May 8, 2026 — Government representatives from sectoral ministries and ministries of finance joined philanthropists, program implementers, finance experts, and advocates from countries across five continents in Kigali for Investing in the Early Years: A Global Technical Financing Forum. The Forum took place over three days, May 6-8, and included presentations and workshop sessions led by global leaders and experts committed to advancing sustainable financing for early childhood development (ECD).
Hosted by the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) with the Government of Rwanda, the Africa Early Childhood Network (AfECN), UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO), this international convening aimed to address the concrete financing challenges that countries face in tracking and translating high-level policy commitments into scalable, equitable arrangements that work within real public financial management constraints.
Globally, governments are seeking practical, country-owned solutions to ensure young children and their families can access the services they need to survive and thrive. The Forum came at a time when the case for early investment is clear, but financing remains fragmented and insufficient. The Forum involved 238 participants from 39 countries from six continents, and 17 governments represented from Africa and Asia.
Financing for ECD services is not yet at the scale we aspire to. This Forum is an opportunity to explore innovative solutions and ensure that available resources are allocated where they matter most. Together, we can build integrated, equitable, and sustainable systems that ensure every child has access to quality ECD services.
— Honorable Consolée Uwimana, Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Rwanda
Why the World Can’t Afford to Wait
Evidence shows that early investments can deliver up to US$13 in returns per $1 spent, yet many countries continue to face barriers that limit financing for the full range of ECD services. These include gaps in public financial management, weak coordination across sectors, and limited fiscal space for services that support children’s development from the start.
Failing to invest appropriately carries substantial economic costs. Every dollar not invested in early childhood represents an estimated loss of $8–19 in future returns. In a world where human capital drives economic competitiveness, investing in the early years is one of the smartest and most urgent choices governments can make.
The Forum provided a platform for joint strategy development and generated practical recommendations for how public financial management systems and financing instruments can support comprehensive, whole-child services.
Sustainable financing for ECD is not merely a tool; it is a strategic catalyst for unlocking transformative, intergenerational impact. By prioritizing sustainable financing, we empower ECD programs to scale effectively, bridging critical gaps in access and quality for the most vulnerable children. This strategic investment does more than fund today’s initiatives—it builds resilient systems that deliver lifelong dividends in health, education, and economic prosperity.
— Rosemary Mwaisaka, Technical Advisor – Health & Nutrition, AfECN
Building a Global Movement
ECDAN is working to elevate young children within global and national policy and financing agendas by connecting partners, sharing evidence, and catalyzing practical action at the country level. ECDAN strives to leverage the individual and collective work of its members.
The Global Technical Financing Forum is part of and contributes to broader efforts to unlock early years financing, including the Act for Early Years campaign. The Forum along with other efforts are paving the way toward the 2027 International Finance Summit for Early Childhood.
Key Outcomes
Over three days, the Forum achieved several expected outcomes:
- Global processes: Inputs on global processes (e.g., global monitoring report, financing for ECD in primary health care, Act for Early Years campaign).
- Innovative financing models and solutions: Documentation of successful financing strategies and mechanisms.
- Financing Toolbox for the Early Years: A co-constructed toolbox (including clarity on scope and contents as well as tools to increase and align financing for the early years).
- Post-Forum action agenda: Defined priorities and action to take forward at the national, regional, and global levels to advance coordinated equitable financing for the early years and contribute to the Act for Early Years campaign.
The presentations are available as a resource for not only Forum participants but also for other stakeholders who will join the movement to unlock financing for the early years.
Highlight videos and photos are also available here.
The Way Forward
The Forum ended with a commitment to follow-up actions to take the momentum generated forward. ECDAN and the co-hosts stated their intention to complete the following steps:
- Publish outputs from the Forum including presentations, videos, pictures, and a report.
- Finalize the construction of the Financing Toolbox for the Early Years, customize to countries, and make it open access.
- Mobilize countries, implementers, and donors to use the Toolbox.
- Include key Forum outcomes in the upcoming Global Monitoring Report.
- Build momentum from the Forum to the International Finance Summit for Early Childhood in 2027.
- Prepare for the post-2030 agenda.
Participants were similarly asked to take key learnings, advocacy messages, and tools back to government, philanthropic, and civil society stakeholders in their countries. In particular, ECDAN called upon actors to engage in taking the Financing Toolbox for the Early Years into its next phase: moving from a robust technical framework into structured country applications that strengthen real financing decisions at different levels. The call to action was differentiated by stakeholder group:
- Countries: Use the Toolbox to advance your ECD financing priorities by applying it to selected services, testing financing options, and building a clearer pathway for budget and partner dialogue.
- Civil society: Support country-led application and finalization by backing facilitated use of the Toolbox, practical templates, case studies, and the conversion of emerging lessons into a field-ready global resource.
- Donors: Support digitization and ready-to-use enhancements—including a practical, user-friendly interface, guided workflows, and digital templates—to make the Toolbox easier for countries to use efficiently.
To stay informed as resources and capacity strengthening opportunities unfold in the coming months, subscribe to ECDAN’s mailing list and attend the next financing town hall on June 10, 2026. Additional financing resources can be found here.