Thank you very much, Chair, and members of the committee, for inviting us to elaborate on our November testimony regarding how COVID-19 is affecting the world's most vulnerable children.
I'll be joined in my testimony today by my colleague, Martin Fischer.
All six agencies that are appearing today have agreed to present different aspects of a comprehensive agenda for children. Our ability to realize the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and lay the groundwork for a better world depends on prioritizing girls and boys—tomorrow's leaders—today. Nine years from now, in 2030, it will be a 14-year-old South Sudanese girl and her peers influencing global change, not you or me.
Today we want to elaborate by addressing three very practical things that Canada can do.
Number one is to engage girls and boys more meaningfully in our international assistance efforts. Number two is to more closely engage with Canadian and local implementing partners. Number three is to take action to address the increased risks of child labour in our global supply chains.
On increasing children's participation, you don't need me to elaborate on the impacts the pandemic is having on girls and boys. They can tell you themselves. Fifteen-year-old Flore from Haiti says, “I heard that several girls were raped during the time of the confinement. Even in my neighbourhood, a girl was raped and is now pregnant. If there were no confinement and no COVID-19, she would have been in school, [and] she wouldn't be pregnant today.”
Girls and boys must be part of the solution. Sixteen-year-old Martine from DRC states it plainly when she said, “We want to be able to stand before people and speak about our issues, and talk about our rights and dreams.”
Many of you have youth councils in your own riding. You value young Canadians' opinions and experiences, so we urge you to intentionally seek out ways to integrate the voices of the world's most vulnerable girls and boys in Canada's response to COVID-19.
On more closely engaging with Canadian and local partners, the default for Canada, like most donors, is to heavily—and often overly—rely on multilateral partners for the delivery of our international assistance. There are simple reasons for this, which are scale, reputation and time.
Don't hear me wrong today. Multilaterals have a critical role to play. Please don't take this as a self-serving plea for more funds. The delivery of international assistance is an interwoven tapestry where civil society—from local to global, national government, multilaterals and donors—need to be recognized and equipped to do their part. Canadian partners have incredibly deep roots and long-standing partnerships with local communities, especially in crisis- and conflict-affected contexts. We are uniquely positioned to scale up and help. This is even truer for local partners that are often the only ones able to effectively deliver in crisis- and conflict-affected regions. Together, we're ready to do more and to work with Global Affairs Canada on the how. We recommend that Global Affairs Canada take concrete steps to enhance the way it engages Canadian and local implementing partners in its response to COVID-19.