February 17, 2026 – ECDAN, in partnership with the Government of Rwanda, the Africa Early Childhood Network (AfECN), UNESCO, UNICEF, and WHO will convene Investing in the Early Years: A Global Technical Financing Forum. The Forum is guided by ECDAN’s Early Years Financing Technical Working Group, which brings together leaders and experts across the field and builds on a broader global roadmap and ongoing efforts by UNICEF, UNESCO, OECD, the World Bank, Grand Challenges Canada, Theirworld, and others to unlock financing for ECD. These efforts include the Act for Early Years campaign, the G20 agenda, and the UNESCO/ UNICEF/ OECD Global Report on Financing for Equitable and Inclusive Access to Early Childhood Care and Education. These efforts, along with the Global Technical Financing Forum, will culminate in first ever International Finance Summit for Early Childhood planned for 2027.
The Forum is designed to take a practical, systems-focused look at financing for the early years. Its purpose is to identify barriers and gaps, surface opportunities for reform, and explore innovative, sustainable financing mechanisms that support comprehensive whole-child services. Above all, the Forum will 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.
Designed as a catalyst for action rather than dialogue, the Forum will:
- Raise awareness: Highlight the economic and social returns of ECD and the critical financing gaps that hinder progress.
- Contribute to global processes: Provide input to the UNESCO/UNICEF/OECD Global Monitoring Report on Early Childhood Care and Education and the Act for Early Years Campaign.
- Facilitate policy dialogue: Convene government, academic, civil society, private-sector, and development partners to discuss barriers and opportunities in ECD financing.
- Promote cross-country learning: Share lessons on effective financing across the public–private spectrum.
- Catalyze action: Develop practical tools and recommendations to increase and improve financing for ECD.
The Forum will provide a platform for joint strategy development and will generate practical recommendations that will be compiled together in a Financing Toolbox for the Early Years. The Toolbox will be a collection of practical methods that link existing public financial management systems and financing instruments to service-level decisions under real constraints countries face. It will support countries to develop realistic financing options in the short, medium, and long term by identifying and exploring solutions to system bottlenecks.
The Forum will take place May 6-8, 2026, in Kigali, Rwanda. It is an in-person only event that will involve 150 participants from the following stakeholder groups:
- Government officials
- Academics and researchers
- International and regional organizations and networks
- Private-sector leaders and philanthropists
- Civil society and advocacy organizations
Due to the Forum’s technical nature and limited space, participation is by invitation only. However, other opportunities will be provided that involve a broader audience. ECDAN is looking to build a movement with thought leaders who have strong technical expertise from across the continuum of capital from public and private sectors. Stakeholders from ministries of finance and planning, economists and researchers, resource allocators, and others who have wisdom and expertise relevant to investing in the early years are encouraged to join.
Signing up via the interest form will keep individuals informed of updates regarding the Forum and other developments related to ECDAN partners’ financing work. ECDAN will review this list for potential participants.
To learn more about ECDAN’s plans for the Forum and how it links to other financing initiatives including the Act for Early Years campaign, please watch the webinar recording from February 4, 2026, and/or view the slide decks here.