Special Rapporteur on the right to education: Report on early childhood care and education now available
The report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education on early childhood care and education (ECCE) is now available in 6 UN languages. This report was published by the former Special Rapporteur, Ms. Koumba Boly Barry, and was presented to the General Assembly in New York by the new Special Rapporteur, Ms. Farida Shaheed, on 18 October 2022. The report can be accessed at the link below.
In the report, the Special Rapporteur considers ECCE from a human rights-based perspective, reflecting the multisectoral needs of children and their caregivers. ECCE combines the education and care requirements of children from birth to 8 years of age. The concept demonstrates that the right to education is indivisible from the rights to health, housing, food, water and sanitation, as well as cultural rights, among others. While the importance of ECCE has been widely recognized in humanitarian and developmental fields, it has been insufficiently codified in human rights law. The Special Rapporteur considers the human rights-based aspects of ECCE and recommends the creation of a human rights instrument on ECCE.