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Despite high enrolment rates, many children in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS), are missing out on education.

According to the latest study published by the Out-of-School Children Initiative, 2.5 million children of basic school age and 1.6 million children of pre-primary school age are missing out on school due to a serious shortage of services and facilities.

Children in poor regions and rural areas, children with the lowest socioeconomic backgrounds, working children and children in conflict with the law often benefit least from education. Additionally, many more children from the most marginalized communities are excluded from national data collection procedures and thus are invisible.

The United Nations Children Fun (UNICEF) issued a new Policy and Strategy Research Paper today, commemorating Universal Children's Day. 

                                                     This new research paper highlights global demographic shifts forecasts for the coming generation of children that present major challenges to policy makers and planners.

The paper for instance says that by 2050 one in every three births will be African – as will also be almost one in every three children under the age of 18. One hundred years earlier, sub-Saharan Africa’s share of births was just one in 10.

The paper, [Generation 2025 and beyond: The critical importance of understanding demographic trends for children of the 21st century], says that in turn under-5 deaths will continue increasingly to be concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, in pockets of poverty and marginalization in populous lower-income countries and in least developed nations.

Related UN Resources:

The State of the World's Children 2012

Key Recent UNICEF Publications