Global

COVAX will close 31 December 2023 having delivered nearly 2 billion doses of vaccines to 146 economies, and averted an estimated 2.7 million deaths in AMC lower-income participating economies.   COVAX’s end-to-end efforts helped lower-income economies achieve two-dose coverage of 57 per cent, compared to the global average of 67 per cent.   Low-…

Did you know that the power of computers has been doubling roughly every two years since the 1960s? Every day it seems there’s a new app or piece of tech that unlocks new and efficient ways to do things; to better engage with the world, or with learning. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the longstanding gender digital divide. Even though…

Despite the transformative role preprimary education can play in addressing gender inequalities and challenging common gender norms and stereotypes while they are being acquired by the youngest learners, boys and girls continue to have different classroom experiences. Gender biases and stereotypes are frequently reproduced in teacher-student…

Adolescent girls around the world are speaking up and leading change toward a more gender equal world. But while girls stand ready to help shape our collective future, a myriad of concurrent and interlinked crises and barriers stand in their way. As the global community looks to “build back equal,” we have a unique opportunity to overcome these…

NEW YORK, 23 September 2022 - "Excellencies, distinguished guests, esteemed colleagues,  "Thank you for inviting me to represent UNICEF here today.  I would like to thank the Secretary-General for his leadership, and all my fellow panelists and participants for their partnership.     "The global network that came together to vaccinate the world…

NEW YORK, 19 September 2022 - "Excellencies, colleagues,  "I am very glad to join you today to present the Call to Action on Advancing Gender Equality and Girls’ and Women’s Empowerment in and through Education.   "I want to start by acknowledging our partners for this event, France, Nigeria, and Yemen, as well as UNESCO, the UN Girls’ Education…

There are more than 600 million adolescent girls in the world today — equipped with the right resources and opportunities, they will be the largest cohort of female leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers the world has ever seen. They have also shown tremendous courage, strength, and resilience during unprecedented challenges, from…, Resources, Adolescent education and skills-development Giving Girls the Right Skills for the Job Global Forum for Children and Youth CY21 community session on girl-centered solutions Girls in Tech A new era for girls Taking stock on 25 years of progress for girls Harnessing the power of data for girls: Taking stock and looking ahead to 2030 Tech Trailblazers…, UNICEF’s Response, UNICEF, through the Skills4Girls Portfolio, is currently working with and for girls in more than 20 countries to bridge the gap between the skills girls need to be competitive in the 21st century workforce, versus those they have traditionally had access to. Skills4Girls has impacted more than 5.8 million girls since 2019. The aim is to reach 11.5…

NEW YORK/COPENHAGEN, 14 June 2022 – UNICEF has announced record-setting results in procurement and delivery for 2021. The total value of UNICEF-procured supplies and services reached more than $7.1 billion – a 61 per cent increase compared to 2020. Much of this procurement increase reflects UNICEF’s role in the global COVID-19 pandemic response,…

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was already facing a learning crisis: over 260 million children had never set foot in a classroom, and those in school did not necessarily learn and acquire necessary skills. Recognizing the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on marginalized children, UNICEF scaled up interventions focused on…, 43 per cent of UNICEF-supported countries have equitable education systems 52 per cent of UNICEF-supported countries had national school-related gender-based violence prevention and response mechanisms  UNICEF worked closely with its partners in 2021 to limit the negative impacts of the pandemic on children’s education and well-being. Despite the…, girl-in-classroom Improving learning outcomes, 48 per cent of UNICEF-supported countries have effective education systems for learning outcomes 61 per cent of UNICEF-supported countries have effective early childhood education systems for learning outcomes 45 per cent of UNICEF-supported countries have a gender-responsive teaching and learning education system During school closures due to the…, girl-in-classroom Skills development , 33 million children participated in skills development programmes   28 per cent of UNICEF-supported countries have systems that institutionalize gender-equitable skills    45 per cent of UNICEF-supported countries are mainstreaming skills development within national education and training systems   In 2021, UNICEF’s chief focus was to continue to…, portrait-two-smiling-girls Looking forward, Accelerating education recovery and transformation "RAPID-ly" Now is the time for accelerating education recovery and transformative action to ensure that every child (particularly the most marginalized including girls, children with disabilities and children in fragile contexts) is fully supported in the key transitions of their learning journey…, Partner testimonial: Government of Norway, A special thanks to the Government of Norway, the largest contributor to Education thematic funding, for continued support and partnership. Partner testimonial from Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Norwegian Minister of International Development: children-making-heart-shape UNICEF/UN0400898/Chuluunbaatar, With thanks, This report highlights the achievements made possible by the generous contributions of softly earmarked thematic funding received from various partners. UNICEF would like to express it's sincere appreciation for these contributions., Read more and support our work, June 2022, Global Annual Results Report 2021 GOAL AREA 2 Every child learns Cover image: UN0579531 Expression of thanks: UNICEF/UN0475053/Ralaivita Lova, a student at Seraphin school in Madagascar, shows her classmates how to respect social distancing at school. In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to disrupt education for millions of children. Despite…

UNICEF through the Skills4Girls Portfolio is currently working with and for girls in 22 countries to bridge the gap between the skills girls need to be competitive in the 21st century workforce, versus those they have traditionally had access to. As one of the five targeted priorities for Girls’ Empowerment in the Gender Action Plan 2022-2025…

COVAX has access to enough COVID-19 vaccines to help protect 70% of the population in 91 lower-income countries Demand and uptake are low, with low-income countries remaining furthest behind To close the global vaccine equity gap, COVAX calls on countries to set ambitious targets for implementation and on all partners to ensure countries have the…, DEMAND AND DELIVERY, With more than 3.8 billion COVID-19 doses administered to-date, national governments in lower-income countries have led the way. The number of countries with coverage under 10% of the population has decreased from 34 in January to 18 today. Some AMC-supported countries – for example, Bhutan, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Maldives, Fiji and Bangladesh – have…, SUPPLY, It is testament to the ground-breaking work of the scientific and manufacturing communities that there is now enough global supply to meet needs, as is the fact that it took only 327 days to go from the SARS-CoV-2 virus being sequenced and published to bringing a COVID-19 vaccine into emergency use. As we strive to help countries deploy more doses…

When UNICEF helped launch the largest vaccine operation effort in history, the focus was to make sure that every community was protected from COVID-19. And since the COVAX initiative began in February 2021, more than 1.4 billion doses have reached more than 140 countries.   In some cases, a vaccine represents an opportunity to see and hug a…, Thanks to more vaccines and the efforts of volunteers, Bangladesh's vaccination rate has risen sharply , When the first COVID-19 vaccines supplied by COVAX touched down in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, in June 2021, less than four per cent of all adults were fully vaccinated. Fast forward less than a year and that number has risen dramatically. By the beginning of April, 67 per cent of the population had received two doses.   COVAX has played a…, Grandparents in Peru are able to see and hug their grandchildren thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines  , Artemio Baldoceda is a grandfather and he speaks for so many when he describes what it means to him to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  “Joy in my heart because I’m getting a little more life to have my family, and for my family to have me. You miss the grandchildren, especially. One waits for that moment to come when you can bear hug them.”  Artemio…, Viet Nam’s vaccination rate has soared in just half a year, meaning that almost every adult is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 , There’s been a rapid rise in the COVID-19 vaccination rate in Viet Nam over the past few months. In September 2021, less than 10 per cent of all adults in the country had received both doses. But by April 2022, more than 78 per cent of those aged over 12-years had been given two shots.  UNICEF has been working with Viet Nam’s government to provide…, Making sure that remote and disaster-prone communities in the Philippines have access to COVID-19 vaccines  , In the Philippines, the COVID-19 vaccination rate has risen significantly recently. Back in September 2021, less than 18 per cent of the population had been fully vaccinated. Half a year later, by April 2022, that vaccination rate now stands at more than 59 per cent. About one in three of all the COVID-19 vaccines that have been given to people in…, COVAX moving forward, As the number of COVID-19 vaccines on the market has increased, there are today enough doses to meet the needs of low- and middle-income countries. So, the focus now is less about resolving supply constraints. Instead, the priority moving forward is to make sure that vaccines are turned into vaccinations. That means supporting countries with…