific population and one-third of the adult working population.
Pacific youth have the potential to contribute to the economic and social development of their nations and communities – but only if they are given the chance to become better educated, healthier, and to engage in useful and meaningful work.
TAKING IT TO PACIFIC LEADERS
At the 2011 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting, UNICEF
and the SPC presented regional
governments with the new information from the State of Pacific Youth 2011 report describing the challenges facing
Pacific youth and the long-term strategies and investment needed to
build their resilience and realise their potential.The report will feed directly into the development of a new Pacific Youth Strategy based on further research and lobbying of Pacific leaders to accelerate investment in young people.
POVERTY IN THE PACIFIC?
'Poverty' is not a word you might normally associate with the picture-perfect images of the Pacific Islands, yet one in four households - and almost one third of the population - is living below national poverty lines. Now these families face futher hardship as soaring food and fuel prices impact on household budgets - putting children's health and development at risk.
Poverty in a Pacific context means not having enough money to buy the things you need, to send your kids to school – even to maintain a nutritious diet. It’s about a lack of opportunity: to find a job, to get a good education, to access health services. That’s the reality for many families living in poorer communities in remote rural villages and squatter settlements on the outskirts of towns and cities in the Pacific.
UNICEF's monitoring of vulnerable communities in six Pacific countries shows that the Global Economic Crisis is still affecting families, through increased unemployment and falling household incomes.
Food prices have increased dramatically in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu and families are resorting to eating fewer and less nutritious meals.
Children are not going to school in Tonga and Vanuatu because their parents can’t afford the fees. Domestic violence is rising across the region because of financial pressures. Young people in some communities are having to resort to petty crime and transactional sex to support themselves.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- Learn more about how spiralling food prices are impacting on vulnerable communities in the Pacific by reading UNICEF's Situation Report.
- Join UNICEF on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with our work in the Pacific.
- Become a UNICEF Campaigner for Change.
- Write a letter to your MP to ensure New Zealand development programmes give priority to meeting the needs of young people and children - access to quality healthcare, education, fresh water, good nutrition and protection from violence. Click here to locate your local MP.
- Write an article for your school/university newspaper, or a letter to the editor.
- Watch this space: join our networks and follow the campaign as it develops!
