UNICEF report card should prompt national commitment to improve children’s lives

A new UNICEF report published today has found that the UK is bottom of a list of 21 of the world’s richest nations for an overall measure of child well-being.

The UK also comes last on the specific indicator for children’s material well-being.

Kate Green, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

“Britain is making progress on child poverty, but the UNICEF report card is an important reminder that we need to go further, faster. The report makes very clear that without addressing relative poverty the well-being of children in the UK will continue to suffer.

“We need a national commitment, shared by the public and politicians alike, to put the improvement of our children’s quality of life and an end to child poverty at the top of the British political agenda.

“As a member of the End Child Poverty campaign, we are calling on the Government to provide the £4 billion extra annual investment needed to get back on track for the target of halving child poverty by 2010.”

Notes to Editors

• The UNICEF report ‘Child Poverty in Perspective: an overview of child well-being in rich countries’ is published today. It will be launched at the Foreign Press Association at 10.30am on 14.2.07.
• CPAG is a member of the End Child Poverty campaign.

For further information please contact:
Tim Nichols
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302
press@cpag.org.uk