UNICEF

UNICEF award: Nine wells Hospital's motherhood care

2012-01-31T02:38:00.000-08:00

Ninewells Hospital has been awarded the prominent UNICEF Baby Friendly Award for the standard of care given to women throughout and after pregnancy. According to NHS Tayside head of midwifery Kay Forsyth ''We decided to join services with UNICEF UK's Baby Friendly Initiative to boost breastfeeding rates and to get better care for all mothers at Ninewells.

Mothers who right to use the services at Ninewells advantage from having extra support from volunteers. There are so many programs for protecting the babies from life threatening diseases. The Baby sociable plan is a worldwide programme of the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

UNICEF Early Childhood Development Projects Under Review

2012-01-16T21:46:00.000-08:00

UNICEF aims at early childhood development projects this year, the new projects are now under reviews. Dr Madeeha bint Ahmed al Shibaniyah, Education Minister met at the General Diwan of the Education Ministry yesterday with Laila Gad, Representative of the UNICEF Office in the Sultanate in the presence of Suad bin Salim al Balushi, Under-Secretary of the Education Ministry for Educational Planning and Human Resources Development and a number of directors general in the ministry.

The meeting touched on discussing the joint co-operation plan between the Education Ministry and the UNICEF for this year related to early childhood development projects, childhood protection and data and information management as a proposal for the education projects with the organization was reviewed to be included within the organization’s plan.

The meeting discussed the most important projects being implemented by the UNICEF with the ministry which have reached advanced stages, such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children tests and the project of enhancing the student’s continuation in learning, in addition to the Child-Friendly School (CFS) project.

Protecting Children from Life-threatening Diseases | UNICEF Vaccination Programme

2012-01-04T20:54:00.001-08:00

UNICEF is preparing ambitious plans for children’s, strengthen and vastly expand its global vaccination programme. Protecting children’s from dangerous diseases is the vital ambition of UNICEF.

Vaccination has always been at the heart of UNICEF’s mission. Protecting children from life-threatening diseases is one of the most effective ways to ensure they have the chance to reach their full potential.

UNICEF is an influential part of the world vaccine market. In 2010, it supplied vaccines worth $757 million. Yet, it is taking a critical look at its role in immunization, and is gearing up to triple its capacity over the next five years.

UNICEF Chief of Immunization Jos Vandelaer said “We need to strengthen what we do, so that the role that we and governments play in delivering immunization is much more solid”.

UNICEF’s immunization programme draws together various aspects of public health programmes – from a monitoring and supply system to the storage and delivery of vaccines and 10the training of health workers.

Pascal Villeneuve new UNICEF leader

2011-12-30T01:15:00.000-08:00

On 29th December Pascal Villeneuve took charge as the new representative of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Bangladesh.

Villeneuve has 24 years experience of working for the welfare of children and women globally.Villeneuve, a French national, achieved a degree in Medicine from Rennes School of Medicine, France, in 1985, and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Human Nutrition from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1984.

Prior to his arrival in Dhaka, he served as the Associate Director of the Division of Programmes in UNICEF headquarters. Before that, he served as Chief of Health at UNICEF’s New York headquarters between 2003 and 2006.

He joined UNICEF in 1987 as Assistant Programme Officer in Brazzaville, Congo. In 1993, he was transferred to the headquarters in New York where he served until his appointment as Unicef Representative in Yaounde, Cameroon in 1998.

Villeneuve also served as UNICEF representative in Mali between 2000 and 2003. Prior to joining UNICEF, Dr. Villeneuve served as a nutrition adviser for the League of the Red Cross Societies in Mali in 1985 and in Niger in 1986.

Santa won't bother going to poor countries for Christmas this year

2011-12-23T01:26:00.000-08:00

Santa don’t mind going to poor countries this year, so the United Nations Children's Fund will go instead -- or at least that's the message behind a satirical new UNICEF advertisement released in Sweden.

In a sometimes confusing and grammatically questionable rant, Santa then explains why health care doesn't make for good Christmas presents.

"This isn’t a Christmas gift. So, you buy this product for your friend, and all this stuff goes to poor kids? Like in Africa?" Santa asks, before skeptically examining a vaccine bottle with a magnifying glass, shaking a bottle of pills and squirting the contents of a syringe into the air. The Santa depicted in the commercial doesn't care much for the accompanying Christmas cards either. While holding up a card branded with the UNICEF trademark, Santa stated, "What am I supposed to say when I hand this out? Ho! Ho! Ho! Here's your picture of the gift you never got?".

"I don't do poor countries," Santa says in a villainous tone.The commercial closes with a written message from UNICEF saying "We go where Santa doesn't -- Buy your Christmas gifts at unicef.se."UNICEF's stocking stuffers include malaria tablets, rehydration bags and polio vaccines.

New UNICEF Report on child poverty in East Asia and the Pacific

2011-11-30T21:58:00.000-08:00

A new UNICEF study by Asian scientist analyzed that child poverty in East Asia and the Pacific has found that of the 93 million child population, over 30 million suffered from at least one form of severe scarcity, such as the inability to go to school, or access basic health care, safe drinking water, a sanitary toilet or adequate nutrition – and more than 13 million suffered from two or more forms of severe deprivation.

The study, entitled “Child Poverty in East Asia and the Pacific: Deprivations and Disparities,” reviewed child poverty studies carried out in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vanuatu, and Vietnam from 2007 to 2010.

The seven Asia-Pacific countries were among 53 worldwide that participated in UNICEF’s Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparity, which draws attention to the daily deprivations suffered by children and their negative impact on national development.

Latest UNICEF National Ambassador of India

2011-11-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

Aamir Khan will be the newest celebrity face of UNICEF in India. The 46-year-old actor will be appointed the national ambassador of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on November 30.

The actor-producer, known for his films like Taare Zameen Par, Ghajini, 3 Idiots and Dhobi Ghat, will support UNICEF’s work in promoting child rights and nutrition of children under two years, a release said.

The global organization has roped in various international celebrities to support its campaigns around the globe. Some famous faces include Hollywood actors Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Mia Farrow, Vanessa Redgrave, Susan Sarandon, and entertainer Shakira, and football player David Beckham.

Amitabh Bachchan was appointed a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador in 2005 and has since fronted their polio eradication programme successfully.

UNICEF aspires to make nutrition a national priority in Niger

2011-11-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

In the Integrated Health Center of Kollo, South Niger, a few women holding their skinny babies line up in front of the out-patient therapeutic feeding center (CRENAS). A Woman named Zelika Marou has four children. Today, she brought her 11-month-old daughter, Fati Hama, for her weekly consultation.

“I came to the health center because my baby had fever and diarrhea, but I was told that she was also suffering from malnutrition,” she explained. Fati Hama started her treatment six weeks ago, and today is her last appointment. “Look at her,” said Mrs. Marou holding her baby girl with pride. “She looks so healthy now!”

To react to the major food and nutrition crisis of 2010, UNICEF and its partners supported the development of new treatment sites for malnutrition within present health centers. This allowed not only to provide treatment for children in emergency situation, but also to integrate nutrition issues at the heart of the existing health system. In Kollo, a new building was constructed to host the Intensive Nutritional Rehabilitation Centers (CRENI) and medicine and other supplies were made available to ensure quality of care.

Moreover, several health agents were trained to improve their skills in terms of managing childhood illnesses, with an emphasis on the detection and treatment of malnutrition. Malnutrition is often linked to other child preventable diseases such as malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhea, and it is essential for health agents to understand the range of health issues that can affect children so they can provide quality care.

UNICEF opens humanitarian warehouse in Dubai for nutrition goods for Southern Somalia

2011-11-08T04:09:00.000-08:00

UNICEF announced the opening of its first humanitarian transit hub for nutrition supplies meant for Somalia. Situated in the port of Dubai, the new warehouse will help speed up the delivery of nutrition supplies to Somalia hit by famine.

An estimated 5,000 metric tons of corn soya blend flour will be moved through the warehouse monthly to Mogadishu to in the worst-affected regions of the country.

Up until now, sea routings have had to use the port of Mombasa exclusively as the gateway into the Horn of Africa. Mombasa will continue to be used, but shipping direct to Mogadishu will help reduce congestion in that port and hasten the delivery of the life-saving assistance.

Currently there are 1.5 million children in southern Somalia who are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. There are 450,000 acutely malnourished children, including 190,000 who are so severely malnourished that they are at high risk of death within weeks if they don’t receive the necessary assistance.

Royal couple in UNICEF visits to Denmark aid centre

2011-11-02T02:13:00.000-07:00

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will take a trip to Denmark on 2nd Nov to learn more about the work of children's charity UNICEF in East Africa. An estimated 12 million people in the region are at risk of starvation because of food shortages, and scarcity has been declared in Somalia.

The royal couple will go to UNICEF’s emergency supply centre in Copenhagen. The UK is giving £200m in aid to the affected region, £72m of which has been raised through public donations.

The duke and duchess will tour a British Airways Boeing 747 before a relief flight carrying 45 tonnes of aid, including emergency medical supplies, leaves for East Africa. They will be at the airport after visiting the UNICEF warehouse with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark.

BA has made an aircraft available to help UNICEF get aid to East Africa, and this will be its second relief flight to the region. The airline's chief executive Keith Williams said: "We're delighted the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be seeing the flight off."

UNICEF warns against second wave of Horn of Africa deaths - Africa

2011-10-31T02:07:00.000-07:00

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned against a second wave of deaths from various diseases in the Horn of Africa. 'One hundred days after the famine was declared in parts of southern Somalia, UNICEF and its partners are unable to prevent a second wave of deaths from various diseases, in the conflict’.

United Nations Children's Fund warned: 'This second wave could be deadlier than the first. UNICEF Regional Director for east and southern Africa, As Sy said, 'The current rainfall will relieve some areas affected by drought in Somalia and neighboring countries. But they will lead to an increased risk of epidemics and will hamper relief efforts’.

He said the renewed fighting throughout southern Somalia made the partners' operations more difficult as they strived to deliver essential supplies to children and families. He indicated that these factors may worsen the humanitarian crisis in Somalia and the region.

Mr. Sy said UNICEF would intensify its efforts to reach children where they were and mitigate the impact of a situation that kept deteriorating. In Mogadishu, Somalia, a measles vaccination campaign supported by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) was launched this week for 750,000 children aged six months to 15 years.

Since famine was declared in July, more than a million children had been vaccinated against measles in Somalia, said the statement, which warned that children with severe malnutrition were nine times more likely to die of an infectious disease such as measles, cholera and malaria, than healthy children.

According to UNICEF, the number of measles cases has soared this year. In July, when the famine was declared, there were seven times more deaths from measles than in the same month in 2010.

Since the famine was declared on 20 July, centers supported by UNICEF had treated nearly 110,000 severely malnourished children throughout the region.

UNICEF along with its partner attends the needs of children displaced by Sudan’s Abyei Crisis

2011-06-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

A lot of humanitarian is on the go to southern Sudan as many have displaced from that place due to the recent conflict in the disputed territory of Abyei between the Sudan Armed forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). Children are mainly affected due to this clash and are compelled to leave the place as the situation does not favor children’s safety. UNICEF and partners have a played a vital role in addressing the needs of the displaced children by giving them proper food, clean water, hygienic environment to stay, education and child protection services to take care of the vulnerable children and their families.

Dr. Yasmin Haque, Director for UNICEF Southern Sudan Area Programme says “UNICEF has been at the forefront of the response and has swiftly activated its contingency plan for addressing the humanitarian needs of people, particularly children and women, affected by this crisis.”

The delivering this humanitarian aid is a big problem as they have poor transportation facility in Sudan. UNICEF Sudan Representative Nils Kastberg says “This is not going to be easy and it’s probably not going to be quick. Given the likely evolution of the situation, we are looking at a necessary response over a minimum of six months. But this is the sort of challenge that UNICEF and its partners have confronted in many parts of the world, including Sudan, in order to meet the vital needs of children and women affected by crisis. And we will do so again”.

UNICEF Trick or Treat

2011-05-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

This started 60 years back by the American children which transformed the world. Kids started this initiative of helping the kids for UNICEF.

Kids dressed for Halloween approached the neighborhood and widened the mission through Trick or Treat. It started for small cause approaching door-door but made a huge difference by helping the children around the world through UNICEF providing education, medicine, nutrition and meeting the other need for the children.

In India, Empowering young girls through adolescent clubs to avoid early marriage

2011-04-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

Rumi(13years old) from adolescent girls club

DIBRUGARH, India, 13 April 2011- After attending adolescent girls’ club in their local village, Rumi Hemrom (aged 13) and her friend- Seema (aged 14) has developed a good friendship which helped alter the Seema’s life. Seema’s parents were planning an early arranged marriage for her and hearing this, Rumi and other members of the club members of the club meet her parents constantly in the effort to stop the early marriage. Finally, they persuaded Seema’s parents to marry her until she is ready both physically and emotionally for marriage. Rumi said “Now it’s not our time to get married. We’ll not get to play. We’ll not get to go to school.”

UNICEF’s primarily concentrates on the growth and rights of many billion children around the globe aged 10 to 19. UNICEF’s is trying to bring out the adolescents’ fight against poverty, inequality and gender discrimination.

Water resources is being wasted in Iraq

2011-04-11T05:26:00.000-07:00

According to UNICEF statement on the eve of World Water Day(March 21,2011-Baghdad),many people are unable to access safe drinking water but 50% of water resources are misused in Iraq. The statement goes like this…"Iraq faces difficulties in meeting the target of 91 percent of households using a safe drinking water supply by 2015. Iraq's average water production level per person, at 327 litres (86 gallons)/capita/day, is considered high by international standards but around 50 percent of the water produced is lost to seepage, leakage and wastage due to system inefficiencies," Adding to this UNICEF child fund said that "One in five or around six million Iraqis do not have access to safe water, of which the vast majority are in rural areas,".

Many Iraqi children get their water from nearby river or creek, huge amount of sewage waste is thrust into Tigris River which threatens the supply of clean water.
UNICEF said that it has helped many projects for the supply of good drinking water and also conducted training and awareness campaign in order to avoid water borne diseases.

Star Rihanna campaigning for UNICEF TAP water Project

2011-03-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

The Umbrella Lady- Rihanna along with three celebrities Disney queen-Selene Gomez, country superstar Taylor Swift and Entourage actor Adrian Grenier has joined hands with UNICEF for an international charity. As March 20th – 26th is considered as the ‘Water Week’, the TAP water project tries persuading the fans to donate $5 by signing on the UNICEF Tap website. Fans who contribute to this cause alone can enter the competition to win 'The Ultimate Deluxe Platinum Celebrity Tap Pack’. This features Rihanna’s limited edition bottle for the winner and the same goes for Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and Adrian Grenier fans. Celebrities face will be imprinted on their own bottle with Word TAP on it. The marketing slogan for this project is, 'Rihanna, now collaborating with her kitchen sink. And adds that ‘only $5 to win some ridiculously famous water,' Contribute to the UNICEF Tap Project for a chance to win this luxurious and desire collection of water from the most famous celebrities in world history. History. Yes, the history of the world.'

Fans who are willing to donate can log onto www.uniceftapproject.org and can get a chance to win ‘The celebrity Water bottle’.

Sympathy and support to the survivors of Japan quake tragedy- UNICEF Executive Director

2011-03-16T00:25:00.000-07:00

In New York (USA), UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake announced a statement expressing the organization’s deep concern and support for the Japanese people after the Tsunami disaster that stuck Japan on March 11, 2011.
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said “As the world unites in support for the people of Japan, we at UNICEF express our heartfelt sympathy for the tragic loss of life following the massive earthquake and Tsunami. This double catastrophe has left the country and its friend’s stunned and bereaved, and new threats caused by the quake and its aftermath continue to be of utmost concern to us all.”

In Japan:Cleaning the debris by the rescue workers

Children and their mothers at emergency evacuation centre

Mr. Lake continued his speech “As in all emergencies of such devastating magnitude, children are the most vulnerable. Working in close cooperation with the Japan Committee for UNICEF, we have offered our support to protect the children affected by this catastrophe and to provide critical services in the days ahead.” UNICEF has a headquarters office in Tokyo to manage advocacy and communication work with Government Policy makers. In his speech, Mr. Lake confirmed the organization’s gratefulness for the remarkable assistance that Japan has provided for vulnerable children and families. Adding to this Mr. Lake said that UNICEF is willing to help Japan in whatever means it can help. He also said “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan, one of the world's most generous nations,”

“We stand ready to assist them as they have helped so many others, in these, their days of greatest need” said Mr. Lake.

New programme in Lesotho intends to stop the increase of HIV

2011-03-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

Life saving Programmes: This programme is specifically for pregnant HIV infected mothers. This programme provides ARV drugs for the pregnant mothers as it was effective during 2008 and 2009. Only three of the 198 children born in that district were HIV-positive while rest of them was safe. This past January, 100 pregnant women walked three kilometers led by a police band, to focus the launch ceremony.

Many were present for this such as Lesotho’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Mphu Ramatlapeng, UNICEF Chief of HIV and AIDS, Jimmy Kolker, WHO, Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Baylor International AIDS Initiative, Pediatric AIDS Institute and Mothers2Mothers , along with chiefs of diplomatic missions and NGO partners.
Dr. Ramatlapeng said “It is the aim of the Government of Lesotho to ensure that all children in this country are born HIV free. Lesotho is committed to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV before 2015,” She also confirmed that she aims to make the Mother-Baby Pack available in all of the country’s 194 health centre’s by the end of the year.
UNICEF’s ultimate purpose: Every Antenatal Care Clinics in the country will provide this package of ARV medicines and antibiotics in order to protect the health both mother and the child. This package will include HIV positive pregnant women who are already on anti-retroviral treatment, pregnant women who test HIV positive during their first antenatal visit and HIV negative pregnant women who are receiving vitamin tablets. The three boxes come with a leaflet with understandable instructions on which drugs the mothers and babies should take.
Mr. Kolker said “UNICEF’s goal is to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV from mother to child and to ensure that all children are born HIV negative,”

Vulnerable Indian Adolescent Girls

2011-03-08T04:54:00.000-08:00

India has the highest adolescent population and the real challenge is to provide health, nutrition and education in this segment, specifically for girls, according to a UNICEF report. “Adolescence: Age of Opportunities” report focus on nutrition, educational conditions and health of Indian adolescents.
Lawmaker Naveen Jindal- Representative of UNICEF India said that rapid economic growth in the past two decades has helped better the condition of adolescents in India. He continues saying that despite the improved scenario, partiality between girls and boys still present. The major health problem among Indian female adolescents is Anemia. "We have seen that parents, they try to feed the boys better, than the girl, which must change. Adolescent girls in India are the most vulnerable. About 56 per cent girls in India in the age group of 15-19 are anemic” said by Jindal.
Karin Hulshof, UNICEF India Representative, said: “The available data shows that maximum adolescence today, do not get to enjoy or have access to quality education, basic sexual reproductive health care, support for mental health issue and disability and protection from violence, abuse and exploitation and a forum for their participation. Worldwide, one third of all new HIV cases involve young people between the ages of 15-24. The risk of HIV is considerably higher amongst the adolescent females and young women than adolescent males and young men," he added. “Girls were the core source of India's growth, therefore their progress needs to be given importance” said D.K Sikri, Ministry of Women and Child Development Secretary.

UNICEF Afghanistan mourns the death of Hamida Barmaki

2011-02-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

On behalf of all UNICEF staff in Afghanistan, UNICEF Representative Peter Crowley expresses deep shock at the tragic death of Mrs Hamida Barmaki who was killed with her husband and four children, on Friday 28 January 2011 in the suicide attack on the Finest supermarket in Kabul.

Mrs Hamida Barmaki, Child Rights Commissioner of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), had a distinguished career in the promotion of Human Rights in Afghanistan. She was a close partner and critical ally of UNICEF Afghanistan in promoting and advocating for child rights in the Country. Her death is a great loss to the Child Rights Unit of the AIHRC.

UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease attacks against civilian targets which too often impact on the lives and well being of children in Afghanistan

UNICEF expresses its heartfelt condolences to Mrs Barmaki’s family, and to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

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Earthquake anniversary highlights need for basic systems to benefit Haiti’s children

2011-01-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

One year after the devastating January 12 earthquake shook their fragile lives, Haiti’s 4 million children continue to suffer from inequitable access to basic water, sanitation, healthcare, and education services and protection from disease, exploitation, and unsanitary conditions, UNICEF said today.

Today, more than 1 million people – approximately 380,000 of whom are children – still live in crowded camps. The relief and recovery efforts of Haitians and the international community have been extraordinary. Nonetheless, the United Nations children's agency noted in its report "Children in Haiti: One Year After - The long road from relief to recovery" issued today in recognition of the anniversary, that the recovery process is just beginning.

“Children in particular suffered and continue to suffer enormously because of successive emergencies experienced in 2010, and they have yet to fully enjoy their right to survival, health, education, and protection,” said Ms. Francoise Gruloos-Ackermans, UNICEF Haiti Representative.

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Landmine risks growing in Yemen

2010-12-28T03:51:00.000-08:00

They look like toys, but they are lethal. Landmines and unexploded ordnances are a plague for children in Yemen.

This year at least 12 children have died in accidents caused by landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXO)s, and almost 20 have suffered serious injuries.

As people displaced by conflict returnto their homes following a truce between the government and insurgents in the north, the risk of landmines are a terrible legacy awaiting young children, who make up 60 % of the displaced population.

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UNICEF Executive Director visits cholera-impacted residents at Haiti Treatment Centre

2010-12-27T03:06:00.000-08:00

During a visit to the Haitian capital yesterday, Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director, spoke with cholera patients and heard firsthand their concerns.

The visit took place at the GHESKIO Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) in an impoverished area of the city. Lake also met with His Eminence Bishop Pierre-Andre Dumas, Coordinator of ‘Religion for Peace’ an organization that is mobilizing Catholics, Protestant, and Voodoo religious communities throughout Haiti to support cholera prevention and healthcare practices.

Lake’s visit to Port-au-Prince was made in support of the UN community’s response to cholera, and Haitians themselves in their actions against the disease. The cholera epidemic, which emerged just two months ago, continues to spread throughout Haiti. It is now claiming lives in all 10 administrative departments.

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UNICEF Executive Director visits cholera-impacted residents at Haiti Treatment Centre

2010-12-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

During a visit to the Haitian capital yesterday, Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director, spoke with cholera patients and heard firsthand their concerns.

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Cholera challenges Haitian mothers and babies

2010-12-13T22:36:00.000-08:00

In the cramped and squalid conditions of the tented city in Mais Gate, a camp for Haitians displaced by the January earthquake, baby Sebastian brings a sparkle to his mother Lucienne's eyes.

At 8 months, dribbling from cutting teeth and tipping the scales at a whopping 24 lbs., Sebastian is alert, sitting up, clambering over his mother and almost standing on his own. He is the Brutus in the baby tent, an example to the young mothers of a well-nourished, breastfed baby.

Lucienne gives credit for Sebastian's good health and growth to the nurses at the tent—which is run by the non-governmental organization Concern and supported by UNICEF.

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Children’s rights events across Iraq conclude; several governorates agree to establish child rights committees

2010-12-12T23:02:00.000-08:00

As Iraq marks International Human Rights day today, government officials, community leaders and thousands of children across Iraq’s 18 governorates have concluded nearly three weeks of events celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Building on nationwide events in 2010 where the highest level authorities and children representatives called for the full protection of children’s rights in Iraq, this year’s events focused on a call to establish Child Rights Committees in all 18 Governorates.

“For the second year in a row primary duty bearers of children in Iraq have heeded the call to protect the fundamental rights of Iraq’s 15 million children” noted Sikander Khan, UNICEF Representative in Iraq. “The commitment of several Governors to establish Child Rights Committees to review the situation of children’s rights and develop plans of action on how to meet the most urgent needs of children in their respective governorates, is a very positive step to start concretely making Iraq more fit for its children”.

In Provincial Council halls and school yards all over Iraq, children called for better protection of their rights through songs, plays, speeches and drawings. In front of the Head of Missan’s Human Rights Committee and other Governorate Council members, a member of Missan’s Children’s Parliament stated “we call on the government to pass legislations that guarantee that child rights are protected according to the 54 articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which will be for the good of all children". In response, Missan’s Human Rights Committee chief pledged to develop mechanisms to include children in the decision making process relating to Child Rights and to increase investments in children with the aim of accelerating the attainment of Millennium Development Goal targets in Missan.

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Crisis far from over for Pakistan’s children

2010-12-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

More than four months after the worst floods in the country’s history, UNICEF warns that winter will worsen the threats against Pakistani children who already suffer high rates of acute respiratory infections and malnutrition.

New polio cases are spreading rapidly with 126 this year compared to 89 in 2009 – an enormous cause for concern especially as Pakistan had made significant strides towards eradicating polio.

Pakistan is one of the four polio endemic countries in the world and low ongoing coverage in areas experiencing difficult security in the north, overcrowding and poor sanitation as a result of the floods have exacerbated the threat for children.

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Rich countries letting poorest children fall, says new report

2010-12-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

A landmark report by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre has found that children in many wealthy European nations and the United States suffer greater inequality than children in numerous industrialized nations.

The report looks at a particular aspect of disparity – bottom-end inequality – and asks how far behind are rich nations allowing their most disadvantaged children to fall.

Italy, the United States, Greece, Belgium and the United Kingdom, for example, are seen to be allowing their most vulnerable children to fall much further behind than countries like Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The report argues that the consequences of ‘falling behind’ are enormous for children, as they are for the economy and societies.

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UNICEF calls for a comprehensive Child Act in Afghanistan

2010-11-24T23:15:00.000-08:00

Afghanistan needs a comprehensive Child Act fully in line with the provisions and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In Afghanistan today one in five children die before reaching their fifth birthday - mostly from easily preventable diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia – five million children are still out of school, over three million of whom are girls, and only six percent of children are registered at birth, leaving the great majority without a legal identity, protected and cared for by law.

”We are acutely aware of the difficulties facing the Government of Afghanistan in seeking to fulfill the rights of children in the country, especially in light of the ongoing conflict”, said UNICEF Representative Peter Crowley. “It is the responsibility of the Government of Afghanistan to ensure the existence of a complete legal framework to fully protect all children. UNICEF will continue to assist in that process”.

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UNICEF and partners launch emergency funding appeal for polio outbreak in Congo

2010-11-23T22:01:00.000-08:00

UNICEF, Rotary International and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched an emergency appeal for $23.5 million in funding in response to the explosive polio outbreak in the Republic of Congo. Stopping the outbreak is a top international public health priority due to its high fatality rate and the high risk of further national and international spread.

As of 16 November, 324 cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and 146 deaths have been reported from the site of the outbreak centred in Pointe Noire. Five cases have been confirmed to have been caused by wild poliovirus type 1 and laboratory testing continues. Initial data indicates the majority of the reported cases and deaths involve young adults aged 15-29 years. Nearly all cases have been reported from the port city of Pointe Noire, with cases also reported from Niari, Bouenza, Brazzaville, and Kouilou. New cases continue to be reported.

Genetic sequencing has determined that the polio cases are caused by a poliovirus most closely related to that circulating in neighbouring Angola. Congo had recorded its last case of indigenous polio in 2000.

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Convention on the Rights of the Child turns 21

2010-11-22T02:54:00.000-08:00

21 years ago a remarkable milestone for the protection and realization of the rights of all children - the Convention on the Rights of the Child – was officially opened for signature by United Nations Member States.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the first legally binding instrument designed to protect and promote the rights of people under 18 years old. Its adoption by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1989 is celebrated annually as Universal Children’s Day. It has now achieved near-universal acceptance, with ratification by 193 parties.

The Convention sets out rights that children enjoy as human beings and also identifies special rights and protections they require during this vulnerable phase of their lives.

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Two million Ugandan children targeted for polio immunizations

2010-11-19T02:19:00.000-08:00

In response to the polio case detected in the Bugiri district in mid-October, the Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF will begin the first round of supplemental polio immunizations from Saturday November 20 to Monday November 22.

“Over two million children up to age 5 will be immunized in 48 high risk districts in east, north eastern and northern Uganda,” said Dr. Stephen Mallinga, Ugandan Minister of Health. “We are determined to contain this outbreak so that Uganda will once again be declared polio free.”

Polio is a highly infectious disease entering the body through the mouth, in water or food contaminated with faecal material from an infected person. The disease spreads rapidly in unimmunized or inadequately immunized populations, especially children. Polio causes total paralysis and in some cases it can be fatal.

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UNICEF expands response to cholera outbreak in Haiti

2010-11-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

UNICEF is mobilizing all its staff and resources in an effort to stem the spread of cholera in Haiti, and warned today that with 50 per cent of the population under 18 years, large numbers of children are affected.

"We are working closely with communities and our partners to contain the latest outbreaks of cholera. Our biggest fear is that it will spread through the rural and remote areas, Port au Prince slums and camps, as well as schools and residential care centers across the country where it will be difficult to fight the disease," said Francoise Gruloos-Ackermans, UNICEF Representative in Haiti.

From the beginning, UNICEF has been aware of the needs of rural communities and deployed emergency teams in these areas. UNICEF’s concern is to reach children living in remote areas and in the overpopulated slums of Port au Prince.

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PLoS Medicine: Poor sanitation and water kill more than two million children annually

2010-11-17T04:53:00.000-08:00

A new series published today in leading medical journal Public Library of Science Medicine reveals that poor sanitation, water and hygiene not only lead to more than two million children dying annually, but also result in a massive global disease burden.

Four papers released today in PLoS Medicine—the flagship medical journal of the open access publisher Public Library of Science— highlight how sanitation and water, along with better hygiene, are the “forgotten foundations of health”. The series asks how the opportunity to save so many lives is failing to attract the attention of the international health community.

The scale of this crisis and the burden it places on global health and development is ominous. Unsafe sanitation and drinking water, as well as hygiene, account for nearly 20 per cent of all child deaths in the world and at least 7 per cent of the total global disease burden. In 2010, almost one fifth of the world’s population still defecate in the open and 2.6 billion people do not have access to even a basic toilet.

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Whole populations to be vaccinated in emergency response to polio outbreak

2010-11-12T02:36:00.000-08:00

The first wave of mass polio immunization campaigns -targeting 3 million people of all ages- is to begin on Friday (12 November) to address an unusual outbreak of polio that is primarily claiming victims amongst adults. The campaign will take place in the coastal port city of Pointe Noire and in the Department of Kouilou in the Republic of Congo, 16 districts in the neighbouring province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and over the border in Angola.

This is the first vaccination response to the polio outbreak confirmed on 4 November in the Republic of Congo. Latest figures from 9 November, record a cumulative total of 226 cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) with an unusually high mortality rate of 97 deaths. To date, four of the AFP cases have been confirmed as polio.

Most of the cases have involved young adults aged between 15 and 29. This illustrates that populations are at risk because they have not been exposed to a full immunisation. The giving of vaccination to all ages is intended to raise the general level of immunity to stop the spread of the disease.

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Asia-Pacific governments commit to increase cooperation for child rights

2010-11-09T22:22:00.001-08:00

Governments from 28 countries across Asia and the Pacific today committed themselves to improving the rights of children in the world’s most populous region by increasing cooperation on issues critical to children’s survival, development and protection.

The unanimous adoption of the ‘Beijing Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in the Asia Pacific Region’ came at the conclusion of three-day high level meeting held in Beijing. The Declaration lays out a number of commitments countries will work towards to advance the rights of the nearly 1.2 billion children in the region.

The commitments focus on regional cooperation in three key areas: Disaster risk reduction; child protection and welfare systems; and ensuring that economic and social development is equitable and reaches all children.

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UNICEF focuses response on children in storm-ravaged Haiti

2010-11-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

UNICEF teams are in the field and in Port-au-Prince conducting assessments and preparing to deploy supplies and human resources in addition to those already prepositioned to respond to emergency needs in hardest-hit areas following the passage of Hurricane Tomas.

“Our immediate goal is to assess the impacts of the storm and prioritize our response and coordination efforts to ensure access to adequate sanitation, safe water, and basic health care,” said Ms. Francoise Gruloos-Ackermans, UNICEF Representative in Haiti.

“It is also imperative in responding to emergencies such as this that separated and unaccompanied children, who are most at risk during emergencies, are protected and reunited with their families,” added Ms. Gruloos-Ackermans, who assessed the hurricane-stricken area of Jérémie at the south western tip of Haiti.

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Officials from 28 countries gather in Beijing for strategic talks on child rights

2010-11-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

Senior government ministers and officials from 28 countries across Asia and the Pacific gathered in Beijing today for the High Level Meeting on Co-operation for Child Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region. The meeting, held from 4-6 November, is being hosted by the All China Women’s Federation, the National Working Committee for Children and Women under the State Council, the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China with support from UNICEF. Senior delegates from a number of Chinese government ministries as well as regional representatives from UNICEF also attended.

Together, the participating countries represent one billion children, or 53 % of the world’s total child population.

Economic progress in many Asia-Pacific countries has been remarkable, with hundreds of millions of people emerging from dollar-a-day poverty over the past few decades. Yet, at the same time, economic and social inequalities have been increasing, affecting the lives of millions of children. To help address these disparities, officials from across the region will have in-depth discussions on the promotion of children's rights to health, education and protection.

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UNICEF positions emergency supplies for tropical storm as cholera outbreak continues in Haiti

2010-11-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

UNICEF is rushing to ensure adequate emergency supplies in preparation for a severe tropical storm, as it works with UN and NGO partners to support the Government of Haiti’s response to the recent cholera outbreak.

“UNICEF staff have been working with our partners around the clock to help address and contain the cholera outbreak,” said Ms Francoise Gruloos-Ackermans, UNICEF Representative in Haiti. “Now, the potential landfall of this tropical storm endangers the work completed to date and poses a new threat of the water-borne cholera disease being spread by inland flooding.”

“This latest threat comes as the country is struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake that struck last January,” Ms Gruloos-Ackermans added.

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UNICEF Executive Director launches innovative approach to the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Kenya

2010-10-31T22:17:00.000-07:00

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake joined the Kenya Government and other partners on Friday to roll out an innovative approach to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their babies (PMTCT). The initiative includes a combination of interventions and supplies such as a “Mother-Baby-Pack” of antiretroviral drugs and antibiotics, which women can easily administer at home.

The “Mother-Baby-Pack” is part of the government’s Maisha MTCT-free Zone Initiative. This innovative programme is designed to help virtually eliminate mother-to-child-transmission of HIV and pediatric AIDS by 2013 in Nyanza and Rift Valley provinces, where about half of all Kenyan children with HIV live, and by 2015 in the entire country. Without treatment, around half of all children born with HIV will die before their second birthday.

Mr. Lake commended the Kenya government for its commitment to take innovative steps to expand and strengthen the quality of PMTCT services. “Maisha" means “Life” in Kiswahili, and I can think of no better way to describe a programme with the potential to save so many lives. The Maisha Initiative is a significant step forward towards our common goal of virtually eliminating mother to child transmission in Kenya,” he said.

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UNICEF Executive Director launches innovative approach to the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Kenya

2010-10-28T23:14:00.001-07:00

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Africa seizes chance against polio

2010-10-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

This week, Africa seizes an unprecedented chance to drive out polio when 15 countries across the continent launch a synchronized mass immunization campaign to reach 72 million children, capitalizing on gains made this year. A total of some 290,000 vaccinators have been mobilized to go door-to-door to deliver two drops of oral polio vaccine (OPV) to every child under five in areas considered at "highest risk" of polio transmission.

Africa's leaders demonstrated unprecedented cooperation and commitment to carry out a series of synchronized immunization activities in 2009 and in March and April, 2010, following the spread of the disease from Nigeria which came to infect 24 countries across west and central Africa and in the Horn of Africa.

As a direct result of these immunization campaigns, the polio outbreaks have slowed to a trickle. Across west Africa, only Liberia and Mali have recorded any cases in the past five months, while Nigeria – the only country in Africa never to have stopped polio transmission – has slashed polio by 98 per cent in the past year.

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UNICEF and partners respond to flood devestation in Benin

2010-10-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

Heavy and persistent rainfall has deeply affected the daily lives of more than 680,000 people in Benin, approximately 122,000 of whom are children under-five. The number of displaced is 180,000.

UNICEF, in collaboration with its partners, is working with urgency on the ground to respond to the crisis. “The scourge is so heavy that it is urgent to work hand in hand and respond to basic needs such as potable water, food, shelters and essential commodities”, said Dr. Diallo, UNICEF Representative in Benin.

UN agencies including UNICEF, the Red Cross, as well as NGOs namely CRS, Plan Benin, Caritas and Care have joined with Government representatives and formed the National Crisis Management Team.

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More disaster looms for children caught in Sa’ada emergency

2010-10-22T01:39:00.001-07:00

UNICEF is sounding a loud alarm over staggering rates of child malnutrition in Sa’ada, a northern governorate that has been affected by conflict in recent years.

The dire situation became fully clear when the findings of a UNICEF-supported screening, conducted by the Ministry of Public Health and Population, were released earlier this month.

Nearly half of the 26,246 children aged 6-59 months screened in five western districts of Sa’ada in July 2010 were found to be suffering from global acute malnutrition; in one area, the proportion was as high as three out of four children. Overall, 17 per cent of the children screened suffer from severe acute malnutrition and 28 per cent from moderate acute malnutrition.

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Secretary-General appoints new Deputy Executive Director for UNICEF

2010-10-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Martin Mogwanja as one of UNICEF’s three Deputy Executive Directors. Mr. Mogwanja will replace Omar Abdi, who will take up the position of UNICEF’s Comptroller. Prior to taking up his new position Mr. Mogwanja, who is a Kenyan national, is UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan. In 2009, he was appointed United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for that country.

Responding to the announcement, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said, “I am very pleased with the Secretary General’s decision to appoint Martin Mogwanja to the post of Deputy Executive Director for UNICEF.”

Since joining UNICEF in 1977, Mr. Mogwanja had served as the organization’s Representative in Uganda and in the Democratic Republic of Congo and as its Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

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Statistics a powerful tool to drive change for the world’s most vulnerable children

2010-10-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

On the occasion of the first World Statistics Day, UNICEF experts are calling attention to the essential role that data and statistics play in the development of effective policies and programmes that help improve the lives of children and women around the world.

UNICEF supports countries in the collection, analysis and use of data generated by the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) on the situation of women and children in developing countries. These surveys are among the most important statistical tools used by UNICEF and others to identify problems, evaluate programmes and monitor progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

MICS are an excellent source of data because they are compiled through a household interview process, which means the surveys reveal what families actually use as they seek to meet their needs – where they get their water or what medical assistance they access -- rather than what officials or service providers indicate is available to them. Without such statistics, governments, the international aid community and journalists would have a much more difficult time mapping the characteristics of communities and the challenges they face.

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Making clean hands a priority for more than just a day, Global Handwashing Day partners lather up with millions around the world

2010-10-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

For the third annual Global Hand washing Day, more than 200 million schoolchildren, parents, teachers, celebrities and government officials around the world will lather up, but at the end of the day, they aim to have more than just clean hands.

This year the theme of Global Hand washing Day – more than just a day – aims to make the simple, life-saving practice of washing hands a regular habit.

Global Hand-washing Day partners are promoting this behavioral change not only by organizing activities in more than 80 countries to raise awareness of the benefits of hand-washing, but by ensuring that schools and communities have the support they need to make the practice routine. Toward this end the Global Public-Private Partnership for Hand-washing with Soap is rolling out new tools to help developing countries transform hand-washing from a distracted daily act to a positive habit.

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UN experts call for closer examination of the impact of disciplinary practices of children

2010-10-18T00:27:00.000-07:00

At a special event held at the United Nations Headquarters today, UN experts called for better data and research on violence against children in order to strengthen government action for prevention and response to violence and to support legal prohibitions.

Organized by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, UNICEF and OHCHR, and supported by the Government of Sweden, the interactive panel discussion on the theme of promoting better data and research to inform child sensitive and effective laws, policies and action highlighted new evidence about children's exposure to physical punishment and psychological aggression.

Panelists included senior representatives of the Governments of Brazil and Sweden, an NGO partner, Plan International, as well as representatives of the joint organizers of the special event.

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UNICEF report highlights advances in programming for education in emergencies

2010-10-14T05:30:00.001-07:00

In 2009, over 6 million children around the globe benefited from interventions to restore learning and improve the quality of education in countries affected by emergencies. As the world marks the International Day for Disaster Reduction today, a report released by UNICEF shows how education programmes in countries affected by conflict or natural disasters – and sometimes both – are overcoming odds and contributing to long-term development.

Enabling children to go to school during and after emergencies is a core part of UNICEF’s mandate. Since 2006, UNICEF has dramatically scaled up work in education in emergencies and post-crisis transition countries through the Back on Track programme.

This $201 million initiative, funded by the Dutch Government, represents the largest single earmarked contribution to UNICEF from a government donor. The European Commission also contributed about $5 million to the programme. This combined support has ensured that children are helped both at the immediate onset of emergencies – when the task is to restore schooling and establish a safe environment for learning – and in the more sustained period of post-crisis reconstruction aimed at building back education systems.

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UNICEF calls for intensified efforts to bolster disaster risk reduction measures to protect the most vulnerable children

2010-10-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

As the world marks the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on 13 October, UNICEF today urged governments and civil society partner s to step up efforts to help mitigate the impact of disasters – especially on children – by helping communities to become resilient, and more able to respond to disasters and changing climate conditions.

Children typically represent 50 to 60 per cent of those affected by disasters, whether through loss of life or from diseases related to malnutrition and poor water and sanitation—conditions that are exacerbated by disasters. In addition, disasters disrupt education and can cause psychological distress, and present issues of exploitation of children, creating more vulnerability.

Education, public awareness, community-based preparedness, teaching life skills, as well as disaster-resilient public buildings are all ways to reduce risk reduction for children.

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Water and santiation are most urgent needs as Pakistan's flood crisis persists

2010-10-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

There’s a cruel irony that hangs over Pakistan’s vast, tented camps in the wake of the country’s devastating floods. While water is what damaged or destroyed nearly two million homes and affected the lives of more than 20 million people just weeks ago, today water exactly is what those people need most.

The flood emergency in Pakistan is far from over. While the waters have receded in some areas and thousands of families are returning home, there is often little or nothing for them to return to.

Meanwhile UNICEF and its partners are working to provide the most essential services – including safe water and sanitation – to those who still cannot return home.

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Infusions of cash tackle immediate needs in Niger's drought-affected areas

2010-10-11T04:23:00.000-07:00

For the first time in an emergency setting, UNICEF is using cash as a way to help families affected by a food crisis.

The Government of Niger – supported by UNICEF and the non-governmental organizations CARE and Save the Children – will distribute money to every woman with at least one child under the age of two in areas most affected by the country’s severe drought.

The cash transfer of $40 per month for three months is aimed at about 30,000 vulnerable families. Payments are being made to cover a period at the end of the ‘lean season,’ when families have already experienced several months of extreme shortages before the October harvest.

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UNICEF and partners promote hygiene in schools amidst conflict and floods

2010-10-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

Water levels along the Swat River have returned to normal, but evidence of the devastation from recent floods is everywhere. Bridges, roads, schools, health facilities, water supply and sanitation systems in Swat Valley – which were already suffering from the effects of military conflict over the last two years – are severely affected.

In flooded areas of north-western Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the emergency has grown increasingly complex. Due to the pre-existing conflict in the province’s Malakand division, women and children – especially girls – were already denied access to basic health and education services.

Then the flood crisis caused a breakdown of communication networks and infrastructure, making this vulnerable group harder to reach with life-saving interventions.

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On the first day of school, UNICEF provides support for earthquake-affected children in Haiti

2010-10-08T05:10:00.000-07:00

For thousands of temporary residents of the Primature displacement camp in the Haitian capital, yesterday’s routine began as it has every day since the earthquake struck here in January. But for others, there was one major difference: It was a school day.

Judeline, 6, has been living with her mother, brother and cousin in a tent on the muddy slope of Primature since the quake destroyed their house and her father was killed. For Judeline, yesterday marked an important new start, as she went off to school in the morning for the first time.

“Going back to school is symbolic today,” said UNICEF Representative in Haiti Françoise Gruloos-Ackermans. “This is the future of the country, and I am very happy because all the donors and partners – bilateral, multilateral – we are all together in this battle, because this is a real battle.”

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UNICEF’s emergency response to one of the worst cholera epidemics in 10 years

2010-10-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

UNICEF is working with the Ministry of Social Action, the Ministry of Health, WHO, international and national NGOs and partnering institutions to tackle the epidemic.

Its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) section is the lead of the cluster response, with partners like the Croix Rouge Tchadienne and Codewan, a local NGO working at the village level. Cholera kits were donated to hospitals and NGOs, and technical assistance provided to the Ministry of Health.

A specific communication and public information campaign is also underway through radio messages, distribution of leaflets and posters, as well door-to-door sensitization of the population.

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Zimbabwe water and sanitation sector to receive a boost

2010-10-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

In a collective move to avert the recurrence of waterborne diseases and rehabilitate the country’s water, sanitation and hygiene sector, the Inclusive Government of Zimbabwe today announced the rejuvenation of the National Action Committee (NAC), an inter-ministerial committee charged with overall coordination of the sector.

Zimbabwe’s water supply and sanitation services, once a source of national pride, have suffered a major collapse in both urban and rural areas which contributed to the 2008/2009 cholera epidemic that claimed more than 4,000 lives. According to UNICEF/WHO figures 83 per cent of Zimbabweans have access to improved water and 40 per cent had access to improved sanitation.

Yet in recent years, the combination of aging equipment, lack of regular power to operate water pumps and a shortage of skilled technicians to manage repairs has caused taps in urban areas to often run dry and left millions of people without access to a regular supply of safe water.

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Recognizing the emotional impact of calamities, UNICEF promotes guidelines to aid in recovery

2010-10-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

In an effort to help communities cope with the emotional and social suffering caused by conflict and natural disasters, UNICEF and partners are today exploring how collaboration on common approaches supports the recovery process for children and communities in emergencies.

“One of UNICEF’s priorities in emergencies is to protect and improve the mental health and psychosocial well-being of communities in crisis. We know from experience in many emergencies that the very real and profound distress among communities and the scale of such problems can only be effectively addressed by collaboration among all key actors." said Amanda Melville, Child Protection, UNICEF. "

The IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies settings provide a framework that facilitates interagency collaboration and brings together actors from different sectors such as health, education and protection around a common vision,” “These guidelines have been used in many countries to identify common priorities and gaps, flag harmful practices and identify useful practices and develop common approaches. They have helped us in our mission to better support communities in crisis.”

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In Pakistan's Swat valley, health workers reach out to women and children already struggling

2010-10-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

The scenic Swat valley in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is facing a complex emergency situation. Since May 2009 military operations and conflict have ravaged the area and in July 2010 floods came, affecting some 3.8 million people in the province and devastating thousands.

The impact on the health and nutritional status of families has been severe, especially for children and women.

“Children and women were badly affected by the conflict and we had not yet completed the early recovery work when the worst floods hit us,” said Javed Afridi, Project Coordinator for the Abaseen Foundation, a non-governmental UNICEF partner in Pakistan. With partners like Abaseen, UNICEF is conducting social mobilization activities for ‘Mother and Child Days’ and other health and vaccination campaigns in the Swat valley.

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New countries endorse the Paris Commitments to end the use of child combatants

2010-09-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

New countries today endorsed the ‘Paris Commitments’ to end the use of child soldiers, joining a growing list of States that have pledged to protect children from recruitment and use by armed forces and groups.

Adopted in 2007, the Paris Commitments on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups are a voluntary promise by States to work together to halt child recruitment, support the release of children from armed groups and help reintegrate these children into civilian life.

At today’s high-level meeting in UN Headquarters, the third Ministerial follow-up Forum to the Paris Commitments, Cape Verde, Gabon, Georgia, Iceland, Latvia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Togo and Uruguay endorsed the Commitments, raising the number of supporting countries from 84 to 95.

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The United Nations outlines combined strategy to ensure the survival of millions of flood affected people in Pakistan

2010-09-28T04:36:00.000-07:00

The emergency situation caused by the floods in Pakistan is far from being over and is worsening for the most vulnerable people. Three UN agencies today warned of the urgent need to quickly scale up the response in the most recently flooded areas in the south while not losing sight of working towards an early recovery in the centre and the north of the country.

In a coordinated effort, the directors of the Emergency divisions of UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) this week visited flood affected areas in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to survey the devastation.

“The sheer scale of this disaster is unprecedented and requires unprecedented measures,” said Dr. Eric Laroche, Assistant Director-General of Health Action in Crisis of the World Health Organization. “One of the many challenges we are facing is to provide assistance to people cramped in scattered spontaneous settlements, thus making it very difficult to address life threatening risks and to provide the health coverage they so desperately need,” he added.

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ADB, UNICEF join forces for children with major agreement

2010-09-24T02:18:00.000-07:00

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UNICEF today signed a major agreement, joining forces across Asia and the Pacific region to fight disparities, reduce poverty, and ensure that equitable and sustainable development benefits all children.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two agencies comes at a critical time with only five years remaining until the 2015 deadline for the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

“The outcome from this agreement will be an improved partnership which will enhance the capacities of both ADB and UNICEF to deliver on their long-term objectives of poverty reduction, inclusive growth and child welfare,” said ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda.

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World leaders and experts meet to raise the profile of education on the development agenda

2010-09-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

A brainstorming session to examine ways to make the case for education by showing its powerful impact on all Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be held on 22 September, as world leaders gather in New York to review progress on the MDGs.

A special focus on education is critical, according to the organizers of the session, Save the Children, Qatar, UNESCO and UNICEF. Education is the key to sustained global progress towards all the millennium targets, but about 69 million children – among them the most marginalized – are currently unable to go to school every year.

"Education plays a central role in the achievement of all MDGs and needs to be given top priority across all regions, including those affected by natural disasters and conflicts. There can be no peace and prosperity without education,” said Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. “Conflicts are a major threat to human security and to hard-won Millennium Development Goals."

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Unique education in emergencies fund reaches out to the most vulnerable

2010-09-18T00:06:00.000-07:00

Representatives of the Government of the Netherlands, the European Commission and UNICEF met in New York this week to review progress achieved under an innovative programme to improve Education in Emergencies and Post-Crisis Transition.

Since 2007, the collaboration has worked to ensure that education is a key part of the humanitarian response in emergencies and to restore education systems in post-conflict situations. As part of this initiative, UNICEF – together with partners and donors – has joined to push education to the forefront of the development agenda.

“Through the support of the Government of the Netherlands and other critical partners, UNICEF and the education cluster were able not only to respond to the cholera outbreak through schools but were also able to begin the revitalization of the entire sector,” said UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe Dr. Peter Salama.

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Child mortality rate drops by a third since 1990

2010-09-17T03:25:00.000-07:00

The latest United Nations under-five mortality estimates were released today by UNICEF and they show continued progress in reducing the number of children who don’t live to see their fifth birthdays.

According to these estimates, the total number of under-five deaths decreased globally from 1990 to 2009 from 12.4 million per year to 8.1 million. The global under-five mortality rate has dropped by a third over that period, from 89 deaths per 1,000 live births to 60 in 2009.

The good news is that these estimates suggest 12,000 fewer children are dying each day around the world compared to 1990.

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Maternal deaths worldwide drop by third

2010-09-16T03:14:00.000-07:00

The number of women dying due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased by 34 per cent from an estimated 546 000 in 1990 to 358 000 in 2008, according to a new report, "Trends in maternal mortality", released by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank.

The progress is notable, but the annual rate of decline is less than half of what is needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by 75 per cent between 1990 and 2015. This will require an annual decline of 5.5 per cent. The 34 per cent decline since 1990 translates into an average annual decline of just 2.3 per cent.

"The global reduction in maternal death rates is encouraging news," says Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of WHO. "Countries where women are facing a high risk of death during pregnancy or childbirth are taking measures that are proving effective; they are training more midwives, and strengthening hospitals and health centres to assist pregnant women. No woman should die due to inadequate access to family planning and to pregnancy and delivery care."

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Haiti's youth ready to act in post-earthquake era

2010-09-14T22:59:00.000-07:00

Fifty young participants at UNICEF’s ‘Children and Youth Participation Movement for a Transformative Agenda for Children,’ an event held recently in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, were able to voice opinions as never before. They addressed issues including social, environmental and economic concerns, as well as the role of young people in Haiti’s future.

The Participation Movement will take the shape of a series of debates, forums and conferences to allow Haitian young people a chance to express their hopes – and demands – in the weeks ahead of its November presidential election.

Across Haiti, many young people are ready to take up the call to action. “If they give us our chance, we’ll turn Haiti back into the ‘Pearl of the Antilles,’” said Hanly.

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UNICEF and partners help Lao PDR Government address ‘alarming’ malnutrition levels

2010-09-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

UNICEF and partners have joined forces with the Ministry of Health in Lao PDR to address worrying levels of malnutrition among children living in remote areas of the country.

An assessment conducted in May and June by the National Institute of Public Health, in collaboration with the Department of Statistics and UNICEF, reported a poor-to-critical state of acute malnutrition among children living in nine provinces affected by floods in 2008 and by Typhoon Ketsana last year.

“We found extremely high levels of malnutrition among children” said Dr. Dalaphone Sithideth, the survey team’s physician. In Attapeu, one of three southern provinces covered by the survey, 18.9 per cent of children aged 6 to 59 months were found to suffer from acute malnutrition. This figure is almost 4 per cent above the international definition for an emergency situation.

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Refocusing HIV efforts in sub-Saharan Africa

2010-09-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

In the push to reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS by 2015, as called for by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals – a set of internationally recognized targets for reducing poverty worldwide – success may depend on forging connections with young African women, so that they are able to protect themselves and their partners against the epidemic.

The report shows that about four million young people aged 15 to 24 were living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008. The region also has the largest number of new HIV infections. If the epidemic is to be reversed in time to meet the deadline, change must happen there – and it must happen now.

"What we know is that HIV infection rises dramatically in young women between the ages of about 15 and 25,” Dr. Whiteside said. “So if we could address this, then I think we could go a long way towards stopping the epidemic.”

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UNICEF supports emergency education for children displaced by floods in Pakistan

2010-09-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

Over the past several weeks, monsoon floods in Pakistan have displaced millions and destroyed or damaged some 1.8 million homes and over 9,000 schools. The latest UN estimates place the total number of people affected at 20.5 million – including, of course, millions of vulnerable children and women.

Describing the crisis as a "children’s emergency," UNICEF and its partners have taken steps to provide these children with a safe and supportive environment. To that end, temporary learning and recreational centres are being set up in each camp for people displaced by the floods.

There are now more than 200 such centres across the country, with a total enrolment exceeding 20,000. In addition, 153 static and 22 mobile child-friendly spaces have been established, providing more than 34,000 children with educational and recreational support in flood-affected areas.

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Unicef has pledged to support special Constitutional Parliamentary Committee outreach programmes for youths and children to be held later this month

2010-09-13T02:03:00.000-07:00

Copac co-chairperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora last week confirmed Unicef would fund the two-day special outreach programmes nationwide. They are likely to be held on September 23 and 24.

He could not disclose how much money was involved. "We secured commitment from Unicef to fund the special outreach meetings for youths and children. We are still discussing the modalities of the meetings," he said.

Mr Mwonzora said Copac did not want the meetings to be held long after the main outreach had been completed so that youths’ views could be properly captured. There have been concerns over the low turnout of youths, children and other disadvantaged groups in the ongoing outreach. Youths account for just 12 percent of the more than 500 000 people who have attended outreach meetings to date.

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Unicef says every child needs to be included in development goals

2010-09-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

UNICEF says research into how aid funding is spent shows the Millenium Development Goals can be better reached by focussing on the most disadvantaged children and families. The Millenium Development goals are eight international development goals that all 192 United Nations member states have agreed to achieve by 2015.

The Chief Executive of UNICEF New Zealand, Dennis McKinlay says with help from the World Bank a study has found that making the extra effort to reach one hundred per cent of children is economically viable.

“In terms of trying to achieve the MDGs and the targets which are set in 2015, unless we do take this equity approach of including every child and being inclusive, we will not achieve the MDGs. So this is a policy, or a strategy if you like, that will help countries achieve the MDGs more easily than if they didn’t take this approach.”

Dennis McKinlay says in the past agencies like UNICEF have tried to keep to set budgets by targetting the most easily accessible children but often those who miss out on aid are the five to ten per cent of children who need it most.

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Executive Board extends UNICEF partnership with Rotary International to eradicate polio

2010-09-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

Meeting at UN headquarters yesterday, the UNICEF Executive Board approved the extension of a global partnership with Rotary International that has helped the world move dramatically closer to eradicating the scourge of polio.

“I do believe this is the easiest of the decisions the Board will be making,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, who lauded Rotary for its enduring commitment to the fight against the paralysing and sometimes fatal childhood disease.

Mr. Lake pointed out that over a million Rotarians have volunteered their time to raise more than $900 million for polio eradication during the past quarter century.

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UNICEF Peru helps communities counter gang violence

2010-09-10T00:59:00.000-07:00

Young people in a pilot violence prevention programme launched by UNICEF Peru are speaking out on violence, education and health in their communities.

The pilot project, launched in a northern Peruvian district called Ventanilla, aims to give youth a voice in helping to come up with solutions to minimize the violence in their communities and help foster an environment that is more nurturing for children.

Ventanilla is a rapidly growing area, now home to more than 275,000 residents, of which more than 100,000 – or about 38 per cent – are under 18 years old. UNICEF Peru hopes to expand the violence prevention programmes to other impoverished regions of Peru within the next two years.

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In Pakistan's makeshift camps, mobile health clinics save lives

2010-09-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

Seemingly oblivious to the constant stream of trucks, gasoline fumes and dust being kicked up by the traffic roaring past this tiny makeshift camp on the outskirts of Sukkar, Dr. Nasreen Khaskheli listened intently to her patients’ descriptions of their ailments.

She nodded empathically and, after a thorough consultation, dispensed the required medications.

This mobile team of three health workers – supported by UNICEF – visits up to four makeshift camps each day and has been known to treat over 300 patients daily, all presenting a variety of ailments.

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UNICEF and partners fight deadly, but preventable, cholera outbreak in Cameroon

2010-09-09T00:22:00.000-07:00

Cameroon is currently experiencing one of its most severe outbreaks of cholera in decades. The epidemic began in May 2010, following the country’s rainy season, and is most prevalent in the country’s Extreme North province. To date, there are some 5,560 reported cases of cholera and 385 deaths, according to the Government of Cameroon.

Cholera is caused by consuming contaminated water and food and often spreads as a result of poor sanitation and hygiene. According to UNICEF Cameroon, only 5 per cent of people in the Extreme North have access to latrines and less than 30 per cent have access to safe drinking water.

It is this combination of factors, along with flooding and high population density, that have led to the current outbreak.

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'Progress for Children' report sheds new light on achieving Millennium Development Goals

2010-09-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

Addressing the needs of the poorest of the poor is the key to meeting ambitious development goals and reducing global injustice, according to a UNICEF’s latest ‘Progress for Children’ report. The report was released today, during the first day of a UNICEF Executive Board session at United Nations headquarters in New York.

In 2000, world leaders adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to make the world a more equitable place and setting out a series of time-bound targets that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs. Every year, UNICEF’s flagship ‘Progress for Children’ report monitors progress towards these targets.

This year, ‘Progress for Children: Achieving the MDGs with Equity’ reveals that, in the push to meet the development goals by their 2015 target date, the very poor are falling further and further behind.
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New UNICEF study shows MDGs for children can be reached faster with focus on most disadvantaged

2010-09-08T04:25:00.000-07:00

The global community can save millions of lives by investing first in the most disadvantaged children and communities, according to a new UNICEF study released today. Such an approach would also address the widening disparities that are accompanying progress toward the MDGs.

The new findings are presented in two publications: Narrowing the Gaps to Meet the Goals and Progress for Children: Achieving the MDGs with Equity, UNICEF’s signature data compendium.

While great progress is being made in international efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals, much more needs to be done over the next five years. By comparing the effectiveness of different strategies for delivering critical health interventions to those in greatest need, the study found that targeting to the poorest and most disadvantaged children could save more lives per US $1 million spent than the current path.

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New UNICEF report calls for reducing disparities among children in Viet Nam

2010-09-07T00:32:00.000-07:00

According to key findings presented in a UNICEF report entitled ‘An Analysis of the Situation of Children in Viet Nam 2010,’ Viet Nam has made tremendous progress for its children in a remarkably short period of time, with unprecedented reduction in under-five mortality rates and poverty.

Yet there remains an unfinished agenda for children in the country, in particular in terms of hygiene, sanitation, child poverty, nutrition, child protection and education quality and management.

Participating in the event were 100-150 participants from the Viet Nam Government, donors and embassies, UN agencies, international non-governmental organizations, civil society, research institutes and the media.

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Life skills courses brighten the future for Syrian Arab Republic's refugees

2010-09-07T00:26:00.000-07:00

UNICEF is working with several key partners to ensure that quality education reaches those who need it. Vocational courses – hosted by the non-governmental European Institute of Cooperation and Development and funded by the Danish Embassy – target older students, while remedial classes in schools are supported by the European Union.

The courses are also part of an effort to help Iraq and Syria meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals target related to education.

The MDGs, a set of internationally recognized targets for reducing poverty worldwide, call for ensuring universal primary education by the year 2015.

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UNICEF and World Food Programme chiefs visit Pakistan's flood-stricken Punjab province

2010-09-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

In a show of support for the victims of flooding in Pakistan, UNICEF and World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Directors Anthony Lake and Josette Sheeran visited the agencies’ humanitarian operations in the Muzzafargarh district of Punjab, one of the worst-affected
provinces of the country.

In the village of Gujrat, the two agency heads visited a girls’ high school that had been transformed into an emergency relief centre for hundreds of families – mainly women and children – who had fled the rising water with little but the clothes they were wearing.

Despite the searing heat, the incessant swarming of flies and severe crowding at the school, families arriving there could finally rest. They received much-needed health and nutrition assistance and gathered their strength after days trudging along roads or wading through dangerous floodwaters.

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On International Youth Day in Madagascar, film screening gives young people a forum

2010-09-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

A film set in Madagascar’s arid south is helping young people develop life skills by sparking a debate on what it means to succeed in life.

In Madagascar today, out of a total population of 19 million – almost 70 per cent of whom live in poverty – there are 5.7 million children and young people between 10 and 24 years of age, and their number is expected to double by 2025. Despite efforts to meet their needs, Malagasy children and youth continue to face huge challenges.

‘Dzaomalaza and the Blue Sapphire’ – produced by UNICEF with its partner, Digital Development Communications – will now be shown across Madagascar in schools, youth clubs and other venues targeting young people, with screenings followed by audience debates.

“This film is a great way of reaching young people, because it truly shows the society in which we live as young Malagasies,” said peer educator Ravo Randriantsoavina. “Often, young people cannot talk to their parents. It is difficult for us to change our culture and to find ways to advocate. But if enough people are convinced, we can take action.”

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International Year of Youth launches in Syria with colourful events

2010-09-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

At a ceremony in Syria to launch the International Year of Youth, the importance of fostering dialogue and mutual understanding among the country’s youth inspired an enthusiastic response.

Live music performances, dance and theatre followed opening words from United Nations Resident Coordinator in Syria Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who stressed the importance of young people to the development of the country.

As youth come into focus as the core of national agendas worldwide, one thing is already clear: young people represent the present as much as they do the future, and they have a truly boundless potential to change the world for the better.

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In Singapore, inaugural Youth Olympic Games provide competition and inspiration

2010-09-03T04:30:00.000-07:00

As the first-ever Youth Olympic Games comes to a close, a young female athlete quietly traces the outline of her hand on a piece of paper and writes, “I have a right to be educated and to play any sports I like.”

Organized under the direction of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Youth Olympic Games are an international high-level sporting event for adolescents held every two years, alternating between the summer and winter seasons.

In addition to providing opportunities for young athletes to compete in 26 olympic sports, the games also aim to provide young people with the knowledge and skills to become role models for their peers and to play an active role in their communities.

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UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake, to visit flood affected areas of Pakistan

2010-09-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake, arrived in Pakistan on Monday 30 August to tour flood-hit areas and see UNICEF operations to assist the millions of flood-affected people, especially the most vulnerable, the children and women.

Mr. Lake had travelled to Charsadda district, one of the worst affected districts in the Khyber Pukhtoonkhaw province. He also visited schools being used as shelters by thousands of families where UNICEF is providing safe drinking water, family health and hygiene kits and repairing sanitation systems.

Mr. Lake and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Ms. Josette Sheeran, visited flood-affected areas in Multan Division, Punjab province.

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Nearly 100 million children to be vaccinated against measles in China

2010-09-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Nearly 100 million children across China will be vaccinated against measles from 11-20 September in one of the world's biggest such public health undertakings to date. The nationwide campaign will protect millions of children against the disease and bring China closer to reaching the measles elimination goal by 2012 in line with the target set by the World Health Organization's Western Pacific region.

"China is a priority country in the global fight against measles and we commend the government for its leadership in this life-saving work," said Dr Michael O'Leary, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in China.

In 2009, more than 52,000 people in China were reported to have contracted measles, accounting for about 86 per cent of the measles cases in WHO's Western Pacific region.

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UNICEF hails new child protection measures by the government of Southern Sudan

2010-08-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

UNICEF today welcomed the formation and launch of a Child Protection Unit by the government of Sudan within the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) as a milestone for the rights of children in the country.

The formation of the Child Protection Unit follows an Action Plan signed by the SPLA committing to release all children in its ranks by November 2010 and to end the exploitation of children as soldiers across Southern Sudan.

“The launch is testimony to the commitment of the Government of Southern Sudan and the SPLA to accelerate the establishment of an environment where the rights of all the children are respected," said Catherine Mbengue, UNICEF Southern Sudan, speaking at the launch. "Concrete measures must now be taken to ensure that all within the SPLA understand and respect their obligations.”

The Child Protection Unit is charged with the responsibility to ensure that no children are in the ranks of the SPLA. It will also work with partners during the verification, registration and demobilization of children still associated with the SPLA.

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UNICEF/WFP chiefs call for renewed support to Pakistan’s flood victims

2010-08-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

The Executive Directors of UNICEF and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today called on the international community to step up their support for the victims of the ongoing floods in Pakistan.

Anthony Lake of UNICEF and Josette Sheeran of WFP made their call following a joint visit to operations in the Muzzafargarh district of Punjab, one of the worst affected parts of the country.

“There is a triple threat unfolding as this crisis widens and deepens,” said Sheeran. “People have lost seeds, crops and their incomes leaving them vulnerable to hunger, homelessness and desperation – the situation is extremely critical. We urgently need continued and strengthened commitment to the people of Pakistan in this time of crisis.”

While in the field, the two agency heads visited a school which has been turned into an emergency relief centre, where UNICEF hygiene kits were being handed out to families hit by the floods.

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UNICEF welcomes Angolan Government campaign to reduce maternal and infant mortality

2010-08-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

According to the results of a Government survey released this month, Angola has made significant strides towards reducing maternal and infant mortality since 2002, with the mortality rate for children under five dropping from 250 to 195 per 1,000 live births. During the same period, the maternal mortality ratio decreased from 1,400 to 660 per 100,000 live births.

Despite the report of significant improvement, UNICEF says the situation remains unacceptable, as it puts Angola on par with the least developed countries, despite the fact that its GDP per capita is that of a lower middle income country.

Nevertheless, cost effective solutions do exist, such as improving access to effective obstetric interventions, promoting maternal practices that protect a child’s health, and ensuring that clinics have essential medicines and supplies.

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Capturing the voices of young people at the World Youth Conference

2010-08-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

Engaging with adolescents and young people and discussing pressing issues they face in their lives is the goal of UNICEF’s participation in the World Youth Conference in Mexico.

Approximately 106 million young people between 15 and 24 years of age live in Latin America and the Caribbean region and they account for about 20 per cent of the total population. Together with the government of Mexico, and partners from UN agencies, academic institutions and NGOs, UNICEF is organising multiple activities for young people from the region during the one week conference in Mexico.

Migration is a central issue for young people in Central America. There is evidence of an increasing numbers of children and adolescents migrating on their own, often in a desperate effort to rejoin missing parents. These children face a variety of serious risks.

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Statement by UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake, on sexual violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

2010-08-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

The reported gang-rape of at least 179 women and girls in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) must serve as an urgent call to stop the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Egregious violations of human rights, including rape and sexual violence, have become endemic in the DRC. UNICEF is aware of some eighteen thousand survivors of sexual violence in DRC who sought assistance in 2009 alone, including 11,855 who required critical medical assistance. It is highly likely that many more attacks have gone unreported.

The suffering caused by sexual violence does not end with the assault. Many survivors carry physical and psychological scars for the rest of their lives. And sexual violence also has a profound impact on families, communities and society, reinforcing a culture of violence.

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UNICEF's life-saving operation in Pakistan in jeopardy due to funding shortfall

2010-08-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

UNICEF warned that serious funding shortfalls are jeopardising its humanitarian operation in Pakistan. UNICEF is extremely concerned at the lack of funds for its water and sanitation operation, with millions of children at risk from water-borne diseases.

"Providing clean water and adequate sanitation is key to the survival of millions of flood affected people in Pakistan. In terms of numbers of people needing life-saving assistance, this emergency is bigger than the Tsunami, Haiti, and the last Pakistan earthquake put together,” said Martin Mogwanja, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan

"UNICEF is currently providing enough clean water for 1.3 million people every day, but millions more need the same services. We urgently need to scale up the distribution of water. If we are not able to do so because of lack of funding, water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery will spread and begin killing affected populations, especially children, already weak and vulnerable to disease and malnutrition", added Mogwanja.

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UNICEF emergency aid arrives in Pakistan amidst continuing flood crisis

2010-08-14T02:11:00.000-07:00

As the worst natural disaster in living memory continues to unfold in Pakistan, a chartered airliner carrying 100 metric tonnes of UNICEF emergency relief arrived in the southern port city of Karachi early today. The shipment includes health kits, nutrition supplies, midwifery kits and tarpaulins for families affected by weeks of monsoon rains and flooding around the country.

“UNICEF’s main supply warehouse in Copenhagen has sent these items to support our ongoing relief activities in the flood-affected areas,” said the head of the UNICEF Field Office in Sindh, Andro Shilakadze.

“This is the first major shipment of emergency supplies and we expect more to arrive in the coming days,” added Mr. Shilakadze. “Since our pre-positioned supplies in one of the major warehouses were washed out by floods, supplies received today were urgently needed.”

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'Beyond School Books' - a podcast series on education in emergencies

2010-08-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

More than 2 billion people worldwide are under the age of 18, and nearly 90 percent of them live in developing nations, according to UNICEF's estimates. Yesterday, International Youth Day, kicked off the International Year of Youth, which aims to advance the full and effective participation of youth in all aspects of society worldwide.

To mark the occasion, UNICEF podcast moderator Amy Costello spoke with two guests, Carvarinho Magalhaes Jeronimo Bento, who lives in the conflict-affected south-east Asian nation of Timor-Leste, and Radha Rajkotia, Senior Technical Advisor for Youth and Livelihoods at the International Rescue Committee in Washington DC.

The guests discussed the educational challenges facing young people in conflict and post-crisis nations.

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UNICEF ready to provide assistance to landslides-affected areas in China

2010-08-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

UNICEF is preparing to respond to requests for emergency assistance for children and families affected by the devastating landslides in Zhouqu County in Northwest China’s Gansu Province.

State media reported that as of today, the landslide, the deadliest to hit China in six decades has caused 702 deaths, 1042 missing and 45,000 people evacuated.

The Government of China has dispatched rescue teams, medical support, emergency relief supplies and soldiers to Zhouqu County. Rescue efforts continue to be hindered, however, by rains and heavy mudflows which have blocked major roads. As students are currently on summer vacation, school was not in session when the landslide struck. However, in any emergency, young children are among the most vulnerable.

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International Year of Youth launched today

2010-08-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

The International Year of Youth is being launched today in the General Assembly Hall with an eclectic event of speeches, musical performances, videos and poetry. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be on hand with welcoming words to kick off the Year, which runs from 12 August 2010 to 11 August 2011 under the theme Dialogue and Mutual Understanding.

The Year aims to promote the ideals of peace, respect for human rights and solidarity across generations, cultures, religions and civilizations. In a message issued on the occasion, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that “in a world in which different peoples and traditions are coming into closer, more frequent contact than ever before, it is crucial that young people learn how to listen intently, empathize with others, acknowledge divergent opinions, and be able to resolve conflicts.”

He called for strengthening efforts “to include young people in policies, programmes and decision-making processes that benefit their futures and ours.” In addition to the Secretary-General, today’s special event will be addressed by the Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Education of Tunisia, Samir Laabidi and the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Benin to the United Nations, Jean-Francis Régis Zinsou.

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UNICEF sending urgent supplies to women and children affected by Cameroon’s worst cholera outbreak in six years

2010-08-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

UNICEF has joined WHO, UNFPA, WFP and UNHCR in sending urgently needed supplies to thousands of people affected by Cameroon’s worst outbreak of cholera since 2004, but remains deeply concerned about the plight of women and children in the area.

The current outbreak, which started in May 2010 in the Extreme North region of Cameroon and has subsequently spread to the neighboring North region, has to-date caused over 2,199 confirmed cases of cholera resulting in 163 deaths. This constitutes a high fatality rate of 7.41 per cent.

Characterised by a limited availability of clean water and proper sanitation, the Extreme North and North regions of Cameroon comprise an estimated population of over 5 million people, and share borders with Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic. In addition, parts of the Extreme North region have suffered extensive flooding over the past month, leaving many communities increasingly vulnerable to disease. UNICEF is concerned that any further spread of the outbreak could have serious consequences for women and children across the sub-region.

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6 million children affected by the floods in Pakistan

2010-08-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

As the figures continue to rise, UNICEF says that 6 million children have been affected by the floods in Pakistan with some 2.7 million children in need of urgent, life-saving assistance.

According to UN estimates, a total of 14 million people have been affected by the flood crisis. Hundreds of thousands have received humanitarian aid, but millions more urgently need shelter, food, water, and health care. The flooding could worsen considerably in the coming days, especially in parts of Sindh.

"This is the biggest natural disaster to hit Pakistan and this region in living memory, bigger than the Tsunami or the 2009 earthquake, with millions of children and women struggling to survive in dire conditions. It is a race against time as we rush to deliver supplies to affected populations. The waters are still rising and we are bracing for flood waves as rivers overflow and the rains continue," said Martin Mogwanja, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.

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Unique education programmes brighten the future for Afghanistan's young women

2010-08-11T03:36:00.000-07:00

The city of Herat is the setting for ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ – Khaled Hosseini’s powerful, best-selling novel about the harsh conditions of women in Afghanistan.

While life for many women in the country remains difficult, today Herat’s Gowarshad High School – named for the powerful Timurid queen who founded the city – is full of confident young girls who are well aware of their rights.

UNICEF provides BRAC schools with educational materials, including recorded episodes of a Dari-language version of its ‘Meena’ cartoon series, a successful advocacy and teaching tool developed in South Asia. Like other viewers of the cartoon programme, girls at the BRAC school are fond of Meena, a spirited nine-year-old girl who braves the world tackling issues that affect children just like themselves.

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With free birth registration, Angola promotes a child's right to legal identity

2010-08-11T02:22:00.000-07:00

To address the epidemic of undocumented children in Angola, the government recently passed a new law establishing free birth registration for children under five at maternity hospitals.

UNICEF non-governmental partner ‘Step in CARE’ assists residents of Angola’s Kwanyama municipality by taking registration cases directly to the Justice Ministry to speed up the process. In Cunene’s provincial capital, Step in CARE Coordinator João Tchite Culo has a two-pronged strategy. He spends half his time strengthening local administrative systems and the other half working directly in the community. There, he trains village organizers like Ms. Tuyenikelao to write formal documents and to negotiate with government officials when necessary.

The organizers also receive training in community mobilization – learning how to get people together to articulate their problems so that solutions can be found.

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Flood-affected women and children in north-western Pakistan urgently need aid

2010-08-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

“UNICEF is ramping up its relief operation for the millions of people affected by the flooding,” says UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Martin Mogwanja. “Many of those are children who are especially vulnerable to disease and the present harsh conditions. They need water, medicine, food and shelter urgently."

Mr. Mogwanja, who is the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan, adds that “things will probably get worse before they start getting better. We are working at full speed to respond to the most urgent needs of the affected populations.”

UNICEF is also supporting the government’s efforts to restore water supply systems in flood-affected areas. So far, around 700,000 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province have regained access to safe drinking water through restoration of 91 tube wells and water trucking. Water filters, soap, buckets and jerry cans for carrying water are also being distributed to families in need.

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