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UNICEF’s Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan 2023-2030 guides communities, governments and global leaders to work together to prioritize children’s needs. By 2030, UNICEF with partners, aspires to reach 500 million children in 100 countries with integrated climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction solutions, including 30…, Our commitments, UNICEF endorses the COP28 Relief, Recovery and Peace Declaration and has pledged the following commitments, Climate and disaster financing for children, To address the ever-widening finance gap for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction, UNICEF launched the Today & Tomorrow Initiative, the world’s first integrated climate and disaster risk finance solution for children. Today & Tomorrow combines climate resilience and risk prevention programmes “today” with an innovative use of…, Early warning systems and child-responsive preparedness, Child-responsive early warning systems are essential for protecting the most vulnerable members of society when disasters strike. Yet, half of countries globally are not protected by early warning systems, with the lowest coverage in Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.   The Secretary General’s Early Warnings for All…, Child-focused climate and disaster risk analysis, Risk information is required to develop strategies and programmes that help build climate-resilient services for children, including preparedness, response and national and subnational recovery efforts. In many countries, there is a lack of disaggregated, timely, geo-referenced, subnational data at high resolution vital for targeted action (…, Conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding programming, Many of the most climate vulnerable countries are also affected by conflict, which undermines state capacity to prevent, mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. It is essential that we ensure support to countries to address conflict and climate risks. UNICEF’s Strategic Plan (2022-2025) elevates peacebuilding as a priority and aims to…, About the Declaration, The Climate Relief, Recovery, and Peace Declaration is a voluntary commitment to increase climate adaptation efforts and access to finance for communities and countries threatened or affected by fragility or conflict, or facing high humanitarian needs and insecurity; to strengthen knowledge and programmatic solutions for climate action in such…

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…

Children are the most vulnerable during and after any disaster. Approximately one billion children worldwide are at extremely high risk due to climate impacts, including climate-related disasters. When disaster strikes, children get cut off from schooling, nutrition and health care. They can lose critical social services and protection, while…, Every child resilient, Children and young people are more than victims of disasters. They have an active role to play in reducing risk, in collaboration with governments and humanitarians. They bring critical skills, individual experiences and ideas for solutions.  Integrating child-specific interventions into disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change policies –…, UNICEF’s response, The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030 ) outlines clear targets and priorities to prevent and reduce disaster risks. Building the resilience of children and young people is vital to meet these targets and those of other global agreements. UNICEF's DRR approach is part of the https://www.unicef.org/documents/liveable-planet-…, Ensuring child-critical services are more inclusive, and resilient to and prepared for disasters, UNICEF integrates disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation activities into essential services for children. We do so by bringing resources, advocacy and technical expertise into our collaborations with governments and other partners – and most importantly, with children and young people themselves.   We are a leading agency in…, Engaging children through education, preparedness and resilience programmes, Children are already playing an active role in reducing disaster and climate risk by developing risk assessments, early warning systems, community-based actions, school evacuation protocols and recovery plans. They also stand as advocates, raising awareness through social media and in-person campaigns. UNICEF supports children and young people to…, Committing funds and resources to prepare and protect all children from disasters and climate impacts, UNICEF builds government and partner capacities, provides technical expertise for safe schools and health-care facilities, and secures investments for the rapid recovery of child-critical services after a disaster. We invest in specific, localized data collection and share our technical expertise to shape and influence policies for children.…, Resources, Publisher Title UNICEF Every child prepared, engaged, safe and resilient UNICEF UNICEF DRR in Action: Every country protected; every child resilient UNICEF UNICEF environment and climate change efforts UNICEF Strengthening shock responsive social protection systems UNICEF Guidance for risk-informed programming (GRIP) UNICEF Risk-informed education…

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…

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…

As 2019 draws to a close, UNICEF editors sorted through this year's photography archive and selected some of the most moving, striking and inspiring images from its work with children around the world. This collection is a mere fraction of the countless moments and issues that shaped this year, across the more than 190 countries and territories in…

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…

The evidence is clear: Early childhood development must be a global and national priority. Governments already have pledged to achieve the early childhood development targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But they need to back up this pledge with action and place early childhood development at the top of their economic and political…, UNICEF calls for governments and partners to:, 1. Invest urgently in services that give young children, especially the most deprived, the best start in life. Increasing the overall share of budgetary allocations for early childhood development programming is a critical step governments can and should take. For example, allocating 10 per cent of all national education budgets to pre-primary…