Toronto, Ontario - The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, today unveiled CIDA's Children and Youth Strategy, one of the Agency's three priority themes.
Minister Oda at SickKids Foundation in Toronto discussing CIDA's Children and Youth Strategy with a teacher and students from Joseph Brant Senior Public School. "Focusing on Children and Youth, our government will help the children living in poverty today become resourceful, engaged, and productive adults, ready to carry on the work of building a better future for themselves," said Minister Oda."Children and youth living in poverty will shoulder some of the world's most pressing challenges. With a more effective approach to CIDA's development programming, we can make a difference in the lives of the world's most vulnerable, particularly young girls."
Under the Government of Canada's commitment to more focus, efficiency, and accountability, CIDA's Children and Youth Strategy will target three key paths: Increasing child survival, including maternal health; Improving the quality of education; and Helping to ensure the safety and security of children and youth.
Building on its long history of working to help children, CIDA will increase programming in areas where it has already achieved considerable success with proven interventions such as basic education, child survival, and maternal health. It will also continue to explore ways to help partner countries protect the rights of children and youth and ensure their safety and security. In her speech, Minister Oda also announced funding for three projects that are perfect illustrations of efficient and accountable programs that will be supported under the Children and Youth Strategy:
Working to ensure infant and maternal health, CIDA will contribute up to $2.4 million to a three-year program with the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, and SickKids Foundation to help train pediatric nurses in Ghana, ultimately leading to the improved quality of healthcare provided to children in this country. The program will also include specialized pediatric training for health care workers in two other African countries.
"SickKids International is delighted to partner with CIDA and SickKids Foundation on our Global Child Health Program," says Cathy Séguin, Vice President, SickKids International Affairs. "By providing innovative and sustainable pediatric health care education programs, by promoting leadership in child health, and by strengthening the capacity of health systems, we can measurably improve child health outcomes in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Tanzania."
Micronutrients, such as vitamin A and iodine plays a critical role in childhood survival and good health. It is one of the most efficient development investments that can be made to reduce the burden of illness, disease, and childhood deaths. Minister Oda further announced a $150 million contribution to the Micronutrient Initiative. This investment has the potential to save millions of lives.
"Through its support of the Micronutrient Initiative, Canada has helped to save and enhance millions of children's lives in developing countries," says Venkatesh Mannar, President, Micronutrient Initiative. "This renewed commitment to vitamin and mineral programs positions Canada as the world's leader in nutrition security."
To support the path of improving the quality of education, Minister Oda announced that CIDA will contribute $60 million to the Education for All - Fast Track Initiative, a global partnership between donor and developing countries. To date, this initiative has achieved effective results with 20 million more children now in school in sub-Saharan Africa since its inception in 2002. The Canadian contribution will help developing countries further increase enrolment and the quality of education.
''With Canada's support to the Education for All - Fast Track Initiative, more children in developing countries will be able to attend school and learn something meaningful," said Robert Prouty, Acting Head of the EFA-FTI Secretariat. ''We are very pleased that Canada is demonstrating continued leadership in this tremendously important field.''
The Children and Youth Strategy complements CIDA's other priority themes of food security and economic growth and maximizes Canadian leadership toward increased aid effectiveness.
Information:
Jessica Fletcher
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Cooperation
Telephone: 819-953-9528
Media Relations Office
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Telephone: 819-953-6534
E-mail: media@acdi-cida.gc.ca
Backgrounders
CIDA's Children and Youth Strategy at a Glance
Minister Oda announcing CIDA's Children and Youth Strategy at SickKids Foundation in Toronto. Children and youth is one of CIDA's priority themes. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) will work towards supporting children and youth in partner countries and regions where the Agency focuses its international development programming. The programming will be designed to:
Increase child survival by scaling up proven interventions in child and maternal health
Provide greater access to quality education
Ensure that children and youth grow and learn in safe and secure environments
Strategic objective
The objective of the Children and Youth Strategy is to recognize children and youth as key agents of change and to give them the tools they need to grow into healthy and productive citizens of tomorrow.
Priorities for action
Child survival, including maternal health
Reduce maternal and neonatal deaths through better access to antenatal, obstetric and post-partum care
Improve child survival through the prompt, effective, and equitable delivery of child-specific health services such as:
- Immunization
- Nutritional supplements
- Sustainable access to safe drinking water
- Improved sanitation and good hygiene practices
Work with developing country partners to prevent and treat high-burden, poverty-linked diseases that primarily affect mothers and children, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis
Support partner country efforts to establish sustainable health systems that respond to the particular needs of children and mothers. For example, CIDA will invest more than $2 million to a three-year program with the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and SickKids Foundation to train specialists in Ghana.
Access to quality education
- Improve access to basic education, particularly for girls
- Improve the quality of education and promote learning through activities such as training teachers and developing curricula and educational materials
- As an example, CIDA is contributing $60 million to the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative, a global partnership between donor and developing countries to increase the number of children in school
- Increase access to alternative and innovative learning opportunities for youth to increase literacy and numeracy skills
- Strengthen education systems through support to country-led national plans and priorities for reforms
- Strengthen and implement national protection legislation and mechanisms to safeguard the human rights and security of children and youth and to protect them, particularly girls, against violence and exploitation
- Help ensure that schools are safe and free from violence and child-friendly spaces for learning
- Support efforts to help youth-at-risk find alternatives to violence and crime and engage constructively as full members of society
Minister Oda announcing CIDA's Children and Youth Strategy at SickKids Foundation in Toronto. Children and youth is one of CIDA's priority themes. In 2008, the Government of Canada developed a new action plan, the Aid Effectiveness Agenda, and has since announced several important initiatives that are resulting in Canadian development assistance that is more effective, more focused and more accountable.
In April 2008, Canada untied 100 percent of its food aid-a decision with immediate results. Instead of sending food purchased in Canada to developing countries, Canada provides funding to multilateral organizations such as the World Food Programme, leading to faster procurement, reduced transportation costs, and relief provided more quickly to those in need.
In September 2008, Canada announced that it would untie all of its development assistance by 2012-2013. This untying policy will provide Canada's partners with the flexibility to find the best deal on commodities, including buying locally and regionally, helping strengthen the development of local markets and stimulating the economies of developing countries.
In February 2009, the Government of Canada announced it would focus its bilateral development efforts on 20 countries. The 20 countries were chosen based on their needs and their capacity to use development aid effectively and efficiently, and in support of Canada's foreign policy priorities.
The 20 Countries of Focus are:
Bolivia
Caribbean Region
Colombia
Ethiopia
Ghana
Haiti
Honduras
Mali
Mozambique
Peru
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Pakistan
Senegal
Sudan
Tanzania
Ukraine
Vietnam
West Bank and Gaza
The majority of CIDA's bilateral resources will be targeted at countries of focus. The balance of CIDA bilateral resources, as well as other funding channels, including partnership programming, multilateral programs, and Canadian humanitarian aid, will continue to be provided in parts of the world where support is needed.
In May 2009, five new international assistance thematic priorities were introduced to guide development programming. CIDA's three priority themes will be Economic Growth, Children and Youth, as well as Food Security, while other departments will focus on Advancing Democracy and Ensuring Security and Stability.