Global

This report highlights the voices of nearly 590,000 girls, boys, young women and men around the world who participated in UNICEF’s poll on policy priorities for advancing adolescent girls’ rights. They made their voices heard loud and clear on advancing girls’ well-being and leadership, with five salient, evidence-based and strategic policy…

This advocacy brief was developed by the United Nations Task Force on Children Deprived of Liberty, of which UNICEF is a member, and provides an overview of promising practices and lessons learned to end child immigration detention and sets out a range of policy actions needed to scale up efforts to end this form of violence.

WHEN: 13 - 15 to December WHERE: Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland. WHY: The 2023 GRF is centered around the theme of inclusion of refugees into national systems. As the world grapples with unprecedented levels of displacement, this year's Global Refugee Forum (GRF) stands at a critical juncture, with a profound impact on the lives of millions of…

Three different families. Three different stories. With one thing in common: Whatever a family’s situation, growing up feeling loved makes a critical difference in a child’s life. A mother hugs her daughter in Bolivia Becoming a single parent in Bolivia has meant a radical change in Sandra’s life. > Read now A man hugs his granddaughter A…, Raising the next generation, “I don’t know yet if I am a good mother, I only know I love my daughter.” Sandra, mother of Nathaly In the northern outskirts of La Paz in Bolivia, many women face the challenge of raising children on their own in an environment marked by economic hardships and patriarchal traditions. For Sandra, who studies law in the morning and designs shawls…, Rebuilding a family, A man hugs his granddaughter. When a devastating earthquake hit Türkiye on 6 February 2023, 10-year-old Sidra and her family's life was changed forever. As Sidra navigates life after the disaster and the death of her father and sister, her grandfather Hassan has stepped in as a pillar of strength and support. A young girls sitting alongside her…, A safe place, A family of three - parents and their son in the middle. In the face of their own mental health challenges, Eleanor, a journalist, and Robin, a major crimes detective, always knew parenting wouldn't be easy. Eleanor, diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, has been living with these conditions since childhood.…, The power of parenting, Every child deserves to grow up in a loving, nurturing and safe environment. But providing nurturing care takes time and resources – things that many parents and caregivers don’t have.  UNICEF believes every parent and caregiver should receive the support they need to give their children the best possible start in life. Caregivers who receive the…

‘Children displaced in a changing climate: Preparing for a future already underway’ analyses the most common weather-related hazards that lead to the largest number of displacements: floods, storms, droughts and wildfires. Millions of children are being driven from their homes by weather- related events, exacerbated by climate change. While the…, South Sudan. A girl holds up her books to keep them out of the floodwater on her way home from school. UNICEF/UN0548063/Grarup, Floods, The 10 countries with the most child displacements triggered by floods, including coastal flooding and flash floods from 2016 to 2021 were: Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Philippines. A child stands by her destroyed home following Typhoon Rolly. UNICEF/UN0358916/Saldico, Storms, The 10 countries with the most child displacements triggered by storms, including tropical storms, tornadoes, blizzards and sandstorms from 2016 to 2021 were: Bangladesh, China, Cuba, Honduras, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Philippines, the United States and Viet Nam Angola. Children and animals are pictured sharing water from a pond in Cunene…, Drought, Droughts are different from most other hazards in that they develop slowly, sometimes even over years, and their onset is generally difficult to detect. The 10 countries with the most child displacements triggered by droughts from 2017 to 2021 were: Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Burundi, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Madagascar, Somalia and South Sudan., Wildfires, Wildfires can be triggered by lightning or human actions. The 10 countries with the most child displacements triggered by wildfires from 2016 to 2021 were: Australia, Canada, China, France, Greece, Israel, Spain, Syria, Türkiye and the United States. October 2023, CHILDREN DISPLACEDIN A CHANGING CLIMATEpreparing for a future already underway CHILDREN DISPLACED IN A CHANGING CLIMATE 2 AcknowledgementsThis United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) publication was developed jointly by UNICEFs Programme Division; Division of Data and Analytics, Planning and Monitoring; and Division of Global Communication and…

Pregnancy is a special time full of excitement and anticipation, but a positive COVID test can cause fear, anxiety and uncertainty. Read our expert tips on how to keep yourself and your baby safe., Jump to:, Understanding my risk How to protect myself If I have COVID-19 will I pass it to my baby? I have COVID-19. Can I safely breastfeed my baby? Getting the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant Getting the COVID-19 vaccine while breastfeeding COVID-19 vaccines and fertility, I'm pregnant. Am I at higher risk from COVID-19?, Pregnant women do not seem to be at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. However, you are at higher risk of serious illness if you get COVID-19 while pregnant. You are also at higher risk of delivering your baby prematurely if you get COVID-19. That’s why it’s important that you – and the people around you – take precautions to protect against…, What should I do to protect myself from COVID-19 while pregnant?, Pregnant women should take the same precautions to avoid COVID-19 infection as other people. To help protect yourself and people around you: Make sure you are up-to-date on your COVID-19 vaccine doses, including booster doses, as recommended to you by your health authority. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub., If I have COVID-19 will I pass it to my baby?, Transmission of the virus while your baby is in the womb or during birth is possible, but very rare. Most babies won't develop COVID-19 disease, and those who develop symptoms tend to recover quickly.  The best thing you can do is to take all necessary precautions to prevent yourself from contracting COVID-19. If you’re pregnant or have just given…, I have COVID-19. Can I safely breastfeed my baby?, Yes. Transmission of active COVID-19 (virus that can cause infection) through breast milk and breastfeeding has not been detected to date, so there is no reason to stop or avoid breastfeeding. The benefits of skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding substantially outweigh the potential risks of transmission and illness associated with COVID-19. If…, Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine if I’m pregnant?, Yes, you can get vaccinated if you are pregnant. Although the overall risk of severe illness from COVID-19 remains low, pregnancy puts you at higher risk of severe illness compared to people who are not pregnant. You are also at higher risk of delivering your baby prematurely if you contract COVID-19.Many people around the world have been…, Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine if I’m breastfeeding?, Yes, the COVID-19 vaccine is very safe and there is no risk to the mother or baby. None of the current COVID-19 vaccines have live virus in them, so there is no risk of you transmitting COVID-19 to your baby through your breastmilk from the vaccine. In fact, the antibodies that you have after vaccination may go through the breast milk and help…, I plan to have a child. Can COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility?, No, you may have seen false claims on social media, but there is no evidence that any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines, can affect fertility in women or men. You should get vaccinated if you are currently trying to become pregnant.

NEW YORK, 14 July 2023 – At least 289 children are estimated to have died or disappeared this year attempting to cross the perilous Central Mediterranean Sea migration route from North Africa to Europe, according to UNICEF. This equates to nearly eleven children dying or disappearing every week as they search for safety, peace and better…

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

Vaccines save lives – about 4.4 million each year. But vaccines do more than just save lives, they give children the opportunity to grow up healthy and reach their full potential – an opportunity that these fathers are making sure to secure for their children. Maksym, pictured above, holds his seven-month-old son Oleksandr at a clinic in Kyiv,…

ATHENS/GENEVA/ROME, 15 June 2023 – “UNICEF is deeply saddened and shaken by multiple reports of up to a hundred children being among those trapped in the hold of a ship which capsized and sank off the coast of Greece yesterday, in the Mediterranean’s largest sea tragedy in recent years.   “We can assume that many of these children will have lost…

NEW YORK, 14 June 2023 – By the end of 2022, a record 43.3 million children lived in forced displacement, according to UNICEF estimates, many of them for their entire childhood. The number of children forcibly displaced from their homes doubled in the last decade, outpacing efforts to include and protect refugee and internally displaced children.…

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,…