A series of Advanced ECD Seminars is to be organized by UNICEF (www.unicef.org) and ISSA (www.issa.nl) in partnership with the ISSA network’s national member organizations and higher education institutions in Hungary, Romania and Serbia. The event will bring together researchers, academics, senior ECD experts and decision makers from relevant governmental and non-governmental bodies. The overall aim of the seminar is to present some of the latest scientific findings in brain development and early childhood. The significance of these findings will be discussed in relation to the environmental risks faced by children growing up in disadvantaged environments. The seminars will underline the importance of early intervention and provision of universal care, education and protection services and their associations with improved child development outcomes.