Global Leaders Commit to Boosting Public Spending on Children in New Samarkand Declaration

At the conclusion of the World Summit on Investing in Children’s Wellbeing in Samarkand, participating nations signed the Samarkand Declaration, committing to progressively increase public spending on children’s health, education and social protection. The agreement stresses maintaining essential services even in periods of financial constraint and making national budgets more child-sensitive through greater transparency and accountability.

Signatories also pledged to strengthen child-protection frameworks, combat violence, abuse and digital threats, and expand family benefits and social insurance coverage. In the health sector, the declaration calls for more resilient, equitable systems, improved access to essential medicines, and intensified international cooperation to fight childhood cancer. The event, hosted by Uzbekistan and co-organized with the UN special representative on violence against children, UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank, brought together leaders and experts to share best practices and forge partnerships. Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva, First Deputy Director of Uzbekistan’s National Agency for Social Protection, highlighted the need to turn promises into concrete actions for children’s immediate wellbeing.