Children: the key to SA’s social and economic transformation

South Africa is losing billions of rands in human potential each year because of an underinvestment in its children. If the country is serious about sustainable development, the potential of its children needs to be unlocked by prioritising investment in five key areas.

These and other findings will be discussed at next week’s release of the South African Child Gauge 2017, where Jeff Radebe, Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, will deliver the keynote address.

The 12th issue of this annual review of South Africa’s children considers how the implementation of the sustainable development goals can create enabling environments in which all South Africa’s children not only survive, but thrive – and to the benefit of the country’s prosperity.

Other speakers at the event will include: Chairperson of the African Union’s Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Benyam Dawit Mezmur; UNICEF South Africa Country Representative, Hervé Ludovic de Lys; National Planning Commissioner, Christina Nomdo; Distinguished Professor and Director of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Linda Richter; and Senior Researcher, Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town and lead editor, Lucy Jamieson.

The South African Child Gauge is published by the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town. The launch will be co-hosted with UNICEF South Africa; the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of Witwatersrand; the DG Murray Trust; the Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation; and the Programme to Support Pro-poor Policy Development, Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

The launch event will be held at 15:30 for 16:00–17:30 on Tuesday, 28 November 2017, at the River Club, Observatory, Cape Town.

For media-related queries, contact Charmaine Smith on 083 304 9600.