Global

From widespread killing, maiming, abduction and sexual violence to recruitment into armed forces and groups and strikes on schools and hospitals, as well as essential water facilities – children living in conflict zones around the world continue to come under attack on a shocking scale.  To better monitor, prevent, and end these attacks, the…, 1. Killing and maiming of children, Killing and maiming of children can be a result of direct targeting or indirect actions, including torture. Killing and maiming can occur through crossfire, landmines, cluster munitions, improvised or other indiscriminate explosive devices or even in the context of military operations, house demolitions, search-and-arrest campaigns, or suicide…, 2. Recruitment or use of children in armed forces and armed groups, Recruitment or use of children in armed forces and armed groups refers to compulsory, forced, or voluntary conscription or enlistment of children into any kind of armed force or armed group. The use of boys and girls by armed forces or armed groups can be in any capacity, including as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers and spies, or when they…, 3. Attacks on schools or hospitals, Attacks on schools or hospitals include the targeting of schools or medical facilities that cause the total or partial destruction of such facilities. Schools and hospitals should be protected spaces, where children are safe even in times of conflict, yet continued attacks on such facilities have underscored the catastrophic impact of armed…, 4. Rape or other grave sexual violence, Conflict-related sexual violence remains one of the most disturbing violation of children’s rights and has often been used as a tactic of war. Rape or other grave sexual violence includes acts of rape, other sexual violence, sexual slavery and/or trafficking, enforced prostitution, forced marriage or pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or sexual…, 5. Abduction of children, Abduction of children refers to the unlawful removal, seizure, capture, apprehension, or enforced disappearance of a child either temporarily or permanently. Whether it’s an intentional act of violence or retaliation, to instill fear among populations, or to forcibly recruit and/or sexually abuse children, abduction is one of the most pervasive…, 6. Denial of humanitarian access for children, Denial of humanitarian access for children includes the intentional deprivation or impediment of humanitarian assistance essential for children’s survival by parties to the conflict, including willfully impeding the ability of humanitarian or other relevant actors to access and assist affected children in situations of armed conflict.  Warring…, What UNICEF is doing , Lebanon. A Syrian refugee holds a box of supplies. A Syrian refugee holds a box of supplies in Lebanon. UNICEF and partners are continuing to provide care and protection for children living through war, advocating on their behalf, and engaging with all parties to conflict to ensure their rights are upheld. In addition to providing emergency and…

UN-Habitat and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have developed this Guidance on Child-Responsive Urban Policies, Laws and Standards to support governments at all levels to create urban spaces where children can access basic services, clean air and water; where children feel safe to play, learn and grow, which includes ensuring their…

Progress in urban areas is vital to achieving outcomes for children. In 2020, around 56 per cent of the world’s population – some 4.4 billion people – lived in urban areas, of which 1.18 billion were children. That figure is set to rise to 70 per cent by mid-century, with over 90 per cent of the growth taking place in Africa, Asia, Latin America,…

More than half of the world’s population – some 4.5 billion people – live in urban areas. As millions more make the move each month, many end up in slums or informal settlements. An estimated 350 – 500 million children live in slums, with limited access to essential services like health care, education and sanitation. Opportunities stemming from…, Publications and resources, UNICEF's response, By 2050, an estimated 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban settings, with most population growth occurring in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Without a stronger focus on children in cities, humanitarian organizations will fail to reach the most vulnerable children with the protections set out under the Convention of the…, Learn more

Goal Area 4 of the 2018-2021 UNICEF Strategic Plan encompasses four results areas: (1) WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), (2) disaster risk reduction, resilience strengthening and peacebuilding, (3) urban programming and local governance, and (4) climate, energy and the environment. Good progress was made across all of these areas despite the…, UNICEF set its most ambitious WASH target ever for the 2018–2021 Strategic Plan: to reach 60 million people with water and sanitation services in their communities through direct support. The target was achieved, an exceptional result given the operational challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. GARR2021-Goal-are-4-figure-1 Number of additional…, girl-drinking-water Disaster risk reduction, resilience strengthening and peacebuilding, UNICEF helps to reduce the risk of disasters and strengthen resilience in the countries where it works, investing more than US$250 million across 150 countries over the 2018-2021 period. In 2021, UNICEF helped strengthen early warning systems in 27 countries, supported the updating of 44 preparedness plans and provided risk-assessment support for…, children-filling-water-can Urban programming and local governance, Over the four-year Strategic Plan period, UNICEF expanded its engagement in local governance and urban programming in response to increasing inequities within countries and deepening deprivations that affect children in their communities. UNICEF supported urban-specific interventions in over 100 countries globally and has engaged with 3,845…, youth-planting-tree Climate, energy and the environment, The climate and environment crisis is a crisis for children, threatening their development and their very existence. In 2021, UNICEF released the Children’s Climate Risk Index, the first global atlas of climate and environmental risk from a child right’s perspective, showing that almost every child is now exposed to at least one climate or…, smiling-girl-holding-water-can Looking forward, The new UNICEF 2022-2025 Strategic Plan defines how UNICEF will contribute to child-related SDGs over the next four years, defining the pathways to achieve an inclusive recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and, ultimately, the realization of a society in which every child is included and has agency, opportunity and their rights…, Read more and support our work, June 2022, Global Annual Results Report 2021 GOAL AREA 4 Every child lives in a safe and clean environment Cover image: UNICEF/UN0560201/Dubourthoumieu Souza Mbomba, 19 years old, draws water from a new spring-sourced water system developed with the support of UNICEF in Mutonji district, Kasai Oriental province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.…

Working in close collaboration with a coalition of governments, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and other partners, UNICEF child protection (Goal Area 3) teams around the world were able to deliver a wide array of results across 153 countries, including to 124 new and ongoing humanitarian situations. Scaled-up interventions,…, 4.4 million children who experienced violence reached with related services (129 countries)  3 million parents and caregivers reached with UNICEF-supported parent education programmes (94 countries) Accelerating national progress to reduce all forms of violence  Across countries, the number of children experiencing violence who received health,…, child-soldier Child protection in humanitarian action, 12 million children, adolescents. parents and caregivers accessed mental health and psychosocial support  13.9 million women, girls and boys provided with risk mitigation, prevention or response interventions to address gender-based violence (89 countries) 61 million children and adults could access safe and accessible UNICEF-supported sexual…, portrait-girl Strengthening prevention and delivery of protection services to reduce harmful practices, Nearly 7.6 million adolescent girls were reached with UNICEF-supported child marriage prevention and care interventions (47 countries) Nearly 800k girls and women received UNICEF-supported prevention and protection services on FGM over the Strategic Plan 2018-2021 period Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF and partners have adapted to…, Mother-and-child Promoting access to justice, birth registration and alternative care, Over 45,000 children were released across at least 84 countries since the start of of the COVID-19 pandemic after an unprecedented global call for the immediate release of children from detention 13.9 million birth notifications were received (52 countries) 41 countries have comprehensive policies and programmes in line with the 2009 Guidelines…, portrait-girl Looking forward, UNICEF will continue to advocate for putting child rights at the heart of economic plans and priorities as countries continue to fight poverty within their borders and rebuild systems shattered by the pandemic.  UNICEF’s new Child Protection Strategy, 2021–2030 , launched in 2021, provides a pivotal opportunity to build on our experiences and…, 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 3 Every child is protected from violence and exploitation Cover image: UNICEF/UN0484305/UNICEF Afghanistan Children playing outside with hula-hoops at Child Friendly Space built by UNICEF in Balkh, a northern province of Afghanistan. Expression of thanks: UNICEF/UN0456813/Fuad Hands of a young girl (15)…

Online child sexual exploitation and abuse continue to grow and diversify. This report sets out how the WeProtect Global Alliance Model National Response framework is supporting national efforts to tackle this scourge. The WeProtect Global Alliance and UNICEF worked together on this review, which captures an extensive body of experience across 42…

The use of new, rapidly changing digital technologies to sexually exploit and abuse children, the wide reach of online services and the fact that such exploitation and abuse may involve victims and perpetrators from different jurisdictions, all pose challenges to States seeking to protect their children. Many States have yet to put in place or…

This brief is an extract from UNICEF’s report 'Ending online child sexual exploitation and abuse: Lessons learned and promising practices in low- and middle income countries' ( Ending Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse | UNICEF ), and sets out examples of scale up, adaptation and innovation in UNICEF programming to address children’s…

This report takes stock of UNICEF’s work to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse. It is intended for policymakers and practitioners to inform policy and practice in this field. Based primarily on analysis of survey responses from 29 UNICEF country offices, the report sets out the current level of implementation of the WeProtect Model…

UNICEF made good progress towards Strategic Plan 2018-2021 Goal Area 4 targets in 2020. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services were maintained and expanded for millions of children and their families. Support was provided for child-centred disaster risk reduction and disaster recovery efforts, and UNICEF worked with partners to foster…, Goal Area 4 progress against 2020 targets across five output areas The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of a safe and clean environment for children. But it also underlined the fragility of systems and services upon which they rely. The numbers of households, health centres and schools without access to adequate water and hygiene…, WASH, Icon representing drinking water - water in a glass 17 million people gained access to safe drinking water services Icon representing sanitation - a toilet 13.4 million people gained access to basic sanitation services Icon representing sanitation - hand underneath a tap 110 countries implementing national community-based hand-washing programmes …, Hygiene, From the beginning of the pandemic, handwashing with soap was identified as the first line of defence against the transmission of COVID-19. In response, UNICEF significantly expanded handwashing promotion efforts through media and social media campaigns, and provided support to community-based handwashing promotion programmes in 110 countries,…, Menstrual health and hygiene, Improving menstrual health and hygiene for girls and women is a challenge in the best of times, during a global pandemic the challenge became that much greater. Through the ‘periods don’t stop for pandemics’ campaign, UNICEF helped girls and women get access to menstrual pads and culturally- and age-specific information and provided emergency…, Safe water supply, A total of 17 million people gained access to safe water services through UNICEF direct support in 2020, and an additional 30.2 million people were provided with short-term emergency water services, such as water trucking. Other people were reached through UNICEF advocacy efforts to waive tariffs and subsidise water utilities during the pandemic.…, Climate-resilient WASH, UNICEF is committed to promoting climate resilient WASH to ensure that benefits for children are realised now and in the future, and that WASH systems – and communities that depend on them – have the tools and support to cope with climate change. In 2020, UNICEF provided support for climate-resilient WASH solutions in a total of 46 countries. This…, WASH in schools and health centres, WASH in institutions programming was ramped up in 2020 in support of the global effort to address COVID-19, particularly in the areas of hygiene promotion, infection prevention and control, and ensuring the functionality of WASH systems. A key part of the COVID-19 emergency response was support for safe school reopening programmes through the…, Emergency WASH response, In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WASH supplies and services were delivered to vulnerable populations in 120 countries, ultimately reaching 106 million people. The scale and scope of this support varied widely. In some countries UNICEF pitched in by delivering a few thousand bars of soap to a small number of targeted schools and health centres…, Sanitation, UNICEF helped 13.4 million people gain access to basic sanitation through regular programming in 2020, lower than targeted due to the difficulty of field work during the pandemic and shifting priorities. Almost three-quarters of these beneficiaries were in sub-Saharan Africa, where UNICEF focuses its direct support because it has the lowest…, WASH and gender, Through all its WASH programming, UNICEF works to promote the rights of women and girls in different ways. One is through WASH in schools programming, where UNICEF works to ensure that sanitation and hygiene facilities are girl-friendly: private, lockable, clean and with menstrual hygiene facilities and supplies.   UNICEF ensured that COVID-19 …, WASH and disability, Children with disabilities have the same rights to water and sanitation as other children, but they may not be able to fully realize these rights due to lack of access to disability-inclusive and accessible facilities and services.   Inaccessible sanitation can be particularly problematic for children (and adults) with disabilities, who can be…, Urban WASH, The shift towards a greater focus on urban programming continued in 2020 with the launch of the UNICEF global framework for urban WASH, the release of a new analysis of WASH coverage in urban areas with a focus on access disparities, and a significant increase in results for children in urban contexts through both development programming and…, Disaster risk reduction, resilience strengthening and peacebuilding, Icon representing risk - warning symbol and a falling arrow 56 countries had child-sensitive national or local risk management plans which address risks related to disasters, climate change, conflict, public health emergencies or other crises , Child-centred disaster risk reduction and recovery, Momentum continued on promoting child-centred disaster risk reduction and disaster recovery efforts both internally within UNICEF and together with partners. UNICEF efforts in this area are cross-sectoral and mainstreamed through all sectoral programming. UNICEF also ensured that COVID-19 responses were conflict-sensitive and supported social…, Peacebuilding and sustaining peace, UNICEF implemented peacebuilding programmes in 70 countries in 2020 - more than ever before - with the goals of bridging community and inter-generational divides, reducing social tensions and addressing the root causes of conflicts. These efforts leveraged UNICEF sectoral engagement in the areas of education, WASH, early child development, child…, Urban programming and local governance, Icon representing urban setting - a person surrounded by buildings 71 countries had data on intra-urban disparities, including girls and boys in informal settings, Urban programming, With more than 90 per cent of COVID-19 cases reported in urban areas, UNICEF developed global urban-specific guidance material to strengthen and adapt social services to respond to the health, social and economic crisis. Through regular programming, UNICEF supported urban and rural governments in 55 countries to make their development plans child-…, Local governance, As the level of governance closest to people, subnational and local governments play an important role in ensuring the fulfilment of child rights while reducing disparities and inequality. In 2020 UNICEF supported local governance systems strengthening and capacity building by engaging with multiple stakeholders at national, subnational and local…, Climate, energy and environment, Icon representing environmental sustainability - globe with a leaf 74 countries implemented child-inclusive programmes that foster climate resilience, environmental sustainability and low carbon development, Advocacy and evidence generation, Although not widely recognized, climate change is a child rights crisis because children bear the brunt of its impacts. UNICEF continues to make this a central theme of its global advocacy. For example, the briefing document Reimagining our Future: Building Back Better from COVID-19 presents a set of solutions to reduce the impact of COVID-19…, Engagement and empowerment of children and young people on climate, energy and the environment, Action on climate and the environment is driven by the energy of young people, and UNICEF programmes promote their engagement and empower them through education. In 2020, UNICEF worked in 106 countries to engage children and young people on advocacy, communication and campaigning around climate change and the environment. Through this support,…, Reducing emissions and pollution, Approximately 93 per cent of children under 15 – a total of 1.8 billion young people – breathe air that is so polluted it risks their health and development. UNICEF air pollution response programmes were being implemented in nine countries in 2020, including in Myanmar, where data was gathered on the sources of air pollution, youth networks were…, Internal sustainability/greening UNICEF, UNICEF has aligned its 2030 carbon reduction target to the 45 per cent reduction target (from 2016) set by the United Nations Secretary-General in September 2019, and will once again be recognized as carbon neutral after offsetting unavoidable emissions. In 2020 UNICEF conducted 23 internal eco-efficiency projects (including solar energy projects…, Looking forward, A young woman standing in a classroom in front of a blackboard A boy standing in front of solar panels and waving A girl standing in front of a white wall with colourful butterflies and flowers painted on it In 2020 UNICEF made good progress on its plans to help ensure a that every child lives in a safe and clean environment, despite the…, 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. June 2021, Global Annual Results Report 2020 GOAL AREA 4 Every child lives in a safe and clean environment Cover image: UNICEF/UNI332257/Keta Hamsatou Bolly, 13 years old, became a child leader in the Socoura displacement camp, in Mopti, Mali, sensitizing other children on hand washing and COVID-19. Expression of thanks: UNICEF/UN0372916/Naftalin Five-year-…

COVID-19 began as a global public health emergency but evolved rapidly into a child rights crisis that is unprecedented in both the universality of its scope and the inequality of its impacts. Children and women across countries and contexts faced increasing and intensifying threats to their safety and wellbeing – including abuse, violence,…, The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) threatens to reverse years of development gains and further inhibit progress towards protection-related SDGs by 2030. Though the full impact of the pandemic on children’s exposure to violence and exploitation is still emerging, at its peak, around 1.8 billion children lived in the 104 countries where violence…, Child protection links to the SDGs and Convention on the Rights of the Child, Goal Area 3 aims to ensure that every girl and boy is protected from all forms of violence, exploitation, abuse and harmful practices. This commitment is anchored in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and contributes to the achievement of protection-related Sustainable Development Goals., Strengthening child protection systems to reduce violence against children, Icon representing person getting hurt 4.2 million children who experienced violence reached with related services (126 countries) + 54% Icon representing affected population - 2 adults holding hands of a child 2.6 million parents and caregivers reached with UNICEF-supported parent education programmes (87 countries) + 14% Icon representing…, Accelerating national progress to reduce all forms of violence, Across 144 countries, UNICEF sought to maintain the continuity of its programmes and operations, while pivoting, adapting, and innovating approaches to reach an unprecedented number of children with prevention and responses services.  This included leveraging digital technology to offer caregiving resources to parents, expand the reach of mental…, Strengthening the social service workforce, At the start of the pandemic, child protection services, and the implicit role social service workers play in delivering these services, were not considered essential by many governments and received limited earmarked funds, making it difficult to support their continuity. UNICEF swiftly advocated for the social service workforce to be supported…, Strengthening information management systems, UNICEF recognizes integrated Information Management Systems (IMS) as a critical component of strengthening child protection systems. In 2020, UNICEF supported 111 countries to strengthen IMS for child protection, including 24 countries reporting an interoperable IMS to support and track case management and incident and programme monitoring in…, Child protection in humanitarian action, Icon representing psycho-social support - a small and a big hand together 47.2 million children, adolescents, parents and caregivers accessed mental health and psychosocial support (117 countries) Icon representing 5 year old girl 17.8 million women, girls and boys provided with risk mitigation, prevention or response interventions to address…, Mental health and psychosocial support, COVID-19 has both exacerbated the mental health burden affecting the world’s children and brought much-needed attention to mental health as an essential component of children’s well-being and development. In 2020, UNICEF expanded its reach across humanitarian and development contexts, providing critical community-based mental health and…, Gender-based violence in emergencies, COVID-19 quarantine and confinement measures and the ripple effect of the socio-economic impact of the pandemic increased the risks of gender-based violence (GBV) and worsened its severity, particularly for women and girls already at heightened risk of living in emergency and prolonged crisis contexts.  UNICEF galvanized the production of global…, Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, UNICEF has accelerated the scale up of protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), with 91 countries now having safe and accessible reporting channels for SEA, country action plans, PSEA training for partners and strengthened referral pathways for survivors. In 2020, 44.3 million children and adults could access safe and accessible…, Monitoring grave violations, UNICEF engages with the United Nations and partners to monitor and report grave violations of children’s rights in armed conflict including killing and maiming; recruitment and use; abduction; and sexual violence. The Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism documented over 26,000 grave violations across 21 countries in 2020. The number of children…, Children associated with armed forces and armed groups, Reintegration is a long-term process intended to enable children to transition from armed forces and groups to their families and communities. Despite access constraints caused by COVID-19, UNICEF documented around 12,790 children who exited armed forces or armed groups in 16 countries during 2020. Across 19 countries, UNICEF provided a range of…, Mine action and explosive weapons, In the context of COVID-19, it proved crucial to adapt and reimagine how mine action programming, in particular Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), was delivered in situations where face to face direct contact shifted to remote reach. This included the use of mass messaging through traditional and social media, and other forms of digital…, Unaccompanied and separated children, The COVID-19 pandemic, and the measures and policies put in place to contain the virus, heightened the risks of separation of children across humanitarian situations and development contexts, triggering a significant scale-up in programming in 2020.  UNICEF and partners supported UASC in 89 countries, across humanitarian situations and development…, Delivery of protection services to reduce harmful practices, A young girl writing and drawing Over 16.4 million people engaged through UNICEF-supported education, communication and social mobilization platforms to promote the elimination of FGM (20 countries) A girl wearing a jacket and colourful scarf Over 6 million adolescent girls were reached with UNICEF-supported child marriage prevention and care…, Child marriage, In 2020, UNICEF and partners supported 59 countries across all regions to implement rights-based interventions aimed at ending child marriage, adapting and innovating its approach in the context of COVID-19. Across 45 countries, around 5.3 million adolescent girls participated in life skills training or comprehensive sexuality education.…, Female Genital Mutilation, UNICEF contributed to important successes to eliminate FGM in 20 countries. To adjust programming due to COVID-19, focus was placed on scaling up proven interventions and adapting approaches to community-based interventions. UNICEF empowered around 2,156 communities in 14 countries to declare the abandonment of FGM and helped prevent around 120,…, Promoting access to justice for children, Icon representing justice - balance scales 412,900 children in 87 countries who were in contact with the law received services (277,700 in 65 countries in 2019) Icon representing registration - aperson beside a pencil 21.2 million births were registered (57 countries) and 15.1 million birth certificates were issued (51 countries) Icon representing…, Strengthening justice systems, UNICEF and partners supported 125 countries to ensure programme continuity and to mitigate the increased risks for children and adolescents in contact with the law. A major focus was on adapting advocacy and programming to address the immediate and wider impact of COVID-19 while balancing longer-term justice reforms. When the pandemic began,…, Improving birth registration, The impact of COVID-19 prevention and containment measures was immediate, severely disrupting the availability of civil registration services, including birth registration. At the height of the pandemic, over 40 countries noted drops of 10 per cent or more in related services.   To minimize the impact of service disruption and maintain a…, Children without parental care, UNICEF supported efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and pre-emptively scale up and strengthen the capacity of family-based care and social protection systems, which are critical to enhance family resilience and prevent the unnecessary separation of children from their families.  A critical first step for UNICEF was to advocate for the…, Children on the move, Children on the move are especially vulnerable and face heightened protection risks, particularly in the context of COVID-19. They may be denied entry at borders, subjected to immigration detention, refused the right to seek asylum, excluded from access to essential services or returned without due process considerations. COVID-19 caused…, Advancing the Learning Agenda, A mother and her two children sitting in the shade of their house doing schoolwork A girl wearing a baseball hat and a UNICEF t-shirt looking at her mobile phone Children wearing masks, sitting outside at a table covered in Lego UNICEF continued to support efforts to improve the availability and quality of child protection data and evidence, with…, Looking forward, A group of young children lying on the grass together Two children walking into the distance with their arms around each other Two children in the air as they jump over a skipping rope Prior to the pandemic, UNICEF already had an ambitious agenda for organizational change in support of accelerated action for children – with a focus on prevention,…, 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. June 2021, Global Annual Results Report 2020 GOAL AREA 3 Every child is protected from violence and exploitation Cover image: UNICEF/ UNI333569/Dejongh Children at the playground of their school in Toumodi-Sakassou, Cte dIvoire. UNICEF has been working with countries like Cte dIvoire to support childrens safe return to school, as well as supporting the…