MP Tessa Jowell praises University for work on Early Childhood Development

MP Dame Tessa Jowell has praised the University’s School of Education for their support in the campaign to ensure Early Childhood Development is at the heart of the United Nations Development Goals. The University of Northampton believes this will be of benefit to children and families around the world, including the poorest children within developing countries.

The School of Education’s campaign video, which premiered at the United Nations on 12 December, reiterates the view that we make the biggest difference in a child’s life by investing during their earliest years.

A petition was set up as part of the campaign, directed at UN Secretary General Ba Ki-Moon and all UN Member States, urging the United Nations to put early childhood development at the heart of the development framework. The petition has nearly achieved half the goal of 10,000 supporters.

The Campaign has had further support in the form of a book entitled Education and Skills 2.0: New Targets and Innovative Approaches, published by the World Economic Forum. Released at the Davos World Economic forum, the preface by Klaus Schwab (Founder and Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum) has a chapter on Early Years. The book’s foreword was written by Amina Mohammed, Ban Ki Moon’s advisor on Post-2015, and it includes UNICEF’s proposed goal: “every girl and boy should have the best start to life and learning.”

Dame Tessa Jowell explained the campaign’s aims: “The Millennium Development Goals galvanised unprecedented interest and resources for fighting poverty and injustice. We now have a unique opportunity to shape the next development framework to ensure that it best embodies our values and commitment to creating a fairer, more prosperous and equal world.”

Nick Petford, Vice-Chancelllor of the University of Northampton, commented: “It really is the first 1,001 days of a child’s life that are absolutely critical in their development. We believe that individuals have the responsibility to make a difference to society and we urge the United Nations to make a real and significant change that will benefit all children, including those from the poorest families”.

Click here to view the video. To support the campaign, sign the petition​: Please join the discussion on Twitter, using #Uni4Children.