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The UN Legal Identity Agenda (UNLIA) advocates for a holistic and lifecycle-oriented approach, wherein a new legal identity is incorporated into the identity system upon birth registration and is subsequently retired from the system upon the individual’s death following death registration. This case study reports on six countries - Bangladesh,…

Despite recent initiatives to better link social protection interventions and civil registration, significant gaps still exist in social protection coverage and birth registration rates, particularly among the most vulnerable and marginalized populations including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and those at risk of statelessness.…

World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s annual day of action for children, by children, marking the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children’s rights are human rights. But in too many places today, children’s rights are under attack. On World Children’s Day we make space for children and young people to raise their voices on the…, #ForEveryChild, Every Right!, For every child, peace animation For every child, peace Every child, everywhere, has a right to live in a peaceful world. For every child, a livable planet animation For every child, a livable planet  Children have a right to a safe and livable planet. For every child, a voice animation For every child, a voice  Children must be listened to and…, #WorldChildrensDay around the world, Children work on a hand-painted canvas during an event marking World Children’s Day in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. UNICEF/UNI478111/Sujan In 2023, World Children's Day was an opportunity to recognize children as rights holders, to acknowledge the progress that has been made for and with children, and to demand action to…, Learn more about child rights, Hear from UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, “ Children live in a world that is increasingly hostile to their rights .” Read the child-friendly version of the Convention on the Rights of the Child . Explore resources for parents and teachers on child rights. Watch “We All Have Rights” a video explaining child rights to children aged 3 to…

In 2022, UNICEF scaled up child protection prevention and response programming to address the most significant risk and protective factors across the humanitarian–development–peace nexus. This included strengthening family and parenting support to prevent violence in the home; expanding our work to address online child sexual exploitation and…

With the climate crisis here and accelerating, every child on every continent is facing more frequent, severe,  and destructive climate hazards including air pollution, water scarcity, heatwaves, vector-borne disease, cyclones, and river and coastal flooding. There is a brief window of time to avoid the very worst of the climate crisis, and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how inequality affects the rights of every child. Children and young people are raising their voices on the issues that matter to their generation and calling for adults to create a better future. This World Children’s Day, children and young people were joined by stars and leaders to reimagine a better world., A celebration of children's rights and a powerful reminder to listen to young people, View this post on Instagram A post shared by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobbybrown)   32 years ago, world leaders made a promise to children: we will keep you safe, help you learn, and uphold your right to speak and be heard. This #WorldChildrensDay , and every day, UNICEF works to help fulfill that promise #ForEveryChild . pic.twitter.com/…, To the top in Burundi, It’s World Children’s Day! UNICEF’s global day of action for children, by children. And today, we go blue To celebrate the rights of every child Anywhere Everywhere #ForEveryChild pic.twitter.com/JnGU28ApYZ — UNICEF Bhutan (@UNICEFBhutan) November 20, 2021   After showcasing their artwork at our #WorldChildrensDay event on Tuesday last week, the…, No barriers in Costa Rica, Inspiration through music, "Be brave, be carefree to pursue whatever your heart desires to be." 🎶 This #WorldChildrensDay , UNICEF China National Ambassador Roy Wang empowers children and young people to be themselves and shape their own futures. pic.twitter.com/uykObyQ9jF — UNICEF (@UNICEF) November 21, 2021   Reem has simple dreams😶‍🌫️🌟 On #WorldChildrensDay , children…, #KidsTakeOver, "Playing the role of the editor-in-chief, I’ve learned so many things about how publishing the news works that I never could have imagined before as a child journalist”, says Rupkatha Rahman who took over the @ProthomAlo editor-in-chief role for this #WorldChildrensDay ! 👏📰 pic.twitter.com/MbFjSB0pME — UNICEF Bangladesh (@UNICEFBD) November 20,…, Young people speaking out and taking action, From bridging the digital divide in education to fighting climate change to championing LGBTQI+ rights and social justice. This #WorldChildrensDay , meet our 2021 Youth Advocates — thought leaders with diverse goals. @voicesofyouth — UNICEF (@UNICEF) November 20, 2021   Ahmad, 15 from #Syria , wanted to bring children and parents closer together.…, Ireland: How a positive climate future for every child can be achieved, Farmer and climate activist Liadh Dalton, 15, meets Taoiseach Micheal Martin., Children, young people and presidents, A bridge brings together children and presidents from Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe > Learn more The bird's eye view when Kazungula went blue on Saturday. Beforehand, Heads of State from Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe pledged to work together to improve the lives of children in the region. #WorldChildrensDay #GoBlueKazungula…, Rijad, 17, takes over the Kosovan presidency, *Under UNSC resolution 1244, Turning the world blue for child rights, Going blue on #WorldChildrensDay represents our mandate to stand for the rights of every child wherever he lives. This year as children are impacted by #NagornoKarabakh conflict & COVID-19 it is not a celebration but a resolve towards reimagining a better world #foreverychild pic.twitter.com/l51KGUIW4k — UNICEF Armenia (@unicefarmenia)…, Friends of UNICEF celebrate World Children's Day, It's #WorldChildrensDay ! A day we remind everyone about the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. A day to focus on the most pressing issues facing children. Here is a message from our Regional Ambassador, @siwonchoi 💙 pic.twitter.com/HHyon1tIUu — UNICEF East Asia Pacific (@UNICEF_EAPRO) November 20, 2021   "We want to live." It’…

The climate crisis is a child rights crisis. It is a direct threat to a child’s ability to survive, grow and thrive. Children and young people are the least responsible for climate change yet will bear the greatest burden of its impacts. Therefore, it is critical that national climate policies that set forth the priorities for climate response in…

As the impacts of climate change intensify with each passing year, more and more young people are joining the movement for positive change. By leading the discussion around climate change, they are also spreading awareness and motivating others to take action. UNICEF partnered with Fridays For Future , an organization founded by Greta Thunberg, to…, María, Mexico, Since childhood, María, 19, has seen the impacts of the climate crisis up close, especially the water crisis that runs throughout Mexico. While droughts and rising temperatures are causing forest fires, cyclones are causing flooding and harvests to be lost. To fight this, she became a full-time climate activist. She believes that the issue of…, Russell, Dominica, Russell Raymond, 17, is a reporter from the Caribbean nation of Dominica. When Hurricane Maria made landfall in September 2017, it devastated his country, submerging streets, blowing roofs off homes and schools and forcing his family to seek shelter. Since then, he has used photography to chronicle the impacts of the hurricane on the island he…, Mitzi, Philippines, Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Mitzi Jonelle Tan, an activist from Manila, has been campaigning for climate justice. As the Philippines was hit by two back-to-back hurricanes in 2020, her organization sprang into action – feeding the communities left hungry and asking them about their problems and how they felt after the storm. “This isn’t just…, Nkosi, Zimbabwe, Nkosilathi Nyathi, 17, is a UNICEF climate activist from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. He walks us through changes he has witnessed first-hand as a result of climate change. He feels that although young people can see and feel the effects of climate change, many don’t know what’s happening and he wants to change that. “There’s no other time for acting…

Goal Area 3 aims to ensure that every girl and boy is protected from violence and exploitation in keeping with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and supports the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goals 5, 8 and 16. Two years into implementation of the UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2018–2021, Goal…, The year 2019 commemorated the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and celebrated the progress since that time. The last two decades saw a rise in birth registration levels globally with about 3 in 4 children under age 5 registered today compared to 6 in 10 around 2000. The prevalence of female…, Results, In 2019, UNICEF worked in over 150 countries in its efforts to protect children against violence and exploitation and reached 17 per cent more children who experienced violence with health, social work or justice and law enforcement services, compared to 2018, with a roughly even split between girls and boys. Progress rate by output area -…, Strengthening child protection systems to reduce violence against children, Graphic representing affected population 2.3 million mothers, fathers and caregivers reached through parenting programmes in 79 countries (+10%) Graphic representing violence against children 2.7 million children who have experienced violence reached by services in 115 countries (+17%) "Violence against children (VAC) encompasses all forms of…, Accelerating national progress to reduce all forms of violence, In 2019, UNICEF intensified efforts to scale up evidence-based violence prevention interventions and institutionalize response services to child victims of violence in 141 countries, a 5 per cent increase from the countries reporting in 2018. A panel from the Comic book that won UNICEF's global comic book contest Rizka Comic superhero Cipta to…, Strengthening the social service workforce, There is a moderate yet steady increase in the number of countries reporting progress to strengthen their Social Service Workforce (SSW), increasing from 114 countries reporting in 2017 to 137 countries in 2019. UNICEF stepped up support to governments to institutionalize workforce development, including notably in Afghanistan, Argentina, Bhutan,…, Strengthening information management systems, UNICEF recognizes integrated Information Management Systems (IMS) as a critical component of strengthening child protection systems. UNICEF and partners manage three types of protection-related data: case management, incident monitoring and programme monitoring. These data are interrelated and essential to the success of any child protection…, Child protection in humanitarian action, Child protection in humanitarian action achieved breakthrough results in 2019 on many critical fronts. UNICEF provided protective services to millions of children affected by armed conflict, natural disasters and public health emergencies in 74 humanitarian situations. As a leading voice for children, adolescents, parents and caregivers, UNICEF…, Mental health and psychosocial support, UNICEF took major steps to prioritize Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for children, adolescents, mothers, fathers and caregivers. UNICEF provided more than 3.7 million children and adolescents in 60 humanitarian situations with community-based MHPSS, up 3 per cent compared to 2018. The organization increasingly prioritizes…, Monitoring grave violations, UNICEF engages with United Nations partners to monitor and report grave violations of children’s rights in armed conflict including killing and maiming, recruitment and use, abduction and sexual violence. In 2019, over 25,000 grave violations were verified across 20 countries through the monitoring and reporting mechanism co-chaired by UNICEF.…, Reintegrating children associated with armed forces and armed groups, Reintegration is a long-term process intended to enable children to transition from armed forces and groups to their families and communities. Across 19 countries, UNICEF provided a range of care and services including specialized family tracing, psychosocial support, recreational activities, and economic reintegration, education and life-skills…, Mine action and explosive weapons, Children represent more than half the civilian casualties of landmines and explosive remnants of war, a 12 per cent rise from 2016. To reverse casualty trends and strengthen victim assistance, UNICEF scaled up its mine action programming to 23 countries (from 20 in 2018), including in Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran and Libya in 2019. In all…, Gender-based violence in emergencies, Across 46 countries, UNICEF supported 3.3 million women, girls and boys with Gender- Based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE) response, prevention and risk mitigation activities, reaching over 150 per cent more people than in 2018., Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, Children and women are disproportionately at risk for sexual abuse and exploitation (SEA) in humanitarian settings. In 2019, UNICEF doubled the organization’s protection efforts to reach 32 countries across six regions, up from 16 countries in 2018.   In 2019, 8.9 million children and adults could access a UNICEF-supported SEA reporting channel, a…, Unaccompanied and separated children, In 2019, UNICEF and partners registered around 94,500 unaccompanied and separated children in humanitarian situations across 50 countries. Overall, 58 per cent of unaccompanied and separated children targeted and registered for UNICEF support were reunited with their families or received family-based care or appropriate alternative services.  , Children on the move, UNICEF reached nearly 1.75 million ‘children on the move’ in 61 countries with protective services and supports national authorities to mainstream policy and programming into national child protection systems strengthening frameworks. UNICEF supported 33 countries to end the immigration detention of children in law, policy and practice. UNICEF…, Delivery of protection services to reduce harmful practices, Despite the significant decline in recent years in the prevalence of child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM), the overall numbers remain high. To eliminate harmful practices by 2030 (SDG 5.3), progress needs to be dramatically accelerated. A girl in a girl guides uniform in Malyasia holding a sign saying "let girls be girls, not brides…, Child marriage, In 2019, UNICEF and partners supported 58 countries across all regions to implement rights-based interventions aimed at ending child marriage. While child marriage occurs among both boys and girls, the prevalence is about six times higher among girls. Partnering with boys and men in gender equality is crucial to ending child marriage. Girls’…, Female Genital Mutilation, UNICEF contributed to important successes to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in 21 countries where FGM programmes are being implemented. UNICEF is working towards strengthening interventions such as building girls’ and women’s agency to claim their rights, advancing gender equality by engaging men and boys, improving community…, Promoting access to justice for children, Ma July Moe (2-week) at the lunching ceremony on mobile birth and death registration event at Royal Hintha Hotel, Mawlamyaing. 21.7 million Birth registrations for children between 0 –17 A young man using a sewing machine 278,000 Children have benefited from access to justice interventions in 65 countries Strengthening justice systems for children…, Improving birth registration, The right of a child to be registered and have a legal identity is enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF supported 80 countries – with over half (51 per cent) located in Eastern and Southern Africa and West and Central Africa – to strengthen their civil registration and vital statistics systems (CRVS). The year 2019 saw a…, Children without parental care, The year 2019 was a watershed moment for care reform globally. The landmark United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution on children without parental care provided the unprecedented opportunity to advance the care reform agenda globally, including within the disabilities community. UNICEF supported 106 countries across all regions to drive…, Looking forward, The year 2020 marks the  seventy-forth anniversary of UNICEF; normally an occasion to celebrate all the progress in child rights to date. Instead, the year started with the worst global health crisis the world has encountered in modern history with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.   The devastating socio-economic impacts of the pandemic will…, Global Annual Results Report 2019 GOAL AREA 3 Every child is protected from violence and exploitation Cover image: UNICEF/UNI218101/Htet Ma July Moe (2 weeks) at a launching ceremony on mobile birth and death registration services in Mawlamyine District, Mon State, Myanmar. In 2019, the first ever electronic birth registration took place in Mon…

Society first acknowledges a child’s existence and identity through birth registration.

Every child has the right to a legal identity, but a quarter of children born today do not “officially” exist. These children are deprived of birth certificates – their first legal proof of identity – simply because their parents cannot afford it, cannot reach it, or face some other barrier to learning about and accessing registration services.…, A birth certificate is proof of,   Because children without a birth certificate are unable to prove their age, they are more vulnerable to violence, abuse and exploitation. These girls and boys risk being trafficked, recruited into armed forces, or forced into early marriage or child labour . If they come into contact with the justice system , they may be prosecuted as adults and…, Why aren’t some children being registered at birth?, A number of factors keep children from being registered. Most unregistered children live in poorer households – often in rural areas with limited access to registration services, or in the more than 100 countries without fully functioning civil registration systems. Cost is a significant barrier: Many families cannot afford to travel to…, UNICEF’s response, A 5-year-old girl in Serbia paints in her kindergarten classroom, wide smile across her face, in 2016. In the village of Krasava in Serbia, 5-year-old Dejana Ametovic paints in kindergarten in 2016. Half of the children between 3 and 5 years old in Serbia do not attend kindergarten – many of whom come from vulnerable groups and have not had their…, More from UNICEF, Resources, CRVSID Case Studies Reaching Children with a holistic approach Reaching Children with a Holistic Approach UNICEF Humanitarian Practice: COVID-19 Technical Guidance Birth Registration: UNICEF Data Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are We on Track? Status of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in South Asian Countries Birth…

This note for practitioners provides practical guidance on planning, implementing and monitoring approaches for partnering with men and boys in child marriage programming.