NEW YORK, September 25, 2025 — The Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC) today launched its Strategic Plan 2025-2030 at a high-level session during the 80th United Nations General Assembly, marking a pivotal moment in the global movement to leverage early childhood development as a pathway to sustainable peace.

Dr. Siobhan Fitzpatrick, ECPC Regional Vice-Chairperson and Chairperson of the International Network on Peace Building with Young Children, presented the Strategic Plan at the event, “Stop War on Children NOW! Why Science Says Protecting Children’s Rights Today Prevents Tomorrow’s Conflict,” hosted by the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations.

“Ireland’s 25-year investment in post-conflict early childhood programs built a pathway from divided communities to lasting peace—this plan brings those lessons to the world,” - Dr. Siobhan Fitzpatrick

The gathering brought together ambassadors, UN officials, religious leaders, researchers, and practitioners to address the unprecedented crisis facing children in conflict zones.

“With 1 in 5 children globally living in active conflict zones and violations against children surging 25% in 2024, the time for action is now,” said Dr. Rima Salah, Chairperson of the ECPC. “This Strategic Plan provides a roadmap for how evidence-based early childhood development programs can break intergenerational cycles of violence and build lasting peace.”

Dr. Fitzpatrick highlighted successful peacebuilding programs from Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Lebanon, and Türkiye, demonstrating how early childhood development programs have effectively built social cohesion at national scale over more than 25 years in Northern Ireland and across conflict-affected regions globally.

Key Strategic Objectives Include:

• Research: Embedding ECD and trauma-informed parenting programs into global sustainable development knowledge systems
• Practice: Institutionalizing ECD as core services across education, health, peacebuilding, and child protection systems in conflict-affected contexts
• Advocacy: Securing inclusion of ECD in the post-2030 global development agenda
• Policy: Mobilizing champions within multilateral institutions and civil society

The event featured groundbreaking scientific evidence on how trauma marks the genome across generations and detailed case studies from countries where ECD programs have successfully reduced violence and strengthened communities.

Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children and Acting Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, delivered the keynote address, emphasizing the urgent need to protect children’s rights in humanitarian contexts.

The ECPC is a global consortium of UN agencies, NGOs, researchers, practitioners, and the private sector committed to sharing evidence on how investment in early childhood development contributes to sustainable peace. Launched at UNICEF in 2013, the consortium has grown to include partners from Yale University, UNICEF, the Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV), and numerous research institutions and implementation organizations worldwide.

For more information:

• Strategic Plan: https://ecdpeace.org/ecpc-strategic-plan-2025-2030
• Contact: secretariat@ecdpeace.org
• Website: ecdpeace.org

Media Contact: Early Childhood Peace Consortium Email: secretariat@ecdpeace.org