UNICEF Calls for Urgent Action to Prioritize Children in National Budget

Monrovia, Liberia: As Liberia joins the rest of the continent to observe the Day of the African Child, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is urging the Government of Liberia to step up its investments in children, warning that progress will stall unless child-focused planning and budgeting become a national priority.

Speaking under the theme “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010,” UNICEF Liberia Representative Andy Brooks outlined key recommendations and data showing both the strides made and the gaps that persist in protecting Liberia’s youngest citizens.

“Liberia’s children, who make up nearly 50 percent of the population, deserve budgets that reflect their value,” Brooks said, emphasizing that “our future depends on it.”

Despite some notable improvements over the past decade, a 2023 Afrobarometer survey shows that 83 percent of Liberians believe the country is failing to meet the needs of its children, citing the high rate of out-of-school children and general neglect.

Recent data paints a sobering picture: under-five mortality remains at a staggering 93 deaths per 1,000 live births, stunting affects 30 percent of children under five, and only 66 percent of children fewer than five have been registered at birth. 

Others include half of school-aged children are not in school and child-focused budget execution at the county level remains low, averaging just 24 percent.

Meanwhile, a significant 70 percent of Liberia’s social sector funding continues to come from external sources.

UNICEF acknowledged progress made since Liberia began reforms in public finance for children, such as the 2017 Child Survival Action Plan and the launch of a Child Well-Being Dashboard in 2023. These efforts have helped improve transparency and link funding more directly to outcomes in health, education, and social protection.

In FY2025, the national budget of US$851.8 million includes US$7 million for school expansion and digital learning, US$14 million for hospital upgrades, and social protection for 25,000 vulnerable households.

UNICEF is supporting the Liberian government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) and is calling for the full integration of child-centered targets into national planning. Among the goals outlined for 2029 are halving under-five mortality to 47 per 1,000 live births, reducing stunting from 30% to 20%, eradicating child marriage, expanding Universal Health Coverage to 80%, ending open defecation, and ensuring safe water access for 65% of Liberians.

Achieving these targets will require smart investments in community-based care, better coordination among ministries, and the institutionalization of child protection in every sector.

As part of its advocacy under the Human Capital Pillar of the AAID, UNICEF is recommending a dedicated children’s budget line and quarterly scorecards to track progress on child indicators, greater civil society and youth engagement to ensure transparency, increased domestic resource mobilization alongside donor contributions

“Let us move beyond pledges to performance,” Brooks urged. “Budgets must place children at the center of our development agenda. This is how we honor the spirit of Soweto and build a thriving Liberia for every child.”

As Liberia marks the Day of the African Child, UNICEF’s call serves as a timely reminder that investing in children is not just a moral obligation; it is the most strategic investment a nation can make.