Global

UNICEF works to safeguard the rights of children, women and their communities before, during and after public health emergencies. A long-term vision for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (PHE-PR) is set out in a new UNICEF White Paper, “Putting the Best Interest of Children, Women and their Communities at the Center of Public…

The financing for Early Childhood Education (ECE) is quite low. While countries are investing in early years’ education, the contributions are relatively small, inconsistent, and unsustainable. Investment in early years has a far-reaching impact as it contributes towards the child’s development, readiness for primary schooling and is a key…

Despite the transformative role preprimary education can play in addressing gender inequalities and challenging common gender norms and stereotypes while they are being acquired by the youngest learners, boys and girls continue to have different classroom experiences. Gender biases and stereotypes are frequently reproduced in teacher-student…

  Data Must Speak is a multi-country initiative that provides technical assistance to country governments to implement projects that unlock the potential of data within education systems and facilitate knowledge generation. The Data Must Speak Practical Implementation Guide for Community Engagement and Social Accountability helps define Data Must…

Community engagement and social accountability are crucial to remove barriers to achieving quality education for all, including access to education and retention. These guidelines help show how to address social and behavioural barriers and how to enhance community engagement and social accountability in education through social and behaviour…

As countries make decisions to reopen schools, there are unique considerations related to opening early childhood education (ECE) settings, in order to ensure holistic approaches to nurturing care and learning for young children. Reopening ECE settings can provide children with much-needed emotional support and learning opportunities, and it…

Communication for Development (C4D) is one of the core change strategies that contribute directly to the achievement of results within each of the goal areas of the UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2018–2021. By identifying and addressing social norms, behaviours and practices, C4D strengthens programming and improves outcomes for children and adolescents.…, Communication for Development (C4D) is an evidence-based and participatory process that facilitates the engagement of children, families, communities, the public and decision makers in both development and humanitarian contexts through a mix of available communication platforms and tools. UNICEF promotes and applies C4D to drive positive…, Results, The most typical and also the most powerful way to work towards fulfilling children’s rights is in partnership – with governments, other United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), communities and families. Just as UNICEF does not stand alone, neither does Communication for Development.   Results stem from the collaboration of…, Two of the many important tools in the C4D toolbox, Screenshot of UNICEF's U-Report website UNICEF/2020 U-Report U-Report is a platform accessible by phone and computer which engages users via alerts, surveys and one-on-one chats. It is designed to address multiple issues affecting children, young people and communities by directly providing life-saving or changing information to them in a timely…, Generating demand for, and use of, services, Demand generation is the process of creating a need, or belief in the need, for a product or service among a particular target audience. C4D strategies stimulate or accelerate demand for services in a number of ways, including reducing stigma, developing gender-sensitive communication, and mass mobilization. Three girls in a refugee camp holding…, Adoption of key parenting and family practices, While children and their caregivers must demand, have access to and use services for their well-being, essential healthy and protective caregiving and family practices are equally important. These practices are not dependent on services, but have an almost exclusive behavioural component. Evidence has shown that these are critical to child…, Promoting positive parenting, Fostering fathers’ participation, particularly from the antenatal phase through early childhood, is an important area of work for UNICEF. More than half of children aged between 3 and 4 years old in 74 countries have fathers who do not play or engage in early learning activities with them (55 per cent, approximately 40 million). Social norms,…, Abandonment of harmful social norms or adoption of positive ones, By reinforcing positive norms that protect children, or encouraging the abandonment of social norms that condone or facilitate negative behaviours, C4D activities encourage parents, families and societies to change both behaviours and perceptions of what is socially acceptable, as well as encouraging agency in identifying and demanding related…, Promoting Positive Gender Socialization, In Egypt, girls face gender disparities and a high prevalence of harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). In 2019, UNICEF supported the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood to design and implement the first national girls’ empowerment initiative, “Dawwie” (meaning “loud voice with an impact”).  A group of girls standing…, Engaging and empowering communities, adolescents and children, C4D strategies seek to engage and empower communities and young people, particularly the most marginalized, to enable them as agents of change in both development and humanitarian contexts. This includes efforts to systematize mechanisms for engagement to improve their health and well-being, to hold service providers and policymakers to account…, Strategic partnerships with faith leaders to facilitate community engagement, UNICEF has led a scaling up of the Faith and Positive Change for Children (FPCC) Global Initiative on Social and Behaviour Change. In the Niger, one of the five early adopters of FPCC, the commitment of communities, religious and traditional leaders have been essential to reducing and eliminating traditional practices that constitute violence…, System strengthening and regional efforts to effect change at scale, Under the guidance of regional offices, initiatives are carried out to generate multi-country behavioural evidence and to provide technical support for the development of conceptual frameworks, strategies and guidance. The following provide examples of results from three regions; examples from the other regions and at the global level can be found…, Looking forward, The outbreak of COVID-19 was first reported at the end of 2019, and had become a pandemic by early March 2020. At the time of writing, it has become clear that the global crisis will have a significant and severe impact on children. Basic services from health to education have been disrupted, and the wider socioeconomic impacts are yet to be…, Communication for Development (C4D)Advancing positive social and behaviour change Global Annual Results Reports 2019 SUPPLEMENT TO THE Cover image: UNICEF/UN0212225/Noorani A mother and father hold their newborn in a recovery room at UNICEF supported Al Quseya Central Hospital, Assuit governorate, Egypt. C4D initiatives in Egypt encourage…

The Sustainable Development Goals highlight the critical importance of pre-primary education and set the broad ambition that by 2030 all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education. Today, the world is facing a learning crisis: While millions of…

The learning crisis the world is facing today has its roots in children’s earliest years, when failure to invest in quality early childhood education results in children starting school not ready to learn and succeed. Millions of children are entering education systems already behind in a host of critical skills they need to succeed in primary…

Education systems are complex. Getting all children in school and learning requires alignment across families, educators and decision makers. It requires shared goals, and national policies that put learning at the centre. It also requires data collection and regular monitoring to help policymakers identify what’s working, who’s benefiting, and…, Innovation in education, Innovation in education is about more than new technology. It’s about solving a real problem in a fresh, simple way to promote equity and improve learning. Innovation in education comes in many forms. Programmes, services, processes, products and partnerships can all enhance education outcomes in innovative ways – like customized games on solar-…, UNICEF’s work to strengthen education systems, UNICEF works with communities, schools and Governments to build strong, innovative education systems that enhance learning for all children. We support data collection and analysis to help Governments assess progress across a range of outcomes and strengthen national Education Management Information Systems. We also develop comprehensive…, More from UNICEF, Resources, Education Sector Analysis Guidelines: Volume 1 ( English , French , Spanish , Portuguese and Russian ) These guidelines support ministries of education and their partners in undergoing sector analysis and developing education sector plans. Education Sector Analysis Guidelines: Volume 2 ( English , French , Spanish , Portuguese and Russian ) These…

There are an estimated 240 million children with disabilities worldwide. Like all children, children with disabilities have ambitions and dreams for their futures. Like all children, they need quality education to develop their skills and realize their full potential. Yet, children with disabilities are often overlooked in policymaking, limiting…, Getting all children in school and learning, Inclusive education is the most effective way to give all children a fair chance to go to school, learn and develop the skills they need to thrive. Inclusive education means all children in the same classrooms, in the same schools. It means real learning opportunities for groups who have traditionally been excluded – not only children with…, UNICEF’s work to promote inclusive education, To close the education gap for children with disabilities, UNICEF supports government efforts to foster and monitor inclusive education systems. Our work focuses on four key areas: Advocacy: UNICEF promotes inclusive education in discussions, high-level events and other forms of outreach geared towards policymakers and the general public.…, More from UNICEF, Resources, Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All This report draws on national studies to examine why millions of children continue to be denied the fundamental right to primary education. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopts a broad categorization of persons with…

Investing in girls’ education transforms communities, countries and the entire world. Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. They earn higher incomes, participate in the decisions that most affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families. Girls’…, When we invest in girls’ secondary education, The lifetime earnings of girls dramatically increase National growth rates rise Child marriage rates decline Child mortality rates fall Maternal mortality rates fall Child stunting drops, Why are girls out of school?, Despite evidence demonstrating how central girls’ education is to development, gender disparities in education persist. Around the world, 129 million girls are out of school, including 32 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age, and 67 million of upper-secondary school age. In countries affected by conflict, girls…, Gender equality in education, Gender-equitable education systems empower girls and boys and promote the development of life skills – like self-management, communication, negotiation and critical thinking – that young people need to succeed. They close skills gaps that perpetuate pay gaps, and build prosperity for entire countries. Gender-equitable education systems can…, UNICEF’s work to promote girls’ education, UNICEF works with communities, Governments and partners to remove barriers to girls’ education and promote gender equality in education – even in the most challenging settings. Because investing in girls’ secondary education is one of the most transformative development strategies, we prioritize efforts that enable all girls to complete secondary…, More from UNICEF, Resources, Advancing Girls' Education and Gender Equality through Digital Learning Advancing Girls' Education and Gender Equality through Digital Learning This brief note highlights how UNICEF will advance inclusive and transformative digital technology to enhance girls’ learning and skills development for work and life. Reimagining girls' education…