It is a great pleasure for us to present the eighth annual signature publication of ARNEC Connections: Working Together for ECD. This year, our focus is in line with ARNEC’s annual theme “ECD on the global agenda: Building partnerships for sustainability and harmony”. This year’s publication includes articles on four broad topics: (1) Contributing to sustainable development through ECD, (2) Building partnerships for ECD, (3) Building social cohesion through ECD, and (4) Promoting diversity and inclusion through ECD. The major highlights of the articles included in this issue are presented below.