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Inequitable access to nutritious diets, nutrition services and positive nutrition and care practices has compounded global gender inequality, undermining women’s and girls’ ability to live healthy and productive lives. It also has devastating impacts on the survival and future health of their children. Good nutrition is fundamental for the health…

This Large Scale Fortification Guidance Note is to support governments to plan and implement LSFF programmes for the prevention of micronutrient deficiencies in children, women, and communities. Such programming should be implemented as part of a comprehensive approach to address micronutrient deficiencies, alongside other strategies such as…

We are in a learning crisis. To give young people the best chance to succeed, we need to support them holistically. The first step is to identify where children and youth are in building the range of skills they need, monitor progress in their development and ensure no child or young person is left behind. The Recovering Learning report published…

DUBAI, 12 December 2021 – Accenture, Dubai Cares, Microsoft and UNICEF announced today the launch of a global, digital learning platform for young people. Operating under the Generation Unlimited partnership, the Passport to Earning platform aims to address the global education crisis – currently exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic – and prepare…

Women have distinct nutritional requirements throughout their life – especially before and during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, when nutritional vulnerability is greatest. Ensuring women have nutritious diets and adequate services and care is fundamental for the survival and well-being of mothers and their children. Before pregnancy, women…, Resources, Publisher Title UNICEF Undernourished and Overlooked Nutrition Crisis Girls and Women Undernourished and Overlooked: A global nutrition crisis in adolescent girls and women UNICEF Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation: An approach to improving women’s nutrition during pregnancy and preventing low birthweight  UNICEF UNICEF Nutrition Data UNICEF…, UNICEF’s response, A mother, 19 years old, breastfeeds her infant in India, in 2010. A mother, 19 years old, breastfeeds her infant in India, in 2010. Improving women’s diets, access to nutrition services, and nutrition and care practices – before and during pregnancy and while breastfeeding – is critical to preventing malnutrition in all its forms. This is…

After early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence – the period from age 5 to 19 – is a second window of opportunity for growth, psychosocial development, and establishing lifelong dietary and lifestyle habits. Good nutrition during this period fuels growing brains and bodies, and improves school enrolment, educational achievement and…, Resources,     Publisher Title UNICEF A Systems Approach to Improving Children’s Diets A Systems Approach to Improving Children’s Diets UNICEF Shifting the Narrative on Childhood Overweight & Obesity: A new playbook for effective advocacy Shifting the Narrative on Childhood Overweight & Obesity: A new playbook for effective advocacy UNICEF Food…, UNICEF’s response, Kufekisa (18 yrs), Dorcas (17 yrs), Haggar (19 yrs) and Joshua (17 yrs) are all learners at the Nampundwe Secondary School who received education bursaries as part of the UNICEF supported SEEVCA sites in the Shibuyunji District Lusaka. Students at the Nampundwe Secondary School in Zambia, 2020. The prevention of malnutrition in school-age children…

Good nutrition is the bedrock of child survival, growth, and development. Well-nourished children are better able to learn, play and participate in their communities. They are also more resilient in the face of illness and crisis. Since 2000, the world has reduced the proportion of children under 5 suffering from stunting by one third and the…, Resources, Publisher Title UNICEF UNICEF Nutrition Data UNICEF Nutrition Data UNICEF Nutrition, for Every Child: UNICEF Nutrition Strategy 2020–2030 Nutrition, for Every Child: UNICEF Nutrition Strategy, 2020–2030 UNICEF The State of the World’s Children 2023: Children, food and nutrition UNICEF Nutrition, for Every Child: Global Annual Results Report, 2022…, UNICEF’s response, Mothers wait outside Washe Faka Health Post with their children in Mareko Woreda (district) in SNNP Region, one of the drought-affected regions in Ethiopia where UNICEF provides health and nutrition support including ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), therapeutic milks, routine medications and support for community-based management of acute…, Explore areas of our work, child eating Early childhood nutrition, Children need the right foods at the right time to grow and develop to their full potential. The most critical time for good nutrition is during the 1,000-day period from pregnancy until a child’s second birthday. Learn more, Rashid and Majid are friends and eat mixed vegetable soup at Herat Park, a western province of Afghanistan. Nutrition in middle childhood and adolescence, After early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence – the period from age 5 to 19 – is a second window of opportunity for growth, psychosocial development, and establishing lifelong dietary and lifestyle habits. Learn more, Razoeliarinala Tamby, 26, buys food at a market in Ambanitsena, Madagascar, 2019. Maternal nutrition, During pregnancy and breastfeeding, women become particularly vulnerable to malnutrition. Energy and nutrient needs increase at this time, and meeting them is critical to protecting women’s health and that of their child – in the womb and throughout early childhood. Learn more, Fatima, a 10-month-old baby, is screened by doctors and diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition, in the hospital of the Kishim district in the North of Afghanistan. Nutrition and care for children with wasting, Wasting is the most immediate, visible and life-threatening form of malnutrition. It results from the failure to prevent malnutrition among the most vulnerable children. Learn more, Mundene, 21, is screened for malnutrition as she cradles her two-month-old baby Melesech at the Gedebe Health Post in Halaba Special Woreda, Ethiopia, in 2016. Maternal and child nutrition in humanitarian action, Driven by conflict, climate change, epidemics, and disasters, humanitarian crises are leaving millions of children and women malnourished and jeopardizing their survival, growth and development. Learn more, A child holds up plastic bananas during a class at a community pre-school in Sokang Commune, Cambodia, in 2015. Partnerships and governance for nutrition, Countries with poor nutrition governance have weak or limited policies protecting maternal and child nutrition – and few accountability mechanisms. Decision-making may be influenced by political or corporate interests rather than the nutrition needs and rights of children and women. In these settings, the most vulnerable are often least able to…, Happy children in the village of Kpatrakaha, in the region of Korhogo, in the North of Côte d’Ivoire, 2020. Making systems work for nutrition, National governments have the primary responsibility of upholding children’s and women’s rights to nutrition. To do this effectively, they need strong, resilient systems that help prevent all forms of malnutrition and deliver timely treatment and care when prevention falls short. Multiple systems – including food, health, water and sanitation,…, Key planned results for 2025, Nutrition partnerships, UNICEF collaborates with many nutrition partners at global, regional and country levels to scale up nutrition policies, strategies and programmes that accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals Sustainable Development Goals , including Goal 2: to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition. As part of its convening role,…

The UNICEF Nutrition Strategy 2020 – 2030: Nutrition, for Every Child outlines UNICEF’s strategic intent to support national governments and partners in upholding children’s right to nutrition, and ending malnutrition in all its forms over the next decade. Today, at least one in three children is not growing well because of malnutrition. New…

NEW YORK, 15 December 2020 – “The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on children’s education around the globe. Vaccinating teachers is a critical step towards putting it back on track.  “At their peak in late April 2020, nationwide school closures disrupted the learning of almost 90 per cent of students worldwide. While that number has dropped…

When you picture child malnutrition, what do you see? Find out why one in three children isn't growing well

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…