Global

Girls and young women with disabilities face more barriers to digital inclusion compared to their peers, as the gender gap in digital adoption is amplified at the intersection with disability. To drive inclusion, it is essential to design accessible environments in collaboration with people with disabilities so that barriers may be removed and…

The advancement of gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women are central to UNICEF’s mandate to ensure every child is protected, healthy, and educated. Recognising the need for accelerated action so we do not leave girls behind, in 2022, UNICEF developed a new vision for programming with and for adolescent girls: the Adolescent Girls…

Between 2020 and 2022, UNICEF and UNHCR implemented a bold new joint approach to refugee inclusion in 10 countries. Inspired by this experience, in February 2023, UNICEF and UNHCR signed a new Strategic Collaboration Framework that sets out our common vision of a world where all children, including refugee and stateless children, are protected,…

This brief provides evidence-based insights on the development of digital tools and platforms inclusive of and accessible for girls with disabilities. It explores disability and how it intersects with gender to exacerbate the digital divide for girls with disabilities. The brief explains the concepts of assistive technology, accessibility and…

LUCKNOW/UTTAR PRADESH, India, 9 November 2022 - UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Priyanka Chopra Jonas travelled to Uttar Pradesh in northern India this week to visit UNICEF programmes helping to improve children’s education, and access to health, nutrition, and protection. During the two-day visit, Chopra Jonas met adolescent girls from UNICEF-…

The Gender-Responsive Digital Pedagogies: Guide for Educators is a resource for teachers reaching girls and boys through digital technologies to advance learning outside the traditional, in-person classroom setting. Digital technologies include mobile phones, tablets, and computers. Some sections in this guide focus exclusively on online…

Quality education (SDG4) remains a pressing issue worldwide. In the current global learning crisis, children are not learning at expected levels, despite higher school enrolments. World Bank estimates indicate that half of the world’s children could not read and understand a simple text by the age of 10 pre-COVID-19. The pandemic has only deepened…

This Practice Guide aims to help UNICEF-supported health programmes to integrate UNICEF’s commitment to disability inclusion. The Guide provides a series of indicative actions for disability inclusion at each stage of the programme cycle. It focuses on systems-wide (e.g. CRPD-compliant budgeting) and service-specific (e.g. newborn care,…

The commitment of UNICEF to an equal future for all girls and boys recognizes that promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The Gender Action Plan, 2018–2021 (GAP) is UNICEF’s road map for promoting gender equality throughout its work, guiding its…, This is the final year in the implementation of the Gender Action Plan 2018-2021, UNICEF’s roadmap for promoting gender equality throughout its work. Over the last four years, UNICEF has substantially increased investment in resources, leadership, capacity and accountability to achieve meaningful results for women and girls. And while progress has…, girl-with-tablet UNICEF approach to integrated gender results, GARR2021-Gender-infographic-1 UNICEF focuses on levelling the playing field for girls and boys by addressing gender inequality in key life outcomes; promoting gender equality in how children are supported and cared for, including in households and childcare-related fields; and promoting adolescent girls’ well-being and empowerment.  In 2021,…, mother-and-daughter Equality in health systems and workforce, 80 per cent of live births were attended by skilled personnel in 2021, surpassing the overall target of 79 per cent 40.4 million adolescent girls benefited from services and support for the prevention of anaemia and other forms of malnutrition 57.5 million  caregivers of children under the age of 2 years received infant and young child feeding…, girl-in-classroom Equality in education, 21 million out-of-school girls accessed early learning, primary or secondary education through UNICEF-supported programmes versus 8.4 million in 2019 48 countries had gender-responsive education systems, increasing from 15 countries in 2017 31 countries had systems that institutionalized gender-equitable skills for learning, personal empowerment,…, girl-technician Addressing gender-based violence, 4.4 million children experiencing violence were reached with health, justice and social welfare services in 129 countries, versus 2.5 million children in 2017 3.6 million families across 97 countries benefited from support on positive, nurturing care, almost four times more than in 2017 10 million people participated in community activities to…, school-girl-holding-textbooks Gender-responsive water, sanitation and hygiene systems, 20 million more people had access to basic sanitation services (10.2 million women and girls) 16.7 million girls and women benefited from UNICEF-supported water programmes in humanitarian settings 6.5 million girls were reached with WASH-in-schools services (including gender-segregated, child-friendly and accessible WASH facilities) To address…, woman-walk-past-mural Promoting positive gender norms and socialization, including through social protection, 94 UNICEF country programmes carried out interventions to challenge harmful norms and promote positive gender socialization In 56 countries UNICEF assisted governments to support families to better care for their children, including through family-friendly policies like parental leave; quality childcare; and child benefits. 100 countries were…, girls-carrying-dignity-kits Gender in emergencies, When disasters and emergencies happen, including public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, people not only are impacted differently, but they are unlikely to have equal opportunities to overcome the crisis. Women and girls are disproportionately affected. Pre-existing discriminatory norms tend to restrict them from life-saving…, girl-in-classroom Adolescent girls’ well-being and empowerment, 81 countries had an inclusive, gender-responsive national plan for adolescent health and well-being, increasing from 50 countries in 2018 7.6 million adolescent girls across 47 countries benefited from child marriage-related interventions, nearly four times more than in 2017 16.8 million girls participated in skills development programmes,…, female-drivers-unicef.jpg Making UNICEF a more gender-responsive organization, UNICEF met 88 per cent of all benchmarks in the UN-SWAP – the United Nations gender equality scorecard – compared to 76 per cent in 2018 98 UNICEF offices met institutional gender results benchmarks compared with 63 in 2018 UNICEF  reached virtual gender parity in staffing in line with UN-system wide standards Over the last four years, UNICEF has…, portrait-girl Looking forward, In 2022, UNICEF is embarking on a new GAP cycle with renewed commitment to promote gender equality and scale up transformative results for girls and women. To do this, UNICEF, with its partners, will apply bolder, gender-transformative approaches that seek to change the discriminatory social norms, stereotypes and structures that hold girls and…, Read more and support our work, June 2022, Global Annual Results Report 2021 Gender Equality Cover image: UNICEF/UN0570461 14-year-old Camila Doutang, who fled the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with her parents, lives in the Villa del Rosario municipality in North Santander, Colombia. Here, she attends a UNICEF-supported Alternative Care and Shelter Space for Children and Adolescents (…

Reducing inequality strengthens economies and builds stable, resilient societies that give all individuals – including boys and men – the opportunity to fulfil their potential.  UNICEF builds partnerships across the global community to accelerate gender equality. In all areas of our work, we integrate strategies that address gender-specific…

NEW YORK, 8 March 2022 – “On International Women’s Day, we acknowledge the international community’s hard-fought gains for the world’s women and girls. We celebrate the remarkable achievements of women and girls in our societies. And we redouble our commitment to extend those gains to every girl, everywhere. “But the fight for gender equality is…

11 February marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. To celebrate the occasion, we're paying tribute to the incredible contribution of women to the COVID-19 response globally.  The coronavirus pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on health workers. Some are working around the clock to care for patients. Others are increasing…, Warriors on the ward in Haryana, India, India’s health system has been stretched to the breaking point many times during the pandemic, with the bulk of the caring burden on women.  Women are estimated to make up to 30 per cent of doctors and more than 80 per cent of nurses and midwives. Medical staff in India and around the world have saved millions of lives, often while risking their…, Men, follow my lead, Mariam is a Malian refugee. She became the first woman to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the M’Berra refugee camp, in south-east Mauritania.  “We often face misinformation," says Mariam, as she speaks about life in the camp. “Many people are illiterate, so it's 'word of mouth' that prevails. It is thanks to vaccination that we can all get out of…, Putting patients first, "I live with my husband, three children and my mother, who is 80 years old. I was still breastfeeding when I started work at the COVID-19 intensive care unit,” says Jennifer Boateng, a Senior Pharmacist at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital in Ghana.  “I was truly terrified of contracting the virus and putting my family at risk,” she remembers. “…, No one is safe until everyone is safe, Female health workers from a clinic in Kupang, Indonesia, travel to local communities to hold vaccination events. Indonesia has felt the impact of the pandemic, with one of the highest death tolls worldwide.  More than 25,000 children have lost at least one parent to COVID-19.  Across Indonesia, the COVID-19 response is also being supported by…, On the ground at the world's largest supply and logistics hub for children, Etleva Kadilli is the Director of UNICEF’s Supply Division, where women represent more than half of the workforce in a traditionally male-dominated sector. In 2021, over $6.2 billion worth of goods and services was procured by UNICEF. The pandemic brought an exponential demand for COVID-19-related supply items, such as personal protective…, Life-saving information, Victoria is a social mobilizer in Yambio, South Sudan. She's part of UNICEF's Social and Behaviour Change programme, which engages children, youth and communities on issues that affect them.  Access to information is an enormous challenge in South Sudan. Insecurity, displacement, illiteracy, poverty, gender inequities and the fact that 83 per cent…, The kids are on board, Twelve-year-old Jessica from the Himalaya Boarding School in Kathmandu, Nepal, receives a COVID-19 vaccine from a female health worker.  Nepal’s health service is bolstered by more than 50,000 female community health volunteers .   Their role has extended during the pandemic, to include informing the public about preventative measures, such as…, Incredibly dedicated, Daria Shulha, 32, is a doctor at Kharkiv’s Infectious Diseases Hospital in Ukraine. “We see patients at the stage that it will take an incredible effort to bring them back to life,” says Daria.  The intensive care department where Daria works has six beds. Some of her patients have been hospitalized for several weeks.  “After such a long time, you…, Sharing science to reduce hesitancy, Young women in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, listen to UNICEF’s Bérangère Antoine explain how and why the COVID-19 vaccines work.    At a workshop, one participant shares: “I was afraid to get vaccinated until now. After the awareness session, the fear diminishes.” UNICEF's Bérangère Antoine explains the benefits of the vaccine against COVID-19 during a…, Big sister! V is for vaccinated, Tomilyn, 10, holds her newborn baby sister in Buéa Regional Hospital, Cameroon. She was delivered by one of the world's 1.9 million midwives, 93 per cent of whom are women.  COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of serious illness if women get COVID-19 during pregnancy .  Tomilyn says that she already understands the importance of vaccinations and…