Global

RIYADH, 28 APRIL 2024 - Today, at the first-ever World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Meeting hosted in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has pledged US $500 million over the next five years to support the work of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). This announcement marks a significant increase in funding for the global effort to…

Child hunger and malnutrition are violations of children’s rights. They are also significant contributors to mortality, causing an estimated 45 per cent of all deaths in children under 5 years of age. Despite reduction in global child mortality and malnutrition, just under 5 million children still die every year, mostly due to preventable causes…

Think of a person. Not someone you know. Someone you’ve never met. Picture them on the other side of the world, somewhere you’ve never been.  You share one of humanity’s greatest achievements: immunization. Because like you, they’ve had their childhood vaccines.  In the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved 154 million lives. That’s 6 people…, UNICEF’s call to action, Vaccines are one of the most effective and cost-efficient public health interventions that exist. But they can’t save lives unless we invest in them. It’s time for governments to re-commit to vaccines. We call on donor countries to financially invest in vaccines. 2024 is a crucial fundraising year if we want to maintain the progress that has been…, Impact and stories, About the campaign, Un jeune garçon sourit en montrant le haut de son bras pour indiquer qu'il est vacciné. Des lignes et des cercles roses colorés sont illustrés en arrière-plan. Humanly Possible is a joint campaign of UNICEF, WHO, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and many other partners and advocates. We’re beginning this global…

Despite significant advancements in reducing global child mortality and malnutrition, a substantial number of children still die due to preventable causes, including undernutrition. Maternal and child nutrition programmes have been instrumental in avoiding child mortality, yet they often grapple with insufficient resources, limiting their…

This brief guidance describes 'transformative' WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and how it can strengthen efforts to improve child survival, nutrition, and development in early childhood. It presents the latest developments and good practices in applying transformative WASH through joint programming to contribute to better child nutrition and…

Since 1988, the number of children affected by polio has reduced by 99 per cent. While the end of polio is within reach, immunization efforts can easily be derailed by the rapid spread of vaccine misinformation, putting vulnerable children at risk.  Take for example Pakistan, one of just two countries where polio remains endemic, where fake videos…, The polio ‘listening post’, “Social listening is like a disease surveillance system, but instead of the virus, we track and analyze polio misinformation. Using cutting-edge digital media and tools we collect and analyze publicly available data on polio and vaccines across social media, digital media, broadcast news and print media platforms,” says Adnan Shahzad, the Digital…, Clear and accurate messaging, “What we say must be accurate and easy to understand for everyone,” says Soterine Tsanga, Polio Outbreak Response SBC specialist with UNICEF, who is also involved in the roll out of DCE to countries. “When there’s a polio outbreak, our goal is to respond swiftly to reach children with vaccination and stop further spread of the virus. We cannot…, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A photo of a mother holding her baby paired with text stating that vaccinations are the best way to fight polio. Polio vaccination messaging - Digital Community Engagement, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF Graphic showing a smiling child next to text accurate messaging on polio Digital Community Engagement social media graphic - Polio paralysis, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A graphic shows a young girl in a yellow shit next to positive messaging on polio. Digital Community Engagement social media graphic - Polio WHO, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A polio awareness graphic showing facts, cartoon droplets, and a photo of a young child. Polio vaccination social campaign content. UNICEF, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A green cut-out style graphic showing a photo of a child receiving a vaccination alongside accurate information about vaccine safety. Polio vaccine information social graphic DCE, UNICEF., Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A graphic shows a photo of a child next to text that states the benefits of vaccination. A photo of a mother holding her baby paired with text stating that vaccinations are the best way to fight polio. Graphic showing a smiling child next to text accurate messaging on polio A graphic shows a young girl in a yellow shit next to positive…, Digital volunteers quash rumours, Mariama, a digital social mobilizer in Dakar, looks at her phone and laptop screens. Mariama, a 20 years old digital social mobilizer working with UNICEF in Dakar, shares polio information, tracks misinformation, and responds to questions about polio. A big part of UNICEF’s social behaviour change work for polio eradication involves engaging local…, Local outreach and digital engagement, Digital Community Engagement enables countries to bridge the gap between their on-the-groundwork and digital communities, while fostering trust in childhood immunization. Pakistan’s polio eradication programme has managed several misinformation crises. In October 2022, a Facebook post falsely claimed that a child had died after receiving the polio…, More opportunities ahead, While there has been tremendous progress in getting the social listening and misinformation alert systems up and running, there is always more to do. DCE is now focused on strengthening local misinformation response teams while continuing to engage online communities through digital volunteers.  For Gulzar Ahmed Khan, a 28-year-old polio social…

BRUSSELS, 11 October 2023 – Today, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a new financing partnership to address critical global health opportunities: eradicating polio and ensuring that innovations in health are more accessible to the people who need them most. The World Health…

NEW YORK, 11 October 2023 – "Good afternoon, it is good to be with you for this exciting announcement. "Polio eradication is finally within reach, thanks to the tremendous generosity of our partners and their support for the heroic efforts of health workers and community influencers in communities around the world.   "But the progress we have made…

It started one summer evening late in 2021 in Ngwenya, an area on the outskirts of Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital. A then 3-year-old little girl complained to her grandmother, who is her caregiver, that her right hand and arm were feeling hot and making her feel uncomfortable. Her grandmother did her best to comfort the child overnight and took her to…

Shalu Vishal Kale and her family live under an overpass in the bustling community of Bandra, in Mumbai. She sells flowers at traffic stops, earning about $5 USD a day.  Shyam Vishal Kale , 2, is seen with Lovely, his cousin. These children, along with their families, came to Mumbai to earn a living. Shyam Vishal Kale , 2, with Lovely, his cousin,…

There was a time when Halima would have set the dog on any polio worker who arrived at her door with vaccines for her grandchildren. But Saima Gul was not any polio worker. For two years, Saima visited Halima’s home in Gujro, on the outskirts of Karachi. She brought medicines and mosquito nets as gifts. She spoke to Halima in Pashto, the language…

One stillbirth happens every 16 seconds. That’s about 2 million babies stillborn every year. What makes these deaths even more tragic is that the majority could have been prevented through quality care during pregnancy and at birth. Stillbirths are happening with alarming frequency in many countries. And while some progress has been made in…, Key facts about stillbirths, Since 2000, an estimated 53 million babies have been stillborn  Stillbirth is a huge burden globally, with 1 in 72 births ending in stillbirth Most stillbirths, about 8 in 10, occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia Over 40 per cent of stillbirths occur during labour The majority of stillbirths can be prevented through quality care during…, What is a stillbirth?, A stillbirth is defined as a baby born with no signs of life after a given threshold, usually related to the gestational age (period of time between conception and birth) or weight of the baby. As stillbirths are reported in different ways across countries, the UN stillbirth estimates in this article refer to “late gestation fetal deaths” as…, What are the main causes of stillbirths?, Commonly reported causes of stillbirth include complications during childbirth, haemorrhage before childbirth (including placental abruption), infections and maternal conditions, and pregnancy complications with fetal growth restriction as a common underlying cause. A mother’s health is also linked to causes of stillbirth. An estimated 10 per cent…, Why do so many women have stillbirths during labour?, Over 40 per cent of stillbirths occur during labour. Common causes of stillbirths that occur during labour are hypoxia (oxygen deprivation), placental obstruction and other delivery and labour related complications. Many of these can be avoided if key interventions, such as assisted vaginal delivery, skilled birth attendants or emergency C-…, Where do most stillbirths happen?, In 2021, about half of all stillbirths occurred in six countries: India, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Bangladesh, in order of burden (highest to lowest).  On average, the risk of a stillbirth is more than seven times higher in low-income countries (21 stillbirths per 1,000 total births) than in high-income…, Why is there so much stigma around stillbirths?, In some cultures, stillbirths are perceived as the mother’s fault, resulting in public shaming or individual feelings of guilt or shame that prevent public mourning of their loss. The lack of opportunity to publicly grieve can cause stillbirths to be considered “non-events”. Such social taboos, stigmas and misconceptions often silence families or…, What are the psychological impacts of stillbirths on mothers and families?, Women and their partners who experience stillbirth have higher rates of depression, anxiety and other psychological symptoms that may be long lasting. For many women, losing their child and the subsequent care they receive will impact their approach to life and death, self-esteem and even their own identity. Many women who experience a stillbirth…, What needs to be done to reduce stillbirths?, Improved health systems and high-quality antenatal and delivery care are critical to ending preventable stillbirths. This means access to functional health facilities with adequate medicine and equipment, electricity, running water, soap and blankets, and the availability of round-the-clock referral systems every day of the week. Adequate numbers…, What is UNICEF doing to reduce stillbirths?, Every day UNICEF is working around the world to make affordable, quality health care a reality for every mother and baby. In 2019, there were more than 27 million safe births in UNICEF-supported health facilities. UNICEF and partners are calling for a renewed commitment to end preventable stillbirths by 2030 as outlined in the Every Newborn Action…