The Issue at Hand

Fair Start formed in response to widespread use of an illegal assessment and reporting standard by U.S. companies, nonprofits, media, and universities. This standard evades compliance with the Children’s Rights Convention and conceals climate damage liability. Rooted in outdated and unjust metrics, it has fueled the climate crisis and led to millions of deaths.

Instead of ensuring justice at birth and political equity, this system relies on arbitrary measures of social justice. We can change that by asking key questions:

• “How do you account for children’s rights when assessing your organization’s impact?”
• “Are your claims based on the same flawed standards that contributed to the climate crisis?”

Justice begins with fair conditions at birth and development. We must shift from after-the-fact remedies to proactive, structural change.

 

The Roots of the Problem

Decades ago, world leaders removed political equity from reproductive rights, reinforcing “separate but equal” family standards. This led to unjust and unsustainable birth conditions, favoring economic growth over equity. The result? Disproportionate climate risk and political disenfranchisement, particularly for marginalized children.

Rather than investing in equitable birth and development, wealth was concentrated in privileged families, worsening inequality. Charitable efforts have often done more to enrich donors than to solve systemic issues.

The Consequences of Ignoring Political Equity

By ignoring fair power distribution at birth, social justice efforts have been performative rather than transformative. This has allowed:

• Political and economic systems to continue favoring privileged groups.
• Climate crisis impacts to disproportionately harm vulnerable communities.
• Social justice philanthropy to obscure its failures rather than address them.

The current system scores children of color as deserving fewer resources and more risk, worsening climate-related deaths. Any organization avoiding this reality is complicit in deepening inequity.

 

The Need for a Fair Start Standard

All legal obligations should stem from a foundation that prioritizes children’s rights and political equity at birth. True justice must:

1. Ensure children are born into conditions that fulfill their rights.
2. Address environmental sustainability alongside political representation.
3. Shift funding and policy priorities toward early-childhood equity.

Steps Toward Change

1. Recognize Fair Start as a Preemptive Standard
   • Reparations should focus on ensuring small, equitable, and democratic family structures.
   • Organizations should acknowledge past failures and commit to a new standard of legitimacy.
2. Expose High-Profile Barriers to Equity
   • Identify individuals and institutions benefiting from inequitable systems.
   • Challenge philanthropists and corporations to disclose how their wealth affects children’s rights.
3. Launch the Fair Start “Tell the Truth” Campaign
   • Replace misleading impact claims with truthful assessments of harm and injustice.
   • Hold organizations accountable for their role in perpetuating inequity.

The Bottom Line

Political legitimacy starts at birth. Justice requires ensuring that no child is born into conditions of deprivation and disempowerment. This is not an optional intervention—it is the foundation of a fair and sustainable future.

We must stop supporting unjust systems and demand accountability. Will you join us in advocating for a truly equitable start in life for all children?

Click here to Donate to Fair Start Movement Campaign