Leaving no child behind: Global trends and transformative actions in early childhood development and parenting support
Biography: Dr. Chemba Raghavan worked in UNICEF HQ in New York from 2018-2026 as Senior Advisor in Early Childhood Development. Prior to joining UNICEF HQ, Chemba worked in the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) as the Regional Focal Point of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and as ECD/Education Specialist. Chemba has also served as a Technical Expert for UNESCO in Bangkok, and Research Advisor in the Asia Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC). She has several years of experience as Senior Researcher/Assistant Professor in academia in the United States. Her areas of expertise include child development, parenting, cross-cultural lifespan human development and family studies, gender socialization, family friendly policies, research methods and statistics. Chemba holds a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University, USA.
Background: The early years of life represent a critical window for shaping children’s health, learning, well-being and future opportunities. UNICEF works with governments and partners to strengthen early childhood development (ECD) systems and ensure that every child, regardless of circumstance, can thrive.
Aim: This keynote address will focus on how countries are being supported to strengthen ECD policies, programs, and parenting support interventions for the most marginalised and underserved populations. A central focus of the keynote will be equity, examining how global partners are working to reach the most marginalised communities.
Methods: The keynote will include a brief global overview of global trends in ECD and parenting support, followed by concrete examples of how countries are scaling integrated ECD and parenting support services that address barriers faced by those most at risk of being left behind.
Results: The keynote will highlight results from UNICEF’s global work on ECD in 2025, as well as specific country ECD program results.
Conclusions: The keynote will close with key learnings and recommendations from the global ECD space, as well as areas requiring further expansion.
Implication for children/families: In this keynote, you will learn more about tools and resources that support young children and families to thrive through early childhood development (ECD) programs and policies.
Implications for practitioners: In this keynote, you will learn more about practical examples of integrated, culturally responsive and inclusive ECD programs that center the voices of children, caregivers and communities to reach the most marginalised populations.
This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: