West and Central Africa

DAKAR, 22 February 2024 – UNICEF’s new Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mr Gilles Fagninou, arrived in Dakar, Senegal, this week, promising to continue supporting governments to accelerate results to advance child rights across the region’s 24 countries. Mr. Fagninou, a national of Benin, was previously the Secretary of the UNICEF…

Time to Act: African children in the climate change | Spotlight Some of the severe effects of climate change are felt in Africa, a continent which has historically contributed minimally to global carbon emissions. Adverse climate changes are causing significant damages on ecosystems and people, with the most vulnerable communities, particularly…, Listen to what they have to say, 88% of young people say they feel responsible for joining the fight against climate change – and they are calling on leaders to take bold action. It's time to take a stand for our planet 🌍! #YourVoiceYourFuture #AfricaClimateWeek pic.twitter.com/yQMJPpyTNW — UNICEF Africa (@UNICEFAfrica) August 30, 2022   "Our crops are crying, they have no rain…, Help amplify their voices on social media and join the conversation using #AfricaClimateWeek!, A banner featuring a mockup of a banner and text September 2023, Climate change is here and children are disproportionately affected AFRICAN CHILDREN IN THE CLIMATE CHANGE SPOTLIGHT TIME TO ACT: Some of the severe effects of climate change are felt in Africa, a continent which has historically contributed minimally to global carbon emissions. Current projections suggest that by 2100, if global warming reaches…

Children are being failed by climate funding commitments, despite bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, according to a new report from members of the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI) coalition; Plan International, Save the Children, and UNICEF. Just 2.4 percent of key global climate funds can be classified as supporting child-…

Multilateral climate funds have a key role to play in agenda-setting and in catalysing and coordinating investments which are necessary to respond to the climate crisis. Falling short: addressing the climate finance gap for children  is a study analysing how ‘child responsive’ projects funded by key multilateral climate funds are – over a 17-year…

DAKAR (Senegal), 26 May 2022 – "UNICEF is deeply saddened by the death of at least 11 newborn babies following a terrible fire at the neonatal unit of the hospital of Tivaouane. “We express our deepest sympathy to the families and communities affected by this tragedy, especially those who have lost their child. No parents should experience the…

Bangui, 29 November 2021. As the world commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Graça Machel Report, "The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children", UNICEF in West and Central Africa is launching an advocacy note, "Build Back Better Lives", to shed light on this issue. This publication has shown that the West and Central Africa region is one of the…

PARIS/NEW YORK, 12 July 2021 – “It’s been 18 months since the COVID-19 outbreak started and education for millions of children is still disrupted. As of today, primary and secondary schools are shuttered in 19 countries, affecting over 156 million students.  “This should not go on. Schools should be the last to close and the first to reopen.  “In…

BANGUI, 7 July 2021 – At least 80,000 children under the age of five are currently at risk of severe acute malnutrition across the Central African Republic (CAR) - a 29 per cent increase compared to projections for 2021 [1] , UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) announced today. The UN agencies also warned that over 632,000 people - more than…

Addis Ababa/Dakar/Nairobi, 17th June 2021. In June 2020, the African Union and UNICEF launched the No Name Campaign , a joint initiative to promote the right for every child in Africa to a legal identity, and therefore to justice. With barely half of the children under 5 years living on the continent registered at birth, thereby denying millions…

The third edition of UNICEF's  Implementation Handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child , published in 2007, provides a detailed reference for the implementation of law, policy and practice to promote and protect the rights of children. It brings together under each article an analysis of the Committee on the Right of the Child’s…

NEW YORK/DAKAR/NIAMEY, 24 th March 2021 – "UNICEF is deeply shocked and outraged by the terrible attacks directed against families and children and perpetrated by unidentified armed groups in the villages of Intazayene, Bakorate et Wistane in the Tillia department of Tahoua region, March 21. "We are saddened to confirm that at least 137 civilians…

743 results Fulltext search Hide filters Newest Best match Oldest By title (A-Z) By title (Z-A) Show filters Date range Max Article 25 April 2024, Hamady and a regained sense of hope, Hamady Gueye, 19, is from a poor suburb in Nouakchott, Mauritania. When he was 14 and living with his family in Senegal life was not easy. He started to get into trouble, lost interest in learning and dropped out of school. His father brought the family to Mauritania and setup a welding business, working right on the main dusty road that runs……, World Immunization Week 2024, Vaccines are one of the most effective public health interventions that exist.,   In the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved 154 million lives . That’s 6 people every minute , for five decades. As the journey to protect every child through immunization continues in Africa and around the world, UNICEF invites you to join us in taking action…, The universal birth registration challenge in Cameroon, 1 in 3 children in Cameroon is deprived of a legal identity..., How many are there in your commune? How many children are deprived of access to school, protection and other rights because they have no legal identity? Mayors of Cameroon, you have the power to change this and build a better Cameroon. By creating more birth registration points in…, Worsening hunger grips West and Central Africa amid persistent conflict and economic turmoil, DAKAR – Nearly 55 million people in West and Central Africa will struggle to feed themselves in the June-August 2024 lean season, according to the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis released by the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS). This figure represents a four-million increase in the number……, Adolescent girls in West and Central Africa (2024 Issue Brief), There are 70 million adolescent girls in West and Central Africa. Many, if not all, deprivations that girls experience are compounded from their early years through adolescence and into adulthood and are based on common root causes such as restricted access to key social, cultural and political entitlements that are fundamental to the… See the…, UN Agencies Unite to Strengthen Community Resilience in Gulf of Guinea Amid Displacement Crisis, DAKAR – As the number of refugees fleeing armed conflict and human rights violations in the Central Sahel  has sharply increased over the past 12 months in West Africa’s coastal countries, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the……, The Gulf of Guinea Joint Response Plan, The Gulf of Guinea Joint Response Plan led by WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR and IOM is a humanitarian response plan that interacts with existing development interventions in the northern regions of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo. Its aim is to support national authorities to bridge the gap between humanitarian and development interventions by ensuring…, New UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mr Gilles Fagninou, takes up position in Senegal, DAKAR, 22 February 2024 – UNICEF’s new Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mr Gilles Fagninou, arrived in Dakar, Senegal, this week, promising to continue supporting governments to accelerate results to advance child rights across the region’s 24 countries. Mr. Fagninou, a national of Benin, was previously the Secretary of the UNICEF……, International Day of Education 2024: Advancing Learning for Lasting Peace, Dakar/Harare/Nairobi/Yaoundé, 24 January 2024 – On the International Day of Education, dedicated to Learning for Lasting Peace , we reaffirm our commitment to supporting governments in Africa to provide universal access to quality education for every child. Recognizing education as an inherent right and a fundamental pillar for peaceful societies…, MyName birth registration campaign, UNICEF’s MyName campaign aims to generate continental mobilization for universal birth registration in Africa, using the power of sport. This includes working with some of the continent’s leading football stars to showcase how registration and identity has empowered their path to success.  Tremendous progress has been achieved over the past… See…, 46.7 million children at risk of malnutrition, displacement, poor health & learning loss in West and Central Africa due to conflict and displacement, DAKAR, 22 December 2023 – A forecast 46.7 million children face another year of humanitarian need in West and Central Africa mainly due to ongoing conflict and insecurity, including in the central Sahel region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the massive displacement of women and children into Chad from Sudan. UNICEF in the region is…, Food insecurity and malnutrition reach new highs in west and central africa as funding to address acute needs dwindles, DAKAR – Despite considerable efforts by governments and partners, food insecurity continues to worsen in West and Central Africa with the number of hungry people set to reach a staggering 49.5 million people between June and August 2024 – a four percent increase compared to 2023, according to a regional food security analysis released today. The……, Multisectoral efforts and increased integration of resilience programmes in Hodh Charghi (Mauritania)