The World Summit on Investing in Children’s Well-being is scheduled to take place in Samarkand on October 21–22. It is expected that delegations from more than one hundred countries will participate in the event.
The main objective of the summit is to raise issues concerning child protection, health, education, and social support for families to the level of the international agenda. The organizers are Uzbekistan together with several international structures, including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on violence against children.
The summit program includes a plenary session, three thematic panel sessions, as well as the Second International Congress on Pediatric Oncology and other related events. Following the work of the summit, the adoption of the Samarkand Declaration is planned.
Significant attention will be paid to the changes that have occurred in Uzbekistan. According to the information presented, the number of types of social services in the country has increased from 26 to 140. At the same time, the rate of child poverty has decreased from 21.5% to 5.4%, and preschool education coverage has increased from 27.7% to 78%.
Currently, 208 'Inson' social service centers operate in the country, and about nine thousand social workers are engaged in assessing and supporting family needs. This approach is aimed at timely detection of problems and providing targeted assistance to children and their families.
A exhibition titled 'The World Through a Child's Eyes' will also be presented within the framework of the summit. It will showcase reforms implemented in the fields of maternal and child health, education, rehabilitation, inclusion, and child rights protection. Some exhibits will be dedicated to supporting children suffering from oncological diseases and developing the palliative care system.
According to data presented at the summit, the time between suspicion of a child's oncological disease and the start of treatment has been reduced in Uzbekistan from 130–160 days to just 10–18 days. Furthermore, the annual survival rate of children with oncological diseases has increased from 37% to 44.5%.
The organizers emphasize that the main criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of the reforms being carried out must be a tangible improvement in the quality of life of every child. The summit aims to promote international experience exchange and strengthen cooperation in areas such as early development, violence prevention, inclusive education, treatment of pediatric oncological diseases, and family support.
