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Countries in the Asia-Pacific region are committed to improving the lives of young children. Despite the progress made so far in the Asia-Pacific region and being halfway to the target date of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, there are still significant gaps in fulfilling SDG Target 4.2: 'By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.'

The UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok (UNESCO Bangkok) has been advocating for SEL to fully become part of the ECCE system and supporting regional Member States in building teachers’ capacity to integrate SEL into children’s learning environments. With social skills and emotional intelligence taught in schools early, children will gain knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, and achieve personal and collective goals. This can positively contribute to society and transformative resilience through enhancing civic engagement.