Global

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)…

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 the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia in 2020, the medically recommended and socially acceptable thing to do was to stay at home and flatten the curve of infection rates. But not everyone had that privilege. Many of us had to continue working outside our homes to pay our bills and put food on the table. This was especially true for Indonesia’s…

NEW YORK, 17 May 2022 — The number of children with severe wasting was rising even before war in Ukraine threatened to plunge the world deeper into a spiralling global food crisis - and it’s getting worse, UNICEF warned in a new Child Alert. Released today, Severe wasting: An overlooked child survival emergency shows that in spite of rising levels…

In 2021, the second full year of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF worked tirelessly together with partners to protect children’s rights in the face of the mounting impact of COVID-19 and other threats including armed conflict and climate change. UNICEF continued to alleviate the impacts of these crises on children while strengthening national systems…

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 10 May 2022 – "This week, world leaders will gather to consider crucial next steps in the global COVID-19 response. We applaud the co-hosts of the Second Global COVID-19 Summit – the United States, Belize, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal – for bringing together governments from across the globe to make concrete commitments to…

This is the moment to strengthen primary healthcare globally. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown what’s at stake, upending the lives of families around the world. Millions of lives have been lost, while a generation of students faced a learning crisis. It’s been a stark reminder of the need to build resilient health systems globally. Better primary…, 1. Recruit, train and prioritize healthcare workers , It goes without saying, healthcare workers are at the heart of any strong healthcare system. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline workers, which includes community health workers, have selflessly risen to the challenge. Whether it’s been caring for the sick, making sure that vaccines reach the most vulnerable, testing and reporting cases or…, 2. Establish effective surveillance and response systems , During the COVID-19 pandemic, clusters of cases have emerged in different parts of the world at different times. New and sometimes more transmissible variants have regularly circulated, and they’ve often spread quickly. With any virus that’s constantly moving and changing, it’s important to have effective testing and reporting mechanisms in place…, 3. Build confidence in health services through community health   , When it comes to giving people the vaccines they need to stay healthy and thrive, trust is crucial. Building confidence in healthcare workers, health institutions and national health agencies is therefore key, as that’s where the critical information comes from. By building trust and making sure the guidance from these sources is evidence-based…, 4. Include COVID-19 vaccines in routine immunization packages , To protect communities from COVID-19, vaccines need to be easily accessible at a community level. To achieve that, COVID-19 vaccines will need to be readily available as part of routine immunization packages. That means they’re offered to people as part of a regimen of vaccines throughout their lifetime. This requires expanding and strengthening…, 5. Strengthen logistics and supply, Developing, delivering and administering COVID-19 vaccines has been a tremendous logistical and supply challenge during the pandemic. But vaccinations require much more than just vaccine doses. Think about the other supplies that have been needed. There’s protective gear, including gloves and masks, that have been essential to keep healthcare…

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…

As prepared. “Mr President, your Excellencies, dear colleagues, “Thank you for the opportunity to address you today.  We congratulate the UK on its Presidency and appreciate convening, with the UAE, the Council to recognize the importance of accelerating progress in COVID-19 vaccination as a key milestone towards ending this pandemic. “Just over 1…

A-big-thank-you Protecting the next generation through vaccines is a mission we’ve shared across continents and centuries. It's a mission that’s paid off. Vaccines have saved more lives than any other invention in human history. That’s a remarkable achievement and there are a lot of people who have made that possible. They deserve our gratitude.…, Agatha Nyakayisiki smiles as her mother Josephine Kansiime carries her ahead of receiving a routine immunization. Read this love letter to someone you've never met., His name was James Phipps, and in 1796 when he was just 8 years old, Edward Jenner gave him the first modern vaccine. This vaccine defended him against smallpox. It was inspired by centuries of innovation by the physicians of North Africa, the grandmothers of Constantinople and the doctors of Ming Dynasty China, all seeking ways to protect the…, Our thanks and our gratitude , going-above-and-beyond, Going above and beyond, There are so many people that have gone above and beyond to protect children with vaccines. Of course, all the scientists who have invented lifesaving vaccines down the years. Then there are the volunteers in vaccine trials and the workers who pack vials at factories. Now, imagine all the boat crews, the pilots, the drivers and the healthcare…, Strong health systems, We also pay tribute to every government that takes health care seriously. Because right now, it’s never been clearer. The only way out of an epidemic – or a pandemic – is equitable healthcare and stronger health systems for all. Find out more about what a How the COVID-19 pandemic is proving it’s crucial to improve health systems strong health…, A crucial moment, We say thanks at a pivotal point in time. In the past two decades, more than 1.1 billion children have been immunized. Every year, vaccines save the lives of up to 3 million children. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time in 30 years, the routine immunization of children has slipped. As we invest to recover from the pandemic, we…, One more important person to thank, You. That’s right. If you’ve ever been vaccinated, you’re part of the arm-to-arm chain that keeps every one of us safe. You are the living proof of what humanity can do. Thank you so much.

NEW YORK/PARIS/WASHINGTON D.C., 30 March 2022 - “More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are witnessing a colossal loss to children’s learning. Less than half of countries are implementing learning recovery strategies at scale to help children catch up. Unless all countries implement and expand programmes in the coming months, they risk…

NEW YORK, 30 March 2022 – As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, 23 countries – home to around 405 million schoolchildren – are yet to fully open schools, with many schoolchildren at risk of dropping out, according to a new UNICEF report released today. Are children really learning? features country-level data on the impact of the COVID-…