Thank you, June, for that super-generous introduction.
I feel honored – and very nostalgic – to have this opportunity to share some thoughts as part of your vision-setting exercise.
I feel nostalgic because it was in this region that I started my UNICEF career in 1973 at the height of the Vietnam War.
I was the first resident UNICEF staff member in Cambodia just before the Khmer Rouge plunged that country in the worst genocide in human history since Hitler’s Holocaust.
I then served in Indonesia and Laos, and my penultimate and – perhaps the most joyful -assignment was as Regional Director in Bangkok.
So, as I recount in my memoire – that some of you may have read – my UNICEF roots were planted right here in this region.
When our esteemed Regional Director June Kunugi asked me to speak at this meeting, I was delighted.
But I also cautioned June that she might be taking a big risk – asking a man of the past like me, to advise on the future vision for UNICEF.
But knowing all of my idiosyncrasies, as June and I have worked closely together at HQ, she said she was prepared to take a calculated risk.
So please bear with me!
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to make my presentation today in 3 parts, each looking at a different scenario.
The 1st scenario: is how to make and keep UNICEF incrementally strong and effective.
The 2nd – scenario: is what more could or should UNICEF do to make its mark if it aspired to be more daring, and if its leadership were exceptionally visionary and bold.
And the 3rd scenario is – in either of these cases – what can we do to keep UNICEF strong and vibrant – as the jewel in the crown of the United Nations.
Now, on to the 1st scenario – to make and keep UNICEF incrementally strong and effective –
You already have an excellent manifesto for this in UNICEF’s Strategic Plan for 2022-2025, and its next version in the making leading up to 2030.
I would also like to congratulate the UNICEF EAPRO team for the excellent macro analysis of what has changed between 2000 and 2023 and what is likely to change between 2024 and 2040.
This document is a very timely reference material for your visioning exercise.
As you know better than I, UNICEF’s current Strategic Plan has 5 major goals.
They seek to enable children to survive, thrive and grow to their full potential.
In doing so, they also seek to ensure gender equality and empowerment of girls and women — a sine qua non for sustainable progress.
These broad global goals need to be adapted to the realities of each country, of course, and to the priorities of their governments.
In principle, that should not be a difficult task, as these goals are carefully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals embraced by all countries.
And these goals emanate from the Convention on the Rights of the Child ratified by all states of the world – except the one that is having a general election tomorrow!
With the goals of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, the SDGs, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and I might add, the Declaration on Future Generations recently approved at the Summit of the Future, we have all the noble vision and lofty dreams we could ever ask for.
I, therefore, don’t think what we lack or need today is a new vision.
What we desperately need is a renewed commitment to implement the vision that has already been articulated.
I have three suggestions in this regard:
- Build a Grand Alliance for Children:
UNICEF’s Strategic Plan acknowledges that UNICEF alone cannot deliver the goals.
Therefore, it’s focus is to mobilize other actors to maximize collective impact, and to rally support to advance what it calls human security globally.
This, I believe, is a welcome approach.
But what is human security?
I recall at the turn of the century, the Japanese government helped establish an International Commission on Human Security, co-chaired by Amartya Sen and Sadako Ogata.
That Commission articulated that the definition of national security should be expanded to encompass not just territorial security of nations but human security of people.
Human security would encompass most of the goals for children and other human development priorities.
If the people of a country are not healthy, wealthy, well-educated and resourceful, a nation cannot be strong.
Hence, the well-being of children is the foundation of human security which in turn should be the foundation of national security.
We need that redefinition and rebranding to make children a true national priority.
Not just a governmental priority, but also a priority for the private sector and civil society, as they all play a vital role.
UNICEF does an excellent job in working with most governments.
A pretty good job in working with the private sector and NGOs.
But frankly, I would say, in most cases, not a good enough job in working with civil society, academia and thought leaders and think tanks.
We are going to need their partnership to persuade governments that investing in human security is a precondition for genuine national security.
When leaders sense a threat to their national security, or whatever else is their top political priority, resources can always be found or diverted to such priorities.
Our challenge is how to make the goals for children a national priority, backed up by political will as reflected in budget allocation and good governance to produce the desired results.
I have noted that in most countries, UNICEF Representatives and Programme Officers spend upwards of 90% of their time negotiating, haggling, and working out the details of UNICEF supported programmes with their government counterparts – or in meetings with other UN agencies.
That leaves little time to cultivate good relationship with leaders of the private sector, academia, media and civil society.
Of course, in some countries with authoritarian governments, there may not be much of a civil society or restrictions on UNICEF’s engagement with it.
But creative UNICEF representatives and senior officials can often find ways to overcome these obstacles.
I would urge UNICEF representatives to please find out who are the top 3 or 4 most respected pediatricians, nutritionists, public health experts, educationists, economists, human rights and child rights activists, and journalists in your country.
In most countries, you will not find them among your government counterparts.
You will usually find them in universities, think tanks, NGOs, and in the private sector.
Please create informal groups of such folks as your partners and advisors.
Some of them are likely to be more influential in the corridors of power than your staff.
Please use them judiciously as advocates for the cause that you are trying to promote, just like we do with UNICEF goodwill ambassadors.
Otherwise, you run the risk of relying only on your own staff and government counterparts – who may be loyal and competent but not necessarily the best and brightest.
Remember, most bureaucrats are highly risk averse.
They are more afraid of auditors than they are excited about innovation.
In the larger scheme of things in most countries, the financial resources at UNICEF command are very modest compared to the needs of children or the resources available in government budgets and in society at large.
I understand that several countries in the Asia Pacific region are experiencing significant cuts in allocation of regular resources from UNICEF, and that most countries are not high priority for European donors.
However, countries of this region continue to be high priority for Japan, South Korea, Australia and especially for the fairly well-endowed Asian Development Bank.
Given UNICEF’s good reputation and track record in most countries, and given that UNICEF is the custodian of 19 of the SDG indicators, I hope that UNICEF can be a favoured partner for these donors and ADB.
I would, therefore, reiterate that cultivating partnerships with respected domestic influencers, key external development partners, the private sector and the new players in the Gig economy, and building grand alliances for children with them should command as much time of UNICEF representatives and senior staff as managing UNICEF-supported projects.
2nd – Choose your priorities well and stick to them
The biggest mistake UNICEF makes in many countries is spreading itself too thinly.
There is a natural tendency for us to try to please many constituencies and help worthy causes.
Sometimes we trap ourselves in our own rhetoric or in concepts that are intellectually correct but practically ineffective or even counterproductive.
One such common trap is the statement that “all rights of all children at all times are indivisible and equally important.”
Yes, from a human rights perspective that statement is correct.
But if you go with such argument to see a Minister of Finance or Chair of the Planning Commission who is confronted with requests for budget allocation that are 10 times what his or her revenue projections can accommodate, you will be thrown out of his or her office
To plan is to choose. To choose is to make difficult decisions.
My advice to UNICEF Reps is to please help the government to prepare a broad-based National Plan of Action for Children, based on a comprehensive situation analysis.
Try to get as many of the goals of the UNICEF Strategic Plan, duly adapted to your country situation, reflected in its national SDG plan.
Then, identify a handful of projects that have a) the greatest chance of success, b) have proven solutions that are cost-effective and readily replicable, c) that benefit the largest number of children in greatest need, and d) that are politically most appealing to the government.
From among such projects, choose 2 or 3 as flagship projects for UNICEF – and devote 60-70 percent of your resources and make them a grand success.
Such success will give you the credibility to be a powerful advocate for all other projects in which UNICEF might not be the main actor but a supporting partner.
It is only through the grand alliance of many partners that we are likely to collectively achieve the child-related goals of the SDGs and the promise of the CRC.
3rd – Be the Voice for the Voiceless
I am glad that in drafting its Strategic Plan, UNICEF arranged extensive consultation with children and young people throughout the world.
And that children and young people identified their major concerns around three areas – climate change, mental health, and inequality and discrimination.
With their early exposure to education, information, communication and digital technology, children today mature earlier than their peers in the past.
Consistent with article 12 of CRC, it is only fitting that the views of children and adolescents are given due weight in matters affecting their well-being.
Given the rapid demographic transition – declining fertility, aging population – catering to the needs and aspirations of adolescents and youth is absolutely vital.
However, let us not forget that UNICEF also needs to give utmost priority to the survival and wellbeing of infants, babies and toddlers who cannot voice their concerns as their older siblings can.
Although we have made great progress in child survival, far too many children still die from readily preventable causes.
The challenge of child survival may not sound as stark in East Asia and Pacific as it does in Africa and South Asia.
But UNICEF must not be complacent on its first duty to be the champion of child survival and early child development.
Afterall, if you don’t survive nothing else counts!
UNICEF must therefore continue to be the voice of the voiceless – the youngest children whose voices are never heard in the councils of policy making.
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Let me now turn to a 2nd scenario: What more could or should UNICEF do to make its mark if it aspires to be more daring, and if its leadership were exceptionally visionary and bold?
First a little background.
In its eight decade-long history, under 8 Executive Directors, there were two occasions when UNICEF’s exceptionally visionary leaders dared to take some momentous decisions that helped redefine UNICEF.
The first such occasion was in 1964, when UNICEF’s 1st Executive Director, Maurice Pate, convened a very special International Conference on Planning for Children in Developing Countries, in Bellagio, Italy.
The outcome of the Bellagio Conference completely changed the nature of UNICEF from a small, do-gooder UN humanitarian agency into a formidable, bonafide development agency.
And the 2nd historic occasion was in the 1980s when UNICEF’s 3rd Executive Director, James Grant launched what he called a “Child Survival and Development Revolution”.
It culminated in the World Summit for Children in 1990, that eventually triggered the Millennium Development Goals, the predecessors of today’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Both Maurice Pate’s and Jim Grant’s ideas were initially heavily criticized by several UN agencies and UNICEF Board members.
Grant was called a “mad American” for his crazy ideas, and his first budget proposal was rejected by the Executive Board.
But thanks to Pate and Grant’s perseverance, UNICEF became what it is today.
I mention these historic cases as a preface to what I think UNICEF ought to consider doing in the coming years, knowing that many of us, and the UNICEF Board itself, might be skeptical.
My fervent wish is that UNICEF would launch three new massive global campaigns in the coming years:
1st A Children’s Global Campaign for Peace
In human history, and in the march of human civilization, we often move two steps forward and one step backward.
Thus, although from time to time we have had great wars, genocides, pandemics, natural disasters of massive proportions, humanity always bounces back, and we continue to make net progress for the better.
But unlike all past catastrophes, I believe humanity has now entered an era of potentially cataclysmic events that pose a truly existential threat for humanity with irreversible consequences.
The advent of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction could destroy the whole world.
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nihon Hidankyō, an organization of Japanese survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a good reminder of the existential threat we face.
There are several movements like the Mayors for Peace and other campaigns for nuclear disarmament.
But sadly, the number of countries with such weapons is increasing rather than decreasing.
The chances of either planned or accidental Armageddon are intolerably high.
I therefore feel that we need a powerful global peace movement led by children and youth to supplement other ongoing efforts to make a decisive impact.
As the guardian of children and future generations, I wish UNICEF would take bolder measures and provide strong leadership for such a Children’s Global Campaign for Peace and Disarmament.
I know that sounds like a tall order.
So, if we have time, I would like to come back to you with some examples of similar “mission impossible” ventures that UNICEF and others have made possible.
2nd – A Children’s Global Campaign for a Humane Digital World Order
I am happy to note that one of the major shifts mentioned in the UNICEF Strategic plan refers to harnessing digital technologies to improve programme implementation, and to streamline administrative and financial processes.
And I compliment UNICEF offices in EAP region for being in the forefront of this.
With the relatively high-level of internet connectivity, children and young people in this region are already poised to take advantage of the many blessings of easy access to information, education, and entertainment.
The digital revolution has certainly made transmission of know-how and delivery of services much easier than before.
But it is also leading to new forms of misinformation, disinformation, and child abuse and exploitation online.
As many of us have experienced, children’s addiction to digital gadgets can lead to their isolation, alienation and anti-social behavior and consequent mental health challenges.
I worry especially about children growing up so mesmerized by the make-believe world of dazzling video games that pose the risk of them being alienated from the real world.
As children grow up in a cocoon of virtual reality, human interaction and community spirit suffers.
Moreover, we now have the miracle of artificial intelligence.
AI can certainly be a blessing that compensates for our human limitations.
It can be a powerful tool that greatly enhances our productivity, to do much good for humanity.
But its flipside – the potential harm its misuse can do – is incalculable.
If remote-controlled drones or any of the gadgets in our hands or households can be turned into weapons of mass destruction – as we have seen in Ukraine, Gaza and in Lebanon – will the spirit of human empathy survive?
With the revolution in AI, for the first time in human history, we see the specter of technology commanding humanity rather than the other way around.
Recently at the Summit of the Future, world leaders adopted a far-reaching Global Digital Compact which goes some way towards creating a more humane and fairer digital world order.
Building on that – and the wisdom of people with much sharper minds than mine – I believe UNICEF must lead a global campaign for a humane and child-friendly digital world order.
3rd – A Global Campaign to Protect Children and the Planet from Climate Change
Way back in 1987, the landmark report of the Brundtland Commission on Environment and Development, “Our Common Future”, memorably stated that “we must pursue development to meet the needs of the present, without compromising the needs of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Reflecting that spirit, UNICEF took the position at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, that: “We must protect the environment for our children, and we must protect our children so they can be the custodians of our environment”.
Recent UNICEF analysis and reports have documented in very stark and compelling terms how the well-being of children and our planet earth are inextricably inter-connected.
Accordingly, UNICEF programming is now becoming increasingly climate-sensitive.
Here again, I salute the EAP countries for being in the forefront of this shift.
But given the gravity of the climate crisis and its potential doomsday impact on children, the relatively small-scale UNICEF programmes will frankly not have the kind of impact that we seek and the world needs.
What is needed is to go beyond our modest programme interventions to foster a broad-based global movement to protect children from the climate crisis – and make children the protagonists of such a movement.
We have seen how sometimes the visuals and voices of children carry greater weight than those of adults.
Think of Greta Thunberg. Think of Malala Yusufzai.
And how they have probably made greater impact in sensitizing global public opinion on the climate crisis and the plight of girls than many experts, politicians and even some UN agencies.
I therefore believe that if UNICEF wanted to do something of truly historical importance, it might consider launching and supporting a global campaign led by young people to protect children and the planet from climate change.
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Dear friends,
This brings me to the 3rd and final part of my presentation – what can we do to Keep UNICEF Strong and Vibrant globally, regionally here in EAPRO, and in each of our countries.
When I retired from UNICEF in 2007, in my farewell remarks, I made 10 specific recommendations to keep UNICEF strong and vibrant.
I will not bother you with reciting all the 10 recommendations but share with you my very first recommendation which was: Learn from History, Don’t Rediscover the Wheel.
As you know, UNICEF has an amazing history of extraordinary achievements that led it to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965.
UNICEF organized the very first World Summit for Children in 1990 with the largest gathering of world leaders in history until that time.
UNICEF’s leadership has managed to stop wars temporarily and organized Days of Tranquility to provide basic services to children.
UNICEF is by far the most successful UN agency in advocacy, fund-raising and serving as the truly a “people-to-people” organization of the United Nations.
But regrettably, many new UNICEF staff members, including some in leadership positions, are woefully ill-informed about this proud and inspiring history.
Some try to reinvent the wheel, oblivious of the lessons of UNICEF’s own glorious past and occasional failures.
To remedy this trend, I have long argued that all UNICEF staff members should be required to read some basic publications when they are newly recruited.
And even those of us who are old timers in UNICEF must refresh our memory of the proud history of UNICEF and the UN – both globally and in the countries where we serve.
Some of the publications that must be mandatory reading for all UNICEF senior staff are the following:
- the Charter of the United Nations,
- the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
- the two volumes of UNICEF history by Maggie Black (The Children and the Nations and Children First),
- A book called: Jim Grant: UNICEF Visionary or the exciting biography of Jim Grant by Adam Fifield
And at the country level – a history of UNICEF in your country of assignment.
In preparation for my remarks today, I quickly browsed the websites of UNICEF EAPRO and most of your country offices.
I found the information to be excellent, informative, very attractively presented, and inspiring.
But I found something sorely missing.
Your websites give the impression that UNICEF has probably been in your country starting just a few years ago.
The websites rightly highlight the great things UNICEF is doing now, but one gets no glimpse of UNICEF’s long and proud history.
With today’s digital technology, it should be very easy for every office to include a tab with links to some historical documents and video clips on UNICEF’s proud history in your country.
Perhaps I am too much of a history buff, but I happen to think that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat some of the mistakes that our predecessors made.
Or putting it positively, I think the knowledge of what your predecessors and their counterparts did under circumstances that were – believe it or not – much more challenging than they are today – will be an inspiration to you and your staff.
So, I appeal to you, please, please do consider seriously updating all your office websites with some basic information and documents of UNICEF’s proud history in your country.
And please encourage all your new staff to read, and old staff members to refresh their knowledge of UNICEF’s glorious history – as you embark on preparing visionary new plans to build a better future for the children of your country and the world.
Thank you.