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Cognitive capital for children in Asia and Pacific
  1. Douglas J Noble1,
  2. Stephen Blight2,
  3. Gaspar Fajth2,
  4. Steve Woodhouse2
  1. 1UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, Kathmandu, Nepal
  2. 2UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand
  1. Correspondence to Dr Douglas J Noble; djnoble{at}unicef.org

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2016-000189

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    Summary box

    • Cognitive capital is nurtured prenatally and in early childhood and has a pivotal effect on human capabilities.

    • Nationwide social protection provides for the most vulnerable and, if properly designed, can assist primary caregivers to nurture cognitive capital as children grow and interact with them and their environment.

    • Universal health coverage provides the basis for equitable healthcare for all and is a core part of child development.

    • Research has established that violence in childhood may have long-term consequences on the well-being of individuals; and given its scale, in aggregate it significantly undermines cognitive capital.

    Hosted by the Government of Malaysia with the support of UNICEF, a High Level Meeting on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in Asia and the Pacific will be held on 7 and 8 November 2016 in Kuala Lumpur.1–3 With nearly half the world's children living within the Asia and Pacific region, this forum will promote the sharing of best practices, enhance political commitment to the rights of children, and foster stronger cooperation between governments. There is an overarching theme—investing in the cognitive capital of the next generation. A key discussion looms—the promotion of optimal brain development so that both children and countries thrive. Cognitive capital represents the complete set of intellectual skills as well as those non-cognitive, social-emotional, and executive function skills that allow for creativity, …

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