A lot of the important work that some groups do is done in rooms that not many people know about. One of them is OMEP Argentina, which is the country branch of the World Organization for Early Childhood Education. It’s not as well known as a big multilateral organization and doesn’t have as much money as a big development agency. That being said, it has credibility that was built up slowly over many years and is ready to show up when real decisions need to be made.
OMEP Argentina joined the Advisory Council of the UN’s SDG Fund program for early childhood and sustainable development in Argentina in August 2020, during one of the most uncertain times in recent memory. The program had a complicated name, but its goal was simple: to make sure that the rights of young children, especially those who were most at risk, stayed at the center of public policy, even as governments worked to handle a global crisis. Mercedes Mayol Lassalle sat down at that table to represent OMEP and civil society groups. Not very exciting or interesting things like this don’t usually make the news. It most likely should.
There were representatives from states, UN agencies, trade unions, the private sector, and civil society groups on the council. Their goal was to push for integrated, cross-sectoral thinking on child care. The first meeting was led by Fabiola Yáñez, who was First Lady of Argentina at the time. This showed that the program was getting some political attention, even if it wasn’t yet political weight. Ceremony wasn’t what made OMEP’s presence important. It was the longer pattern that stood out: a civil society group with a lot of experience in early childhood education consistently getting invited to places where national priorities are made.
Things are hard to do at work in Argentina. It has huge differences in wealth and income, an unstable economy, and policies that change with each new government. For an NGO that works on something as important and chronically underfunded as early childhood education, getting around in that area takes more than just goodwill. It takes a certain kind of institutional patience. It seems like OMEP Argentina has done just that over the years: staying relevant not through conflict but through active, long-term participation.
The SDG Fund advisory structure was made to be more than just a show of consultation. It said its goal was to come up with concrete ideas, start conversations, and permanently put issues related to young children on the public’s radar. It’s still not clear if that will fully happen; these multi-stakeholder groups have a mixed track record of making policy changes from meetings. But at least the way the program is set up gives civil society groups a formal way to speak out, make suggestions, and take a stand. The fact that OMEP is involved shows that it plans to use that mechanism seriously.
It’s hard not to notice how often people who aren’t very visible have a big impact on education systems. Mayol Lassalle and OMEP Argentina are examples of an NGO that cares more about depth than noise. They do this by working through advisory committees, contributing to debates, and showing up over and over again instead of in big ways. The second-largest economy in South America will continue to face huge questions about how it invests in its young people. For now, it looks like OMEP Argentina is going to be a part of those talks, one quiet meeting at a time.
