Social policy

Air pollution, rising temperatures, crop failures, and water shortages are increasing pressures on health and agrifood systems. During these crises, households often reduce food consumption, sell assets, migrate or adjust labor allocation between men and women. Women and children are at greater risk of food insecurity due to lower access to and…, Climate shocks affect women and girls more, Female-headed households lose 8 per cent more income due to heat stress and 3 per cent more due to floods. This causes lower off-farm income and significant reductions in livestock holdings and agricultural expenditures. Women do not have an adequate level of education, have limited access to infrastructure and markets, and perform the biggest…, Adaptive and gender-responsive social protection systems, Long-term investments in social protection systems and short-term adaptations can help women and girls  reduce their vulnerability to climate or economic shocks. Some adaptations measures include: cash and in-kind assistance alongside livelihood diversification connections to early warning systems and anticipatory action linkages for women and…, Inclusive and gender-responsive agrifood systems, Agrifood systems represent a pivotal source of livelihood and are a major employer for women globally. In South Asia, 71 per cent of women work in agrifood systems, compared to 47 per cent of men. Projections suggest that if half the small-scale producers benefited from women’s empowerment within agrifood systems, the incomes of an additional 58…, 5 ways to adaptation, Climate financing should be directed towards inclusive agrifood and social protection systems by adopting an integrated approach, and formulating gender-responsive and transformative innovations that are locally informed and tailored to the needs and preferences of women and adolescent girls. UNICEF, IFAD, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization),…

NEW YORK, 14 February 2024 – Globally, 1.4 billion children aged 0-15 lack any form of social protection, leaving them vulnerable to disease, poor nutrition and poverty, according to new data released today by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Save the Children and UNICEF.  In low-income countries, less than one in ten children in this…

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…

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON D.C., 13 September 2023 – An estimated 333 million children globally – or 1 in 6 – live in extreme poverty, according to new UNICEF-World Bank analysis released today. Global Trends in Child Monetary Poverty According to International Poverty Lines – which for the first time looks at trends in extreme child poverty – finds that…

This paper, prepared by the World Bank Group and UNICEF, presents estimated trends in child poverty from 2013 to 2022, based on three international poverty lines: $2.15 (extreme poverty), $3.65 (lower middle income), and $6.85 (upper middle income).  The estimates show a reduction in the extreme child poverty rate from 20.7 per cent to 15.9 per…

BRUSSELS/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 11 July 2023 – 13 million people in 24 countries have benefited from increased access to improved social protection systems through an innovative programme on sustainable financing. Sustainably financing social protection systems covers the way that governments mobilize, allocate and manage public resources to ensure they…

Climate change and conflict shaped many children’s lives for the worse in 2022. Flooding, storms, drought, war, local and regional conflict, and other forms of violence negatively impacted children’s safety; their health and exposure to communicable diseases; their nutritional status; their access to education; their environment and access to safe…, Filename: Humanitarian_FinalWebAccessibility.pdf Report created by: Creatrix Designer Organization: [Personal and organization information from the Preferences > Identity dialog.], Summary, The checker found no problems in this document. Needs manual check: 0 Passed manually: 2 Failed manually: 0 Skipped: 0 Passed: 30 Failed: 0, Detailed Report, Document, Rule Name Status Description Accessibility permission flag Passed Accessibility permission flag must be set Image-only PDF Passed Document is not image-only PDF Tagged PDF Passed Document is tagged PDF Logical Reading Order Passed manually Document structure provides a logical reading order Primary language Passed Text language is specified Title…, Page Content, Rule Name Status Description Tagged content Passed All page content is tagged Tagged annotations Passed All annotations are tagged Tab order Passed Tab order is consistent with structure order Character encoding Passed Reliable character encoding is provided Tagged multimedia Passed All multimedia objects are tagged Screen flicker Passed Page will…, Forms, Rule Name Status Description Tagged form fields Passed All form fields are tagged Field descriptions Passed All form fields have description, Alternate Text, Rule Name Status Description Figures alternate text Passed Figures require alternate text Nested alternate text Passed Alternate text that will never be read Associated with content Passed Alternate text must be associated with some content Hides annotation Passed Alternate text should not hide annotation Other elements alternate text Passed Other…, Tables, Rule Name Status Description Rows Passed TR must be a child of Table, THead, TBody, or TFoot TH and TD Passed TH and TD must be children of TR Headers Passed Tables should have headers Regularity Passed Tables must contain the same number of columns in each row and rows in each column Summary Passed Tables must have a summary, Lists, Rule Name Status Description List items Passed LI must be a child of L Lbl and LBody Passed Lbl and LBody must be children of LI, Headings, Rule Name Status Description Appropriate nesting Passed Appropriate nesting Back to Top

Being mentally healthy gives us the ability to enjoy life and cope with good and bad days. For children, it is vital to their ability to understand and manage their emotions, form nurturing and meaningful connections, play, learn and grow. The pandemic highlighted just how much our mental health is a reflection of the world around us. It isn't…, It starts at home, Safe and nurturing environments at home are fundamental to the emotional and psychological development of children and adolescents. The presence of a stable adult caregiver supports children’s and adolescents’ overall sense of wellbeing. In times of crises, re-establishing routines supports a child’s or adolescent’s coping and recovery.   While…, Caring for the caregiver  , Research  shows that supporting the mental health of parents and caregivers can avert instances of abuse, neglect, and adverse experiences during childhood.  When parents are supported and enabled to parent well, everyone benefits. Evidence-based parenting interventions have a positive impact on the mental well-being of both the caregivers and…, Family-friendly policies , The bottom line is that caregivers need time, resources and services to be the very best they can be. Family-friendly policies, defined as those which enable families to reconcile work and family life, are essential in this context.   Family-friendly policies, including paid parental leave; access to affordable, quality childcare; breastfeeding…, The role of government and business , Despite the clear benefits of family-friendly policies for children, families, businesses and economies at large, progress in the business and public policy spaces is lacking.   Globally,  the vast majority of working parents and caregivers have no or insufficient access to family-friendly policies, especially in informal work settings that fall…

This Resource Guide sets out a method for identifying and addressing public finance challenges to health service delivery using Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA). The resource guide sets out an approach to leverage government insight and capacity to address public finance bottlenecks that affect the availability, flow and use of resources…

2022 has seen an unprecedented rise in humanitarian needs. In those contexts, humanitarian cash transfers are one of the most efficient ways in which UNICEF can support children and families and restore their dignity. Implementing an HCT programme requires UNICEF to manage high volumes of data. Data used in humanitarian cash transfer programs is…

UNICEF’s recent experience in Ukraine suggests that humanitarian crises both necessitate innovation to enhance responsiveness; and can be critical in driving innovation forward. While the human cost of this war has been well-covered, it is worth underlining the magnitude of these impacts. The United Nations estimates that within Ukraine, there are…

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 1 March 2023 - The number of children without access to social protection is increasing year-on-year, leaving them at risk of poverty, hunger and discrimination, according to a new report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF today. More than a billion reasons: The urgent need to build universal social…