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GENEVA/NEW YORK, 18 April 2024 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF welcome the news that a new oral cholera vaccine (OCV), Euvichol-S, has now received WHO prequalification and can be made available to countries around the world. The prequalification of this new product will help EuBiologics, the manufacturer, produce more volumes of vaccine,…

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 5 April 2024 – The arrival of rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits for cholera in Malawi today signals the start of a global programme that will see more than 1.2 million tests distributed to 14 countries at high risk for cholera over the next several months. Countries that will receive kits in the coming weeks in this largest-ever…

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 20 March 2024 – Immediate action is needed to stem an unprecedented multi-year upsurge in cholera cases worldwide, according to the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision. Actions include investing in access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, testing and detecting outbreaks quickly, improving quality of…

The climate crisis is not just changing the planet, it is changing children. It is affecting children everywhere – their lives, their communities and their health. Children's bodies and minds are uniquely vulnerable to pollution, deadly diseases and extreme weather, and they are disproportionately affected by the impacts of disasters,…, UNICEF at COP28, The COP28 Climate Conference is a critical point in the fight against the climate crisis, and the fight for children’s rights and wellbeing. World leaders and the international community must ensure child rights are prominent within the key outcomes of COP28, so that the needs of children are respected, promoted and considered in all aspects of…, COP28: Outcomes and highlights, Closing statement by UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden Launch of Green Rising: Pathways for youth action by 2025 UNICEF's commitments to Relief, Recovery and Peace Joint statement by Group of Friends of Children and the SDG Powered by Curator.io Follow  @ UNICEF  for the latest updates. Learn about  UNICEF's on the ground…, UNICEF x Youth x Climate, Working together on the decisions that matter most Young people have the right to be heard on climate change. UNICEF builds communities for youth activists and connects young people to global opportunities in over 190 countries. How much do young people know about climate change? UNICEF and Gallup surveyed youth aged 15+ years in 55 countries. We…, More voices of youth, Water and climate change, Climate change is felt through water – whether too much, too little or too polluted Every region of the world, including high-income countries, faces challenges related to water scarcity or lack of access to clean water. With climate change, the problem is projected to get much worse over the coming decades., UNICEF calls for urgent climate action, We are bearing witness to the ways in which children's health and communities are already being altered in a climate-changed world. Children need to be at the centre of the global response. UNICEF calls on Parties to: Protect the lives, health and well-being of children and the resilience of their communities by adapting essential social services…, Roadmap resources, Children need urgent action on climate change UNICEF's strategy at a glance Sustainability and climate change action plan Child-sensitive climate policies for every child

Some achievements 2022 Emergency response: The HOPE platform was used to deliver cash transfers to over 200,000 vulnerable households with children in Ukraine. Digital health: UNICEF developed U-Test, a mobile health innovation using AI and designed to reach high-risk adolescents and youth for HIV prevention in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria…

After years of steady decline, cholera has made a devastating comeback. A deadly combination of climate change, underinvestment in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, and in some cases armed conflict, has put over 1.1 billion people at risk, with children under five particularly vulnerable. UNICEF has established a Global Cholera…

Cholera doesn't know borders. Despite being preventable and easily treatable, children continue to suffer from the potentially fatal disease. After years of steady decline, cholera has made a devastating comeback. More than 1.1 billion people are at risk, with children under 5 especially vulnerable. The intestinal infection often spreads because…, What is cholera?  , Cholera is an intestinal infection. It’s caused by ingestion of food or water that’s contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.  Researchers conservatively estimate that every year, there are as many as 4 million cholera cases globally and as many as 143,000 deaths. Young children, especially those under the age of 5, bear the brunt of the…, What makes a country cholera-endemic? , A cholera-endemic area is where cases have been detected during the past 3 years, and there’s evidence that it was caused by local transmission, rather than being imported from elsewhere. Meanwhile, a cholera outbreak (epidemic) can occur in countries where cholera does not regularly occur or in endemic countries.  Children in the village of Hatla…, How does cholera spread? , Cholera disproportionately affects the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities. A lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities is closely linked to an increased likelihood of cholera transmission. That means that children who are living in urban slums and camps for internally displaced people or refugees are particularly…, If a child is infected with cholera, what are the symptoms?  , Most children infected with cholera will have no or mild symptoms, and through the use of oral rehydration solution, they can be successfully treated. But if left untreated, the disease can kill within hours. Severe cases of cholera require rapid treatment with intravenous fluids and antibiotics.   After ingesting contaminated food or water, it…, How is cholera treated?  , If infected with cholera, most children can be treated successfully through the quick administration of oral rehydration solution (ORS), which is a mixture of salt and sugar. UNICEF and the World Health Organization distribute sachets of this solution that need to be dissolved in clean water.   From 2000 to 2019, the total annual number of deaths…, What can be done to prevent the spread of cholera?  , A multifaceted approach is key to controlling cholera and reducing deaths. First and foremost, ensuring that every child has access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation is essential. It’s also important that children in communities at risk have access to the WHO pre-qualified oral cholera vaccines.  Furthermore, community engagement…, Are there vaccines available to prevent cholera?  , There are currently three World Health Organization pre-qualified oral cholera vaccines: Dukoral, Shanchol and Euvichol-Plus. In order to be fully protected, all of these vaccines require two doses. The International Coordinating Group (ICG), which UNICEF is a member of, manages the global stockpile of oral cholera vaccines. The group has…, Where in the world are we seeing cholera outbreaks?  , In recent years, we’ve seen a surge in the number of cholera outbreaks globally. 30 countries faced cholera outbreaks in 2022 – an alarming 145 per cent average increase from the previous five-year average. Countries like Lebanon and Syria reported cholera for the first time in decades. Meanwhile, an outbreak in Haiti in 2022 had a significant…, How is UNICEF responding to these cholera outbeaks?  , UNICEF has stepped up efforts to respond to cholera outbreaks in coordination with national authorities and partners. That includes widely distributing millions of water treatment tablets to ensure families in impacted communities have access to safe water.   We also supply local health departments with oral rehydration salt sachets and zinc, in…, Are we close to eliminating cholera? , Through the successful adoption of prevention measures and increased access to cholera treatment methods, including oral rehydration salt and zinc, we’re closer than ever to ensuring that no child dies from this preventable disease.   In 2021, UNICEF distributed over 93 million zinc tablets and more than 30 million oral rehydration salt sachets…

Man poses for photo in front of blue screen. © UNICEF/UN0802184/McIlwaine João Pedro Azevedo, Chief Statistician and Deputy Director, Division of Data, Analysis, Planning and Monitoring Full credit must be given. João Pedro Azevedo  is UNICEF's first Chief Statistician, appointed in February 2023 at UNICEF Headquarters to lead the organization's…, Resources for the press, Media contacts See UNICEF's range media contacts, available as communications resources for press colleagues. Press centre Browse our extensive resources for journalists and media, showcasing UNICEF's efforts around the world. Experts Talk to our leading experts, available for commentary on child health, nutrition, protection, water, sanitation,…, More UNICEF to explore

The UNICEF ICT Division’s 2021 Annual Report highlights a year of major achievements including:   ​​​​840,000 online meetings hosted Over 50 country offices transitioned to the cloud 11,000 new pledges generated in Colombia, and 50% more in India, despite the pandemic, thanks to a new digital fundraising platform And over 4,000 working hours saved…, Key Results July 2022, 2021Annual Report UNICEFInformation and Communication Technology Division IC TD Cover photo: UN0452197/Marie Joseph Beguel Inside photo credits: UNICEF, unless otherwise indicated. Published by UNICEF, 2022Writing, editing, design and layout: Green Ink, United Kingdom (www.greenink.co.uk). United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)July 2022 https://…

Lead is a highly poisonous element that is responsible for nearly 1.5 per cent of annual global deaths – almost as many deaths as from HIV and AIDS, and more than from malaria. Nearly a third of the world’s children – up to 800 million children – are affected by lead poisoning. Lead affects a child’s developing brain, causing decreased…, 1.    Lead is everywhere, Children can be exposed to lead in various places. It can be found in many consumer products, like water pipes, paint, food cans, spices, cosmetics and traditional medicines. Harder-to-see sources include air, water, food, toys and even the mud children play in. Lead is also used in industries such as mining and battery recycling. Unborn children…, 2.    Lead exposure is hard to detect, One challenge in detecting childhood lead poisoning is that it is hard to observe and recognize. At low to moderate levels of exposure, there are typically no symptoms or physical signs apparent to a clinician. At moderate to high levels of exposure, children may complain of a variety of non-specific symptoms, such as headaches, insomnia,…, 3.    Lead affects children more than adults, The potential negative effects of lead are far greater for children than for adults. A child’s brain grows fastest during the early years of childhood, when thousands of neural connections are made every second. Lead exposure can substantially interfere with this complex, important and delicate process. Infants and young children absorb about 4-5…, 4.    Lead impacts growth outcomes, Lead exposure can create learning disabilities and challenges that affect children’s executive functioning, impulse control and levels of aggression. These conditions are often irreversible and, studies find, may impact the likelihood of learning and behavioral difficulties, violence, and crime in adulthood. On a broader scale, all of these…, 5.    Even a little means a lot, Lead is a potent neurotoxin that, even with low-level exposure, is associated with a reduction in IQ scores, shortened attention spans and potentially violent and even criminal behaviour later in life. Children under the age of 5 are at the greatest risk of suffering lifelong neurological, cognitive and physical damage, and even death, from lead…, 6.     Poorer children are at greater risk, It is often the poorest children who are the most severely affected by lead exposure. This is because they are likely to live in areas where exposure risks are higher, such as in places where informal lead-acid battery recycling and smelting operations are more common, near hazardous waste recycling facilities, or in homes that still contain lead…, 7.     Prevention is the best cure, Unfortunately, there is no known safe level of lead exposure, and lead poisoning is difficult to cure. Once lead has been in the body for a prolonged period of time, it is very difficult to remove, as it is frequently deposited in bones and teeth. By this point, much of the neurodevelopmental damage has already been done. , Childhood lead poisoning needs an urgent international response, The potential negative effects of lead poisoning can create irreversible damage for children. With prevention as the only effective way to stop the damage caused by lead poisoning, we must act now. Pure Earth, Clarios Foundation and UNICEF launched the Protecting Every Child’s Potential (PECP) initiative in October 2020. PECP recognizes that…

WHAT: An on-the-record pre-embargoed press briefing on UNICEF’s latest in the Report Card Series, Worlds of Influence: Understanding what shapes child well-being in rich countries. The report ranks EU and OECD countries in a league table according to child well-being including their mental and physical health and academic and social skill set. The…

UNICEF seeks to prevent and respond to violence, exploitation and abuse of children everywhere