Long an investment afterthought, children are being put front and center by UNICEF and other development organizations seeking to build a new field that incorporates “unrecognized” kids into commercial financing decisions.
Much like investors have focused on climate or gender in their lending in recent years, this group of advocates has made the case for a similar industry focus on children, through what they’re calling child-lens investing.
“Children are largely unrecognized in investment decisions today,” Cristina Shapiro, the president of UNICEF USA’s Impact Fund for Children, told Devex. But “children are impacted by virtually almost any investment decision that is made.”