UNICEF, CII organise conference on investing in children’s development
UNICEF and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) held a roundtable in Chennai to discuss private sector investment in child development. The discussion focused on leveraging CSR and corporate resources to improve human capital and economic growth.
Why it matters
Integrating corporate social responsibility with child development is seen as a strategic approach to fostering long-term economic competitiveness and social welfare.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), held a roundtable conference to discuss the role of the private sector in advancing child well being and development in Chennai on Thursday (July 16, 2026). The roundtable was held on the theme ‘Why Invest in Children?’
As Tamil Nadu advances towards its vision of becoming a trillion-dollar economy, investing in children is increasingly recognised as one of the most strategic investments in the State’s future human capital, economic competitiveness, and inclusive growth, said experts at the discussion.
Stating that no sustained growth can be achieved without children, Cynthia McCaffrey, representative, UNICEF India, said: “Discussions were held to see how we could support the economy through corporate social responsibility (CSR) by collaborating with the corporate sector, government, civil society, academia for evidence, organisations such as UNICEF, and the communities.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in