Children today face unprecedented environmental, social, political, and economic challenges that urgently require coordinated global action. The extraordinary events of the past several years—such as a global pandemic, economic crises, severe human-induced climate events, and new armed conflicts—have highlighted the significant challenges our planet and societies will confront over the next century.

At the same time, hundreds of millions of children and youth are constrained from reaching their full developmental potential due to ongoing crises of poverty, violence, discrimination, forced migration, and climate change. More than 100 million people, nearly half of whom are children, are displaced by war and crisis. Additionally, 250 million children under the age of 5 are at risk of failing to reach their developmental potential, including many affected by crisis.

While these children and their families face enormous challenges, they also demonstrate remarkable resilience, resistance, and adaptation—especially when supported by the adaptive strengths of family, school, community, and systems, and by program and policy interventions informed by evidence.