Europe and Central Asia

Heatwaves pose serious risks to children’s health and well-being. Despite the extensive risks children face from heatwaves and other climate hazards, public awareness, policy responses and financing are deeply inadequate. This policy brief outlines the severity of the problem and provides clear recommendations on how to protect children and their…, The ability to avoid, manage and build resilience to chronic heat exposure in the future will depend on decisions taken now. Urban design and infrastructure investment, socioeconomic inequality and climate change risks must be managed simultaneously. Residents of dense urban areas can be particularly susceptible to heatwaves. Communities with less…, How heatwaves affect children, Heat-related illnesses occur when exposure to high temperatures and humidity, which can be intensified by physical exertion, overwhelms the body’s ability to cool itself. Cases range from mild, like heat rashes in infants, to more serious, life-threatening outcomes like heatstroke, diagnosed once the body temperature rises above 40 degrees Celsius…, Recommendations to governments, 1. Incorporate heatwave mitigation and adaptation into policy, Incorporate heatwave mitigation and adaptation into National Determined Contributions (NDC), National Adaptation Plans (NAP), and Disaster Risk Reduction and disaster risk management policies, keeping children at the centre of all plans., 2. Invest in primary health care, Invest in primary health care to support prevention, early action, diagnosis, and treatment of heat-related illness among children. This includes training community health workers, teachers, early child development caregivers, midwives, nurses, and doctors., 3. Invest in national climate early warning systems, Invest in national climate early warning systems, carry out local environmental assessments, and support emergency preparedness and resilience building initiatives., 4. Adapt services to cope with the impacts of heatwaves, Adapt water, sanitation and hygiene, health, education, nutrition, social protection and child protection services to cope with the impacts of heatwaves., 5. Ensure adequate financing, Ensure adequate financing to fund interventions that protect children and their families from heatwaves., 6. Equip children with education and training, Equip children and young people with climate change education and green skills training. Science shows that increased temperatures are a result of climate change. UNICEF urges governments across Europe and Central Asia to reduce CO2 emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and double adaptation funding by 2025. Heatwaves Any period…, Policy Brief Beat the heat: protecting children from heatwaves in Europe and Central Asia 2Beat the heat: protecting children from heatwaves in Europe and Central Asia OverviewHeatwaves pose serious risks to childrens health and well-being. Children exposed to heatwaves are prone to a multitude of health problems ranging from heat-stroke to…

Migrant and refugee boys and girls are exposed to violence, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking throughout their journeys.  Access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) is critical in helping them to overcome deeply distressing experiences. However, support of this kind often remains out of reach, resulting in a deterioration of…

For every child, vaccination, For every child, vaccination, Immunization is one of humanity’s most remarkable success stories. It has saved countless lives. Many more lives will be saved if the goals of the Immunization Agenda 2030 are achieved. This global strategy aims for a world where “everyone, everywhere, at every age, fully benefits from vaccines for good health and well-being”. Immunization allows…, Immunization coverage in Europe and Central Asia, Europe and Central Asia has the highest immunization coverage rates in the world. However, the pandemic set back immunization coverage. Between 2019 and 2021, the coverage of DTP and measles vaccines dropped. This led to an increase in the number of zero-dose and under-vaccinated children. SOWC 2023 Figure 1.1 Source: World Health Organization and…, Box 1. Understanding zero-dose, ‘Zero-dose’ and ‘under-vaccinated’ have become key concepts in explaining immunization coverage, in aligning global efforts to improve vaccine coverage, and for monitoring success. What do they mean? Zero-dose refers to children who have not received any vaccinations. Most live in communities that experience multiple deprivations. Under-vaccinated…, Case Study 1: Kyrgyzstan, Social influence: Faith leaders, volunteers and health-care workers build vaccine confidence in rural areas Though her daughter, Aila, was first vaccinated shortly after birth, Meerim Omurkanova hesitated when it was time for follow-up immunizations. “I read on the internet that vaccinations could cause cerebral palsy and autism,” Omurkanova said…, Who is missing out on vaccines?, An analysis for The State of the World’s Children 2023 shows some of the socioeconomic determinants associated with immunization. 2 The numbers make the connection between children who miss out on vaccination and inequity. By global standards, Europe and Central Asia has low zero-dose prevalence.  2. This analysis includes surveys carried out from…, Adolescent girls’ health: Focus on HPV, According to the World Health Organization, more than 95 per cent of cervical cancer is caused by sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV). The HPV vaccine helps protect against a number of cancers, notably cervical cancer, which is estimated to be the fourth largest cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. SOWC 2023 Figure 8 Source:…, Case Study: Uzbekistan, A shot of prevention: HPV vaccine is introduced At age 14, Shakhrizoda Alanazarova knows all too well the benefits of vaccination. Five years ago, she and her family lived through a stressful time when a close relative was diagnosed with cervical and breast cancer. Despite treatment, Shakhrizoda’s relative died at the age of 43. So, when the…, Understanding behaviours to drive vaccine confidence, The UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia is using an innovative process of behavioural insights (BI) to understand and identify barriers to immunization and address vaccine hesitancy. BI is a field that draws on research from psychology, economics, sociology and neuroscience to generate insights about why people make the choices they…, A framework for action, Despite undeniable progress over many decades, we continue to face critical challenges in immunization. Immunization coverage has fallen back, or stagnated, in too many places. We are persistently missing children with life-saving vaccines, especially the socially marginalized and poorest children, and the situation has only deteriorated during…, For Every Child, Vaccination R E G I O N A L B R I E F : E U R O P E A N D C E N T R A L A S I AT H E S TAT E O F T H E W O R L D S C H I L D R E N 2 0 2 3 1 THE STATE OF THE WORLDS CHILDREN 2023: FOR EVERY CHILD, VACCINATION For every child, vaccination Immunization is one of humanitys most remarkable success stories. It has saved countless lives…