Budget does not go far enough to end child poverty

The Budget failed to go far enough for the 4 million children living in poverty in the UK. Whilst the increase in Child Tax Credit is welcomed by UNICEF UK, the Budget will not help decrease the numbers of children growing up in poverty.

UNICEF UK spokesperson, Senay Camgoz, said:"The current economic difficulties facing Britain should not be used as an excuse for failing children. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child places a duty on the Government to commit the 'maximum extent of their available resources' to enable all children to have a decent standard of living in order to fulfill their potential".

"Ending child poverty is not only a moral imperative. The annual cost to Britain of not ending child poverty is estimated to be £25 billion."

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G8 highlights child health with the launch of new initiative

World leaders have met at the G8 summit in Canada to discuss global economic issues. UNICEF has expressed a cautious welcome for the summit statement, released on on 26 June, including the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

“UNICEF welcomes the commitment by G8 countries to accelerate efforts to improve maternal and child health by endorsing the Muskoka Initiative launched today at the G8 Summit in Canada” UNICEF’s Executive Director Tony Lake said.

“Despite significant success over the last 20 years in reducing the number of children under five who die from preventable causes, far too many newborns and their mothers are still dying every day. It is unacceptable that in some of the world’s most disadvantaged places, maternal and neonatal mortality rates may even be increasing.”

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Austere conditions

Prior to the visit, we kept hearing that the Sahrawis were not used to complaining or asking for charity. This proved to be true, as we visited family after family in their tents, or in the mud houses many have ended up building because they see no end to their exile.

“We do not need anything more, by the grace of God,” we heard from the heads of many refugee families.

But when you see the austere conditions, however, you wonder how that could be. There is no electricity in the camps – barring a few hours per day – and no latrines, and very few goods or food available in the market. As a result, people live almost exclusively from humanitarian aid.

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Orphaned and vulnerable

Despite progress made since the apartheid era, South Africa remains one of the world’s most unequal countries in terms of income disparities. HIV/AIDS has also had a devastating impact. It is estimated that over half of the country’s 2.5 million orphans have lost a parent to AIDS.

Out of the 400 students at Lyndhurst Primary School, 81 have lost one parent and 24 have lost both. In addition to the distress of being orphaned, these children are highly vulnerable to abuse.

More than 50 students at the Lyndhurst Primary School, including Nokwanda, walk for hours along isolated paths to get to class. Bacause of this, Rates of sexual assault in South Africa are among the highest in the world, and children are most at risk.

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Children and women in urban slums worse off than rest of the country, reveals BBS-UNICEF survey


Urban slums have the worst performance regarding women’s and children’s wellbeing and access to basic services compared to rural and non-slum urban areas, reveals a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS)-UNICEF survey released today.

The complete results of the 2009 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), a national survey on the situation of women and children, were presented today at a public launch presided over by Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) A K. Khander, M.P., Minister of Planning and attended by Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, State Minister of Women and Children Affairs as Special Guest and Carel de Rooy, UNICEF Representative and Guest of honour.

For the first time, the 481 upazilas of Bangladesh have been ranked according to their performance on 23 key social indicators. This rich set of data shows clearly the geographical areas which are lagging behind in achieving some of the Millennium Development Goals. The survey points at huge disparities between districts and even between upazilas (sub-districts) within a given district. But it also reveals that urban slums are generally worse off than most of the low-performing rural areas.

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Prince Harry visits UNICEF’s Emergency Operation Centre

During a visit to New York this week, Prince Harry visited UNICEF Emergency Operations Centre in New York today. The visit enabled the Prince to gain a better understanding of how geospatial mapping is used to coordinate relief and rescue after a disaster and gain a deeper understanding of the effect of emergencies on children globally.

As patron of charity Map Action, Prince Harry takes a keen interest in how humanitarian organizations work in emergencies all over the world. The Prince was invited to visit UNICEF, meet key staff and see how the world’s leading UN organization for children, UNICEF, operates in global emergencies.

During his visit, Prince Harry saw some of the emergency supplies UNICEF sends out all over the world to help children caught up in crises, including the ‘School in a box’; a hardy box full of all the equipment needed to give forty children an education in an emergency setting.

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Thousands seeking shelter in southern Kyrgyzstan

Thousands of people are on the move in southern Kyrgyzstan seeking shelter, says UNICEF

“Many of them are trying to return home, even if their homes have been destroyed,” said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF’s Representative in Kyrgyzstan “While most apparently intend to stay with neighbours or relatives there is now a significant need for temporary shelters.”

The Government of Kyrgyzstan has reported that 75,000 refugees in Uzbekistan made the move back in the last few days, 90 per cent of them are women and children.

UNICEF has quickly changed the focus of its response. An airlift of emergency material scheduled to go into Andijan in Uzbekistan, will land tomorrow and have its supplies trucked across the border into Kyrgyzstan. The supplies comprise tarpaulins, nearly 800 family water kits, and 100 basic health kits, plus medicines and anti-diarrheal medicine.

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Welcoming the G8 Muskoka Initiative on maternal, newborn and under-five child health

"UNICEF welcomes the dedication by G8 countries to accelerate efforts to improve maternal and child health by endorsing the Muskoka Initiative launched today at the G8 Summit in Canada.

“Despite significant success over the last 20 years in reducing the number of children under five who die from preventable reasons, far too many newborns and their mothers are still dying every day. It is unacceptable that in some of the world’s most disadvantaged places, maternal and neonatal mortality rates may even be growing.

“Saving women’s lives is an important factor in saving children’s lives, just as improving women’s status in the world may well be the single most significant factor in reducing global poverty.

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Situation in Gaza


Christiane Berthiaume of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that the United Nations Children's Fund and its partners were working in extremely difficult conditions to provide help to the approximately 800,000 children in Gaza, which represented more than half of the population living in the Strip. Development gains in Gaza were being reversed due to the blockade.

Together with the UN Secretary-General, UNICEF calls for an immediate lifting of the closure, and full, unimpeded access for humanitarian supplies and personnel, said Ms. Berthiaume.

The current situation was particularly affecting the youngest ones. Children in need of specialized care outside of Gaza had to navigate severe access restrictions and ten had died between 2009 and January 2010 due to delays in accessing critical care.

According to a study by Save the Children, chronic malnutrition in children had doubled from 1.2 per cent in 2006 to 2.4 per cent in 2008, said Ms. Berthiaume. Also, no new schools have been built due to the lack of construction material and the vast majority of schools had to operate in double shift in order to accommodate the sheer number of students. To get regular beauty and fashion tips, check Fashion and Beauty Fete.

Japan Committee for UNICEF

The Japan Committee for UNICEF was founded in 1955. It has grown to become a leading institution for the advocacy of children’s rights in Japan. For the last five consecutive years, the Japan Committee has been the largest donor of private funds raised for UNICEF around the world, contributing more than US$100 million to UNICEF in 2003.

The Japan Committee works actively with a wide range of supporters, including private individuals, local volunteer organizations, schools and members of the business community throughout the country. It also works closely with parliamentarians and government agencies to promote full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Over the last few years the Japan Committee has organized a series of advocacy campaigns against commercial sexual exploitation of children, child trafficking and child soldiers. In addition, it conducts diverse information and education programmes across the nation to promote better understanding of the needs of children in the developing world.

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Chad conference focuses on difficulty of child soldiers

They work as soldiers, porters and sex slaves, a likely 300,000-strong army of children caught up in more than 30 conflicts across the world. A three-day conference on the employment and use of child soldiers in the capital city of Chad set to wrap up on Wednesday identified a lack of education, poverty, forced displacement and porous borders as major contributing factors to the problem.

"Children living in poverty, those that are victims of abuse, those living in combat zones or with limited access to education are the most likely to become child soldiers," revealed Michele Falavinga, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad.

"Recruited voluntarily or by force, child soldiers (boys and girls under the age of 18) are used as combatants, messengers, porters, chefs or for sexual services," added Rima Salah, deputy special representative of the Secretary General for the UN missions in the Central African Republic and Chad. The arrival of refugees from neighbouring countries and the movement of people displaced by war are also major barriers to the protection of children, according to a UNICEF report.

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UNICEF welcomes Kiwanis cooperation to fight deadly maternal and neonatal tetanus worldwide

UNICEF welcomed the announcement of a new partnership with global volunteer network Kiwanis International to fight tetanus in women and children worldwide, a disease that slays around 60,000 newborns each year.

“This is a disease that affects the poorest of the poor; those who have the least contact to healthcare,” described Dr. Nicholas K. Alipui, UNICEF Director of Programmes. “If we are ever going to make the virtual elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus into a meaningful impact for children, this is it.” The aim of this new campaign is the total abolition of maternal and neonatal tetanus by providing vaccinations and healthcare to children and women most at risk.

Most of the mothers and newborn babies who pass away because of maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) live in 40 countries in Africa and Southern and East Asia. The disease kills one baby every nine minutes, and death is preceded by unbearable pain – tiny newborns suffer repeated, painful convulsions and experience extreme sensitivity to light and touch. Most of these babies die because they do not receive essential life-saving health care.

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Protecting children during the World Cup and beyond

South Africa (June 23, 2010) — As the most-watched sports event worldwide, the FIFA World Cup 2010 is expected to attract more than a billion television viewers around the world before it is through.

Across the host country, South Africa, fan parks known as FIFA "Fan Fests" have set up huge TV screens and stages for live entertainment. An estimated half a million visitors and hundreds of thousands of local South Africans are watching matches in these public spaces.

Aside from live TV matches and entertainment, a number of the "Fan Fests" also feature "child-friendly spaces"—places where children can play and get help if they are ever separated from their families, exposed to violence or abused.


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All about unicef

The United Nations was established in the aftermath of a devastating war to help stabilize international relations and give peace a more secure foundation.

Amid the threat of nuclear war and seemingly endless regional conflicts, peace-keeping has become an overriding concern of the United Nations. In the process, the activities of blue-helmeted peace-keepers have emerged as the most visible role associated with the world organization.

The United Nations, however, is much more than a peace-keeper and forum for conflict resolution, Often without attracting attention, the United Nations and its family of agencies are engaged in a vast array of work that touches every aspect of people's lives around the world.

Child survival and development, Environmental protection, Human rights, Health and medical research, Alleviation of poverty and economic development, Agricultural development and fisheries, Education, Family planning, Emergency and disaster relief, Air and sea travel, Peaceful uses of atomic energy, Labour and workers' rights. The list goes on.


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Give Students More Say, Urges Unicef Boss

Nairobi — Secondary school heads were on Tuesday urged to give their students a greater say in the running of the institutions.

However, this right to play a role in decision-making must be balanced with responsibilities, said United Nations Children's Fund country director Olivia Yambi.

Dr Yambi said it was time school managements recognised the contributions and enormous talents of young people.

"Rest assured that it will not neutralise your authority. As they build these skills, young people will start to think of themselves as partners and stakeholders in society -- they will be responsible for the decisions that affect their lives," said Dr Yambi when she presented her paper titled Accelerating Attainment of Vision 2030 -- UNICEF Perspective of the Key Social Pillar.

Lifesaving supplies delivered to conflict-ridden southern Kyrgyzstan

UNICEF delivered forty tonnes of much needed emergency supplies to the tense and divided city of Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan today.

An operations centre has also been established at the airport in Osh to handle a massive airlift of supplies in the pipeline.


UNICEF’s Representative in Kyrgyzstan, Jonathan Veitch, said flights would be arriving daily all this week.


Today’s supplies consist of eight obstetric kits, emergency health medicine for treating of 10,000 children with diarrheal diseases, as well as vitamins and micronutrients for children. They were provided to the main hospital in Osh.

With a focus on rights, Austria to host bi-annual international AIDS conference

Over 25,000 delegates are expected to attend ‘AIDS 2010,’ the XVIII International AIDS Conference, which will take place between 18 and 23 July in Vienna, Austria.
The bi-annual conference brings together professionals working around the world in the field of AIDS prevention and treatment, people living with HIV, and health policy-makers. For the first time, this year’s theme – ‘Rights Here, Right Now’ – is bringing a human rights-based focus to the event.

The International AIDS Conference traditionally has a major public presence, drawing huge crowds with high-profile events.
This year, some 15,000 people are expected to gather on 20 July for a human rights march through the streets of Vienna. The march will conclude in the Heldenplatz historical plaza, where activists and leaders will address the crowd. Celebrated international musician Annie Lennox will give a special presentation and musical performance.

Children’s voices heard

In the cavernous convention centre in Port-au-Prince, the capital, Marie-Ange and over 100 other children from various socio-economic backgrounds – and from communities across the country – have come together to discuss how their voices can be included in the reconstruction process in Haiti.

The Global Movement for Children – led by UNICEF parters World Vision, Plan International, Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages International and CARE – organized the event.

The common vision of UNICEF and it partners is to build ‘a Haiti fit for children,’ and they are working with the Haitian Government to put children’s issues at the core of post-earthquake reconstruction.

WHO and UNICEF concerned about measles outbreak in Eastern and Southern Africa

A steep increase in cases of measles in Eastern and Southern Africa has put recent gains in reducing death rate due to this highly contagious disease at risk of being reversed.

As of mid-June 2010, the outbreak has affected more than 47,907 children in 14 countries, resulting in 731 deaths. The most recent confirmed measles outbursts were reported from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.


The measles control strategies being implemented in the region include: a first dose measles immunization through routine infant immunization programmes; a second opportunity measles vaccination to children during supplemental immunization activities (SIAs) or during a routine service delivery schedule during the second year of life; high quality disease surveillance supplemented with laboratory confirmation; and case management.

UNICEF calls for full access for humanitarian relief in southern Kyrgyzstan

UNICEF warned that need of access was hampering the delivery of humanitarian relief for the 1.1 million people affected by fighting in southern Kyrgyzstan.
Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF’s Head of Office in Kyrgyzstan said that 40 tones of lifesaving water and sanitary supplies would turn up in the capital Bishkek .
“However we are concerned that we will be unable to easily and quickly distribute the supplies to the most affected. Security is an issue, particularly as we are transporting valuable material,” he noted.
The situation is exacerbated by criminal activity along roads leading to the south and in Osh and Jalalabad.
“There has been a serious breakdown in infrastructure and security in the south,” Vietch said.
UNICEF’s supplies for Kyrgyzstan include water and sanitation material, and health kits, valued at $1.6 million.
The UNICEF representative called on all parties to cease fighting and to allow humanitarian access.
“More than forty thousand people have been internally displaced and another 260,000 people are living with relatives, some even in barns or facilities for housing animals.”
Conditions in the camps in neighboring Uzbekistan where refugees who fled the fighting are sheltered are also dire, and adequate supplies of shelter, food, medicines and water are urgently needed.

Children hard hit by violence in Kyrgyzstan

UNICEF reported 90 percent of the refugees from fighting in Southern Kyrgyzstan were children, women and the elderly. A rapid assessment revealed that many children suffered physical and mental violence. More than 100,000 refugees are in Uzbekistan, most of whom are located in about 75 camps around the city of Andijan.

UNICEF has seven staff monitoring the situation of children who have fled the violence which started last Thursday. The agency will deploy as soon as possible counselors to assist with wide scale psychosocial interventions.

Today, seven UNICEF trucks carrying emergency supplies were on their way to eastern Uzbekistan to provide refugees with tents, clothes, blankets, health kits and kitchen sets. Valued at $100,000, the supplies are an initial response.

Partners at work

UNICEF and the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) have been helping children and women in emergencies since ECHO’s founding in 1992. ECHO is UNICEF’s second-largest donor.

In 2008, it provided more than $50 million to help countries manage disaster preparedness and relief response, with a special focus on assisting children and women.


As the challenges of providing humanitarian aid grow ever more complex, ECHO and UNICEF remain committed to their common vision: providing the most effective possible aid to women and children in need.

Reaching mobile populations with polio vaccine in India

A recent polio immunization campaign in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh succeeded in treating some of the most difficult-to-reach families in this area – mobile labourers.

In Aligarh district, an extended nomadic family of 25 adults and 10 children set up tents in an open space off the main road. The family hails from Lohar but has been working in Uttar Pradesh for generations.


The eldest woman in the family emerged from the tent and approached the visiting mobile health team. “We have given polio drops to our children,” she said. The polio vaccination team came a day before, she explained, “and all the children were vaccinated.”

Consultation on protection of the rights of the child in the context of migration

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is hosting a consultation on protection of the rights of the child in the context of migration on 25 May 2010 in Geneva.

The Human Rights Council has requested OHCHR to prepare a study on resolution 12/6 adopted by the Human Rights Council entitled “Human Rights of Migrants: Migration and the Human Rights of the Child”. In that resolution, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner “to prepare a study on challenges and best practices in the implementation of the international framework for the protection of the rights of the child in the context of migration.” The Office of the High Commissioner was also requested to consult with States and other relevant stakeholders during the study’s preparation.

Through the consultation, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights aims to:
>>Consult with a wide range of stakeholders on issues relevant to the study;
>>Gather inputs for the study from a range of different actors;
>>Explore challenges and best practices in the context of the international framework on migration and the human rights of the child.

Meena Radio Launches in Hindi in India’s Largest State

Mountaineer Santosh Yadav, who climbed the world’s tallest mountain peak twice, was on hand to inaugurate Meena Radio, an entertainment education radio program inspiring young girls to stay in school in order to achieve their own dreams.


“I was just like you – from a small village with a lot of difficulties. I just wanted to study,” the Uttar Pradesh native told a packed auditorium made up hundreds of young people, their parents and teachers.


“I come from a very traditional background, a traditional family. … It was more difficult for me to cross those cultural taboos than it was for me to climb Everest. ”

Indian Stars and Sri Lankan Cricketers team up for former child soldiers

The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) joined UNICEF and Sri Lanka Cricket in support of the ‘Cricket for Children’ initiative to reintegrate former child soldiers in their communities of origin.

The stars of Indian cinema and Sri Lanka cricket; Hrithik Roshan, Suniel Shetty and Kumar Sangakkara, will captain the three teams that will compete for the cause of children in the IIFA Celebrity Cricket Match on the 4th of June. Part of the proceeds from the match will be donated to the Sri Lanka Cricket and UNICEF ‘Cricket for Children’ initiative.

Speaking on the event, the captain of Sri Lanka’s national team, Kumar Sangakkara said ‘‘Cricket can be used as a force for change, bringing hope and healing to vulnerable children”. He will be joined by teammates Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan and Mahela Jayawardene in Friday's star studded cricket game.

UNICEF Funding Political Activities

PYALARA's non-political mission statement and noble goals have been richly rewarded by UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, who chose the NGO as "a major strategic partner in Palestine."

The organization enjoys considerable funding from UNICEF itself with additional support from the International Red Cross and various European groups such as the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, (which in turn is supported by the German government). The NGO has an annual budget of $144,000, which it is looking to enlarge.


Over the last few years PYALARA has built itself a steady base; a youth newspaper with a circulation of 10,000, a website, seminars, training groups and delegates to international NGO conferences such as the World Civil Society Forum, organized by the UN to strengthen international cooperation amongst Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and NGOs.

Progress and challenges

In Mozambique, children now have a much better opportunity to learn than before. Today, 100 per cent of the children are enrolled in primary school, up from 69 per cent in 2003.

Since the mid-1990s, following a long civil conflict which dealt a serious blow to the education infrastructure, the education system has rapidly expanded to accommodate the vast number of children requiring admission. School fees for primary education were abolished in 2005.


In spite of these great strides to expand access to schools, much remains to be done to improve the quality of education in the classroom.

First glimpse of World Cup for rural African youth

This year will be the first time that the World Cup is reaching young people in some remote parts of Africa, thanks to a special project set up by UNICEF, the Children’s Radio Foundation and other community partners. The pilot project will provide access to the games to youth in areas of Rwanda and Zambia where there is no electricity or broadcasting service.

Large open-air screens and projectors have been set-up in the Rubavu District in Rwanda, the town of Mongu and the UNHCR Refugee Camp of Mayukwayukwa in Zambia. The World Cup matches will be screened from 11 June to 11 July.


In addition to the football, special public service announcements produced by UNICEF and partners will provide the audience -- largely cut off from mainstream sources of information -- with information about education, health and child protection.

UNICEF Humanitarian Action Update: Central African Republic


Over the next three months UNICEF requires US$4.2 million to respond to the most urgent needs of children and women affected by insecurity and chronic conflict in the Central African Republic.


The insecurity and chronic conflict in the Central African Republic continues to impact tens of thousands of children's lives in the northern and eastern regions of the country. It is estimated that at least a quarter of the population has been affected by the conflict. Other challenges are frequent outbreaks of epidemic diseases, rising prices of food and other essential commodities, humanitarian access in some parts of the country and limited resources to meet humanitarian needs.


In close collaboration with local, national and international partners, UNICEF continues to respond to the humanitarian needs of the population affected by conflict in the priority areas of health, nutrition, WASH, HIV/AIDS, education and child protection. Overall funding status of the office remains a concern, with health, WASH and HIV/AIDS being particularly underfunded.
As part of the 2010 HAR and the CAP joint appeal, UNICEF currently still needs US $10,148,270 to be able to respond to the needs of children and women in the Central African Republic. The response from the donor community has been limited thus far, with only US $ 2,569,720, or 20 per cent, received to date. The most urgent funding priorities over the next three months amount to US$ 4,200,000.

UNICEF's Child Health and Survival Programme gets $48 million from Ikea

UNICEF-the UN children's Fund says IKEA is further expanding its support for children with a $48 million donation from its corporate philanthropy arm -IKEA Social Initiative for UNICEF programmes in India.

UNICEF says this most recent donation will support its programmes aimed at improving the health and survival of tens of millions of women and children in some of India's most deprived areas.


In 2000, UNICEF, IKEA and the Government of India created a partnership aimed at addressing the root causes of child labour in the carpet belt of India such as debt, poverty, the lack of access to education, disability and ill- health.

Water, Environment and Sanitation


UNICEF supports the national and state governments in developing and implementing a range of replicable models for sanitation, hygiene and water supply: elements from these have influenced Government policy and programmes.


The availability of protected drinking water sources has improved significantly over the past few years. The current priority is to maintain water systems, monitor and regulate water quality and ensure sustainability of sources. One particular concern is to ensure that marginalised groups, especially women and the poor, participate in decisions about, and benefit from, improved water supplies and sanitation services.

Human Rights Based Approach to Programming

Within the context of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), UNICEF has adopted a Human Rights Based Approach to Programming.

Much of the programme’s focus is on supporting people becoming actors of their own development rather than being passive recipients of aid. Families and communities are being supported with knowledge and analytical skills to enable them to assess their situation, analyse the causes of the problems identified and develop appropriate responses and actions (Triple A Process).

Accelerated Child Survival and Development



Mozambican children today are more likely to have a healthy start to life than they did twenty years ago. Over the past two decades, the under-five mortality rate has decreased from 219 to 138 per 1,000 live births, the infant mortality rate from 147 to 90 per 1,000 live births and the maternal mortality ratio dropped to 520 per 100,000 live births.

Yet Mozambique still has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. Gains in child and maternal well-being have not been even across the country, and large numbers of children and women, especially those living in remote rural areas, remain at risk. Every year, about 86,000 newborns die before reaching age one and an additional 38,000 die before reaching age five – nearly 340 every day.

UNICEF announces key actions on child protection during the 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP and beyond


With one week to go till the opening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, UNICEF has launched a comprehensive campaign aimed at enhancing child protection and helping to ensure children’s safety as they enjoy the global football spectacular either in their own communities or on visits to any of four free FIFA Fan Fests where the children’s organization has established Child-friendly Spaces.


The child protection initiative was developed in cooperation with the South Africa’s Department of Social Development together with Child Welfare South Africa and other civil society partners who are experts in delivery of protection services to children.


"UNICEF is grateful to FIFA for this valuable opportunity to extend a hand through four child friendly spaces to reduce children’s vulnerability during the global sporting event," said UNICEF South Africa Representative Aida Girma. "The child-friendly spaces will provide safe, supervised environments where social workers, child and youth care workers and trained volunteers will be on hand to support identified children who are in need of child protection services or emergency care, while watching the matches on television screens and enjoying child-appropriate activities in the child-friendly space."

Kolkata slum boy’s film ‘The Classroom’ wins UNICEF CRC video contest


The classroom’, a one minute film by eleven year old Sonu Thakur is the winner of UNICEF CRC (Child Rights Convention) One minute Video Contest and will be the part of the broadcast of UNICEF 20th CRC Anniversary celebrations in New York and will be made available for broadcast by the UNICEF for the 2010 ‘The International Children’s Day of Broadcasting’. The theme of the film was every child’s right to education that had actually impressed the UNICEF.


As Unicef writes to Sonu, “The judges were incredibly impressed with the expression of the theme of the rights of the child, the technical qualities of the video, and your overall creativity.”
It is a great time for little Sonu. Sonu is a slum dweller of Eastern Bypass area and studies in the informal school of the Adivasi Kalyan Sangh. He was a part of the UNICEF workshop held in Kolkata with prominent broadcast journalists as resource persons. It was then that for the first time he could ever hold a camera.


Exhilarated, Sonu says, ‘We were asked to tell our tale and then do a video of it. My mother always wanted to go to school but she could not. So, I told this story of every child’s right to study”.

Assistance in Nutrition

UNICEF supports the Government in its objectives to reduce and prevent malnutrition, and to improve the development of children under three years old, especially those in marginalized groups.
UNICEF
The Government’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme, reaches 34 million children aged 0–6 years and 7 million pregnant and nursing mothers. The world’s largest early childcare and development programme, it is designed to play a significant role in the improvement of early childcare.

UNICEF is assisting the Government to further expand and enhance the quality of ICDS in various ways: by improving the training of anganwadi (childcare) workers; by developing innovative communication approaches with mothers; helping to improve monitoring and reporting systems; providing essential supplies; by developing community-based early childcare interventions.

Picture in India


In India, children’s vulnerabilities and exposure to violations of their protection rights remain spread and multiple in nature. The manifestations of these violations are various, ranging from child labour, child trafficking, to commercial sexual exploitation and many other forms of violence and abuse.

With an estimated 12.6 million children engaged in hazardous occupations (2001 Census), for instance, India has the largest number of child labourers under the age of 14 in the world.

Although poverty is often cited as the cause underlying child labour, other factors such as discrimination, social exclusion, as well as the lack of quality education or existing parents’ attitudes and perceptions about child labour and the role and value of education need also to be considered. In states like Bihar, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, 60 per cent or more girls dropped out before completing their five years primary education.

Day care center dedicated to UNICEF Education Chief killed in Pakistan bombing


The Perseveranda So Memorial Day Care Centre opened its doors in the island province of Guimaras on 22 May 2010. Dedicated to the former UNICEF Education Chief who was killed in the June 2009 bombing of the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar, Pakistan, the center will serve a number of children in the remote village of Barangay San Roque.

UNICEF country representative Vanessa Tobin who attended the center’s opening said other memorials are planned as a tribute to So as she praised her commitment to children’s welfare and education.

Family members who also attended the opening said the center is the best way to honor So who dedicated her life to making sure that children around the world have access to quality education.

Basic education and gender equality


Education is a fundamental human right: Every child is entitled to it. It is critical to our development as individuals and as societies, and it helps pave the way to a successful and productive future. When we ensure that children have access to a rights-based, quality education that is rooted in gender equality, we create a ripple effect of opportunity that impacts generations to come.

UNICEF works tirelessly to ensure that every child – regardless of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background or circumstances – has access to a quality education. It focuses on gender equality and work towards eliminating disparities of all kinds. Our innovative programs and initiatives target the world’s most disadvantaged children: the excluded, the vulnerable and the invisible.

Supporters of UNICEF

UNICEF’s supporters include ordinary individuals, eminent personalities and children and young people themselves.

They range from volunteers who staff UNICEF stores, to interns who work in our offices; young children who go door-to-door to raise funds by ‘Trick or Treating for UNICEF,’ to beneficiaries of our efforts who are strongly committed to our work.

These individuals make an invaluable contribution to enabling and amplifying our efforts to ensure health, education, equality and protection for every child. Meet a few of our supporters.

Young Voices

Young Voices brings together groups of young people with disabilities from 18 different countries around the world. It gives an opportunity for them to share their experiences, learn about the UN Convention and their human rights. It gives them training in campaigning, advocacy and media skills to help them hold their governments to their obligations under the UN Convention.

With groups of young people with disabilities formed or developed in the following 18 countries: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Namibia, Swaziland, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, China, Guyana, South Africa, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and the Philippines the groups have been telling their stories through film.