Release of The State of the World’s 2011 Children Report

Today, UNICEF launched its flagship annual publication, The State of the World’s Children 2011 Report, entitled Adolescence – An Age of Opportunity.  The annual report examines the factors and lives of some 1.2 billion youth aged 10 to 19 years-old around the globe, the majority, 88 percent, of which live in developing countries and are faced with unique challenges.

“Adolescence is a pivot point – an opportunity to consolidate the gains we have made in early childhood or risk seeing those gains wiped out,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director.  “We need to focus more attention now on reaching adolescents — especially adolescent girls — investing in education, health and other measures to engage them in the process of improving their own lives.”

Adolescence – An Age of Opportunity looks at adolescents on a global scale and outlines the challenges they face in health, education, protection, and participation.  The report also explores the risks and vulnerabilities young people face at this of this crucial time, when they are coming of age. The report highlights the individual opportunities that adolescence offers, both adolescents themselves and the communities which they live and participate in. The reports data and research gives evidence that researching and investing in youth is our greatest chance to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and inequity, thus leading to a more accepting, peaceful and just global world.

Today’s Adolescents are  faced with many challenges, including a struggling economy, climate change, environmental deterioration and changes, rapid urbanization and migration, aging societies, access and cost of healthcare, and escalating humanitarian crises including armed conflict and natural disasters.  Therefore today’s adolescents must be adequately prepared to sustainably live in and combat such local and global challenges.  According to the report investments are needed in the following key areas essential:

• Improving data collection to increase the understanding of adolescents’ situation and meet their rights;
• Investing in education and training so that adolescents have the means to lift themselves out of poverty and contribute to their national economies;
• Expanding opportunities for youth to participate and voice their opinion, for example in national youth councils, youth forums, community service initiatives, online activism and other avenues which enable adolescents to make their voices heard.
• Promoting laws, policies and programs that protect the rights of  adolescents and enable them to overcome barriers  to essential services;
• Stepping up the fight again poverty and inequity through child sensitive programs to prevent adolescents from being prematurely catapulted into adulthood.

UNICEF Radio’s ‘Beyond School Books’ podcast series moderator Amy Costello spoke with two contributing adolescents to The State of the World’s Children 2011 Report, in the latest podcast.  The youth, both of which submitted essays to the report, focused on the value of education to empower youths to realize and achieve their full potential, and thus become key contributors in shaping the future of their nations.  Youth who are impoverished or marginalized, particularly girls, are less likely to to obtain a secondary education, and thus are are more prone to abuse, exploitation, and violence such as child labor and child marriage.