KOLONIA, Pohnpei – As part of the UN75 Focus Dialogue – FSM National Awareness Series, to mark World Children’s Day, the FSM Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Working Group in collaboration with the FSM National Department of Education and UNICEF held an Early Childhood Development Orientation and Refresher training Workshop on Friday, 13 November 2020. A total of 22 participants from across various sectors including education, health, environment, and civil society met at the UNICEF Office in Kolonia to discuss a range of topics centered around Early Childhood Development.

Some of the key issues discussed include the importance of the first 1000 days of a child’s life, which is the period from conception to about two; the nurturing care that is required during this period; the compulsory age for pre-primary school; access to services for children with disabilities; improving maternity leave laws; and the importance of well coordinated child related programs across governments.

According to UNICEF, an estimated 43 per cent of children less than five years old in the world are not achieving their full potential, which could be because they do not receive the five elements of ‘nurturing care’ required for their age. These five elements include health, nutrition, early stimulation, learning opportunities and protection.

The workshop participants also made recommendations for a follow-on panel dialogue to be held on Monday, 30 November 2020. To register to attend the dialogue event, please email un75inFSM@undp.onmicrsoft.com.

Please visit the UN Country Team in the FSM Facebook page for details of other events in the UN75 Focus Dialogue – FSM National Awareness Series.