OMEP is not as well-known as UNICEF or Save the Children. Airport billboards are not operated by it. Celebrity fundraisers don’t use it. However, it is highly likely that someone in the room is an OMEP member, has read an OMEP paper, or is silently awaiting OMEP’s input before drafting the next clause if you attend any serious meeting on early childhood policy, anywhere in the world.
The World Organization for Early Childhood Education was established in 1948 as a result of post-war Europe, when adults were finally ready to acknowledge that the early years of a child’s life truly influenced everything that followed. This belief has persisted for almost eight decades. The organization now operates in more than 70 nations, has special consultative status at the UN, and acts as a sort of pedagogical conscience for governments deciding what to do with their young children. Maybe it’s a niche. However, it’s a huge one.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | World Organisation for Early Childhood Education (OMEP) |
| Founded | 1948, in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War |
| Headquarters | Operates internationally; rotating presidency model |
| Geographic Reach | Active in over 70 countries across all continents |
| UN Status | Special consultative status with ECOSOC and working relations with UNESCO and UNICEF |
| Core Focus | Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) for children from birth to age eight |
| Flagship Publication | International Journal of Early Childhood (IJEC), published with Springer |
| Key Initiatives | Rights from the Start blog, Young Researchers Award, OMEP Theory in Practice (TIP) Journal |
| Current Themes | Climate justice in early years, Tashkent Declaration follow-up, Guiding Principles on ECCE Rights |
| Recent Major Event | 76th World Assembly held in Bangkok, July 2024 |
| Allied Partners | UNESCO, Right to Education Initiative, ARNEC, ECDAN, EDUCO |
| Legal Identity | International, non-governmental, non-profit |
Contrary to what the mission implies, the work itself is not as glamorous. OMEP publishes position papers, collects best practices, and provides technical support to governments creating early childhood public policies. Observing it in action gives the impression that the organization has deliberately chosen the slow route, developing credibility piece by piece rather than chasing headlines. It operates the Theory in Practice journal, the International Journal of Early Childhood, and the Rights from the Start blog, which it started in 2018 with Latin American partners. The blog’s name also serves as a thesis: pretending that human rights start at school age is a form of carelessness.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, was drafted in part by OMEP. The length of time this organization has been present when it mattered can be inferred from that one fact. It remains. Under the theme “Right from the Start for ECCE: Step Beyond All Together,” the 76th World Assembly, which took place in Bangkok in July 2024, brought together representatives from various continents in addition to UNESCO, UNICEF, ARNEC, and the Global Campaign for Education. By most accounts, the mood was more urgent than festive.
During his keynote address, Mathias Urban of Dublin City University discussed topics that are uncommon for an early-years conference, such as war, displacement, climate catastrophe, and what he called the disastrous consequences of global capitalism. It was dubbed a polycrisis by ARNEC’s Sheldon Shaeffer. The statistics behind the rhetoric are sobering: only 57% of teachers in low-income countries are properly trained, 30% of children in surveyed countries are not developmentally on track, and pre-primary enrollment has decreased from 75% to 72% since 2020. To achieve universal access goals, at least six million more early-years educators will be required by 2030.
The pivotal moment was meant to be the Tashkent Declaration of 2022. Funding, political will, and the ability of civil society organizations like OMEP to continue pressuring governments to fulfill their existing commitments will determine whether it becomes one. As this develops, there’s a sense that the upcoming years are more important than usual. OMEP itself is not as old as the inclination to invest in early childhood. In the majority of nations, the mechanisms for doing so are still surprisingly new.
