Over the course of the week the consultation examined just about every aspect of child care reform in South Eastern Europe with a view to reaching a consensus about a way forward.
It was a motivating and energizing experience. It was clear Governments in this region have thrown off the shackles of the past, and are embracing world’s best practice for their social welfare systems. As they say we have come a long way in a few short years.
On this site you can access the consultation’s deliberations and conclusions. There are presentations, speeches, data and results. For example on the right you can see that the consultation divided up into working groups to examine particular aspects of reform, and then reported back to the plenary. Each workshop is covered in detail.
While UNICEF organized this meeting, it would not have been possible without our partners, the World Bank and the Government of Sweden; both have shown an unswerving commitment to child care reform in the region. I would also like to thank the Government of Bulgaria for its leadership in hosting the consultation.
I hope that this site will prove to be a resource for delegates and Government attending the consultation, a reminder perhaps of what we achieved and what we need to do. For individuals and officials from other governments considering child care systems reform I urge you to examine the deliberations. I believe it will provide a road map based on concrete examples of lessons learnt from countries already a long way down this road.
Dita Reichenberg,
Child Protection and Child Rights Adviser
UNICEF Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States Region