itotheN
Human-centered
innovation for intergenerational
impact
Children20
Because the world must listen to its inner child.
More than half of the world’s children and adolescents reside in G20 countries, yet there is no dedicated working group focused on their specific needs.
During Brazil's presidency of the G20 in 2024, itotheN | Intergenerational Impact and other organizations played a key role in building and activating the "Children in the G20" initiative: a coalition of Brazilian and international organizations dedicated to integrating the rights and well-being of children and adolescents in the G20 agenda.
The Children in G20 coalition, developed a policy pack with recommendations made directly to G20 leaders. itotheN was instrumental in entering language on early relationships:
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"Prioritize and fund programs that support emotionally responsive relationships during early childhood, particularly before age 3.
Design, implement, measure, evaluate and fund efforts to create positive environments for parent-child relationships, including expand access to parent support programs and implement policies that support parents as caregivers at home in the earliest years, such as paid parental leave, child benefits, family services, and parental empowerment, assuring future parents with access to mental health services and counseling. In addition conduct Childhood Impact Assessments on policies and programs across all sectors."
On the occasion of the 79th UN General Assembly and Summit of the Future in 2024, itotheN | Intergenerational Impact spearheaded a high-level event in New York to launch the Children in G20 policy pack.
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The event was generously supported by the Child Mind Institute and the Global Mental Health Action Network. At this event, we launched the Children in G20 Policy Pack and mobilized key stakeholders in favor of the initiative, setting the foundations for a path forward to institutionalize a children’s group at the G20.
The 2024 Children in G20 Initiative coalition
During South Africa's presidency of the G20 in 2025, itotheN | Intergenerational Impact and other partner organizations played a key role in integrating the rights and well-being of children and adolescents in the G20 agenda.
For the first time in the history of the G20 bloc, children and teens directly participated through its own Children's Pre-Summit at the G20.
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Children across South Africa, Africa, and the world engages in structured dialogues to produce a Children’s Declaration which forms part of the larger declaration that was handed over to the President of South Africa, for consideration by G20 Leaders at the G20 Social Summit.
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Through the Johannesburg Leaders Declaration of 2025, G20 leaders commit to "advance a comprehensive approach to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) policy development and implementation that engages both government and society, including their shared values and cultures, as a vital investment for a country's social and economic future."
President Ramaphosa of South Africa recognizes Children20 as an official engagement group of the G20 Social Summit
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This milestone embeds children’s voices and priorities into one of the world’s most influential global forums for economic and social policy.
The South African Presidency builds on the groundwork laid during the Brazilian Presidency of 2024, when leading child rights organizations prepared a policy pack and letter addressed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urging the meaningful inclusion of children and adolescents in the G20 process.