Launched today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, a new progress report highlights the need to step up investment in nurturing care – especially in the poorest and most fragile countries – with the first years of a child’s life providing irreplicable opportunities to improve lifelong health, nutrition and well-being.

The report tracks progress against the global Nurturing care framework, a seminal guidance document for supporting the healthy physical, intellectual, and emotional development of young children. This Framework promotes an integrated approach to early childhood development, covering nutrition, health, safety and security, early learning, and responsive caregiving as essential areas for interventions.