Seychelles to Host Regional Summit on Early Childhood Development
The 3rd Regional Workshop on ECCE opens December 1, bringing together policymakers from across Asia and the Indian Ocean to review progress on the Tashkent Declaration and strengthen cross-border cooperation.
Seychelles is set to become the focal point for regional cooperation in early childhood care and education (ECCE) next month, hosting the 3rd Regional Workshop on ECCE from December 1 to 5, 2026.
Organized by the Institute for Early Childhood Development (IECD)—a UNESCO Category 2 Centre—the event will gather policymakers, senior government officials, and key stakeholders from 15 nations across Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
Confirmed participants include Brunei Darussalam, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius, and host nation Seychelles.
The workshop, themed “From Commitments to Progress: Reviewing ECCE Actions and Strengthening Pathways for Transformative Change,” aims to translate high-level policy pledges into tangible outcomes for young children and their families. Central to the agenda is a review of progress made in implementing the Tashkent Declaration, a framework dedicated to advancing early childhood development globally.
Adopting a multisectoral approach, the workshop will bring together experts from the education, health, and social development sectors. The schedule is designed to facilitate the sharing of national experiences, identify common systemic challenges, and explore innovative strategies to improve the quality, accessibility, and inclusiveness of ECCE services.
“In our rush toward modernization, early childhood care is too often taken for granted,” organizers noted. “This workshop serves as a critical platform to pause, reflect, and accelerate our collective progress.”
To underscore the principle of shared ownership, the event will operate on a cost-sharing model. The IECD will cover local transportation, lunches, and essential logistics, while participating nations will bear the costs of international airfares and accommodation.
The event marks a significant step in reinforcing Seychelles’ position as an international hub for ECCE dialogue. By strengthening regional partnerships, the workshop seeks to ensure that the commitments made under the Tashkent Declaration result in measurable improvements for early childhood development across member states.
As global attention increasingly turns to the foundational years of human development, the Seychelles gathering represents a concerted effort to bridge the gap between policy intent and on-the-ground reality for some of the region’s most vulnerable beneficiaries.
