The European Year for Development:Children and Youth

Briefing 01-07-2015

Nearly half of all people living in extreme poverty are aged 18 or under. Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, violence and abuse. In 2014 the European Parliament called on the High Representative of the Union to report back to Parliament every year on the results of the EU's child-focused external action. The Parliament had also previously underlined the urgent need for the Union to pay special attention to the most vulnerable and socially excluded girls and boys. International commitments to improve the lives of children are reflected in various Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly the one on infant mortality. One in four children under five (162 million) remains stunted, risking diminished cognitive and physical development. The Parliament recently called on the Commission to scale up its nutrition-specific commitments. The proposed Sustainable Development Goals include numerous targets to improve the situation of children and youth and represent an important leap forward.