Latin America and the Caribbean

Nurse preparing a vaccine UNICEF/U.S. CDC/UNI408803/Hiller Whenever Dynnhyfer de Souza helps to protect the health of a child, it has a profound impact on her. “I get emotional when people line up to be vaccinated by me,” says the nursing technician who lives in the Brazilian city of Baturité, Ceará. “They say I have a light hand, which is very…, On average, across different routine vaccines, Brazil is bouncing back and recovering, The situation in Brazil reflects some of the trends that we’re seeing globally when it comes to making sure that children are protected from potentially deadly diseases with the routine immunizations they need to live healthy lives.   New data from UNICEF and WHO reveals that after the largest sustained decline in routine immunization in a…, Reaching children in the city that’s the gateway to the Amazon rainforest, The latest global data reveals that during 2022 there were some positive trends, including a 2.5 million reduction in the number of zero-dose children worldwide. A zero-dose child is one that has not received a single dose of a diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccine. But the reality is that about one in five children are still zero-dose or under-…, Hard-to-reach riverside communities in Abaetetuba are getting access to essential health care services, The Active Vaccination Search initiative has also been operating in the municipality of Abaetetuba, in northern Brazil, which is formed by 72 islands.  A ferry boat full of passengers on the river. UN0846719, The team is carrying out a 16-day mission serving the medical and vaccination needs of people living in riverine communities., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/ UN0846719/Hiller Community Health Agent Dene Maria Rodrigues André, a resident of the community of Caripetuba River, arrives by boat at the Basic River Health Unit to support the vaccination of the population in Abaetetuba, Pará state, Brazil. UN0846706, The region is made up of 72 islands and is among the four municipalities UNICEF Brazil is carrying out the pilot programme., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/UN0846706/Hiller nurse holding up a sleeve of syringes UN0846672, To provide healthcare to the riverside populations in Abaetetuba, the municipality has a Basic River Health Unit, which visits each community. Nursing Technician Rosimary Bailão da Costa inspects a sleeve of syringes onboard the Basic River Health Unit., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/UN0846672/Hiller Three health workers carrying cooler boxes with vaccines. UN0846708, Community members receive vaccines and have access to doctors, dentists, and nurses every two months, when the Basic River Health Unit health workers visit., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/ UN0846708/Hiller Community health workers traveling by boat to reach families. UN0846680, Through this project, a significant amount of focus is placed on locating children under 5 years of age who are either behind on their vaccination schedule or are zero-dose. Here, Community Health Agent Dene Maria Rodrigues André (second row, right) accompanies the Pinheiro family from their home to the Basic River Health Unit barge for…, UNICEF/U.S. CDC/ UN0846680/Hiller A young girl receives a vaccination in her arm. UN0846695, Deisiane Pinheiro, 8, receives a vaccine on the Basic River Health Unit barge in the community of Caripetuba River in Abaetetuba., UNICEF/U.S. CDC/UN0846695/Hiller A ferry boat full of passengers on the river. Community Health Agent Dene Maria Rodrigues André, a resident of the community of Caripetuba River, arrives by boat at the Basic River Health Unit to support the vaccination of the population in Abaetetuba, Pará state, Brazil. nurse holding up a sleeve of syringes Three…, Childhood immunization is starting to recover and this is what needs to happen next, A young girl looks down at her arm while receiving a vaccination. Rosinaldo, 6, is held by her mother, Ivana Rodrigues Cordeiro, while being vaccinated by Nursing Technician Rosimary Bailão da Costa during a vaccination clinic in the community of Caripetuba River in Abaetetuba, Pará state, Brazil. Immunization initiatives like the Active…

BRASÍLIA, 8 May 2024 - Ensuring the protection of children is a priority for UNICEF amidst the heavy rains and floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, since last week. In this emergency scenario, UNICEF is organizing technical assistance actions with the Federal and State Governments, especially from Social Assistance, Civil Defense, and Human Rights…

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti –“It used to be very calm in my neighbourhood,” says 9-year-old Jean* as he recalls how life used to be in the Savane Pistache area of the capital, Port-au-Prince. “I could go to school. I could visit the doctor when I was sick. I could play with my friends. And I could eat as much as I wanted.” “But everything changed…

WASHINGTON, D.C., 19 April 2024 – Finance ministers from across Latin America and the Caribbean convened today in Washington, D.C., to discuss mobilizing US$372 billion over the next five years to combat the region's water and sanitation crisis. The meeting, which gathered close to 100 ministers and development partners, was hosted by the Inter-…

Humanitarian Action is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate to realize the rights of every child. This edition of  Humanitarian Action for Children  – UNICEF’s annual humanitarian fundraising appeal – describes the ongoing crises affecting children on the move in South America, and and other crisis-affected communities; the strategies that we are using…, Appeal highlights, South America and some countries in the Caribbean face overlapping emergencies, including migration , violence and climate change. These have compounded people's existing exclusion and vulnerability, leaving 17.2 million people, including 5.5 million children needing humanitarian assistance. UNICEF will continue to reach refugee and migrant…, Key planned targets, Health icon 590,210 children and women accessing primary health care Child protection icon 280,129 children/caregivers accessing community-based mental health and psychosocial support Education icon 193,689 children accessing formal or non-formal education, including early learning Wash icon 286,533 people accessing a sufficient quantity and…, Funding requirements for 2024, Country needs and strategy, Humanitarian needs Humanitarian needs, South America and some countries in the Caribbean faces multiple crises that are political, social, economic and meteorological and environmental in nature. Increasing migration movements, violence, climate change, growing insecurity due to organized crime and an increase in energy and food prices – prompted by the war in Ukraine – will continue…, UNICEF's strategy UNICEF’s strategy, In 2024, UNICEF has planned actions in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay, places where most of the population in need is located and where the humanitarian needs are the highest. UNICEF will respond to each country context by bridging life-…, Programme targets, Find out more about UNICEF's work, December 2023, 2024 www.unicef.org/appeals/children-on-the-move-venezuela HumanitarianAction for Children Children on the Move in South America, and crisis-affected communitiesHIGHLIGHTS South America and some countries in the Caribbean face overlapping emergencies, including migration, violence and climate change. These have compounded people's existing…

Humanitarian Action is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate to realize the rights of every child. This edition of  Humanitarian Action for Children  – UNICEF’s annual humanitarian fundraising appeal – describes the ongoing crises affecting children in Latin America and the Caribbean; the strategies that we are using to respond to these situations; and…, Latin America and the Caribbean remains the second most disaster-prone region in the world, with growing numbers of people affected by such disasters as storms or floods. Between the year 2000 and 2022, 190 million people were hit by disasters in the region, with an average of 8.6 million people affected each year. The combination of extreme…, Key statistics, Health icon 1.9 million children in need of health and nutrition services Child protection icon 2.5 million children in need of protection services Education icon 2.3 million children in need of education support Wash icon 5.9 million people in need of access to safe water earthquake icon 8.4 million people affected by disasters, Funding requirements for 2024, Regional needs and strategy, Humanitarian needs Humanitarian needs, With 190 million people affected by disasters between 2000 and 2022, Latin America and the Caribbean is the second most disaster-prone region in the world. Three out of ten people in the region have been affected by disasters in their communities. Between January 2022 and September 2023, 13.4 million people, including 4 million children, were…, UNICEF's strategy UNICEF’s strategy, UNICEF promotes strategies to address humanitarian needs while building local and regional capacities for emergency preparedness. Guided by the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, during emergencies that may occur in countries or related to crises not covered by other humanitarian appeals in the region, UNICEF will provide timely…, Find out more about UNICEF's work, December 2023, 2024 www.unicef.org/appeals/lac HumanitarianAction for Children Latin America and Caribbean RegionHIGHLIGHTS Latin America and the Caribbean remains the second most disaster-prone region in the world, with growing numbers of people affected by such disasters as storms or floods. Between the year 2000 and 2022, 190 million people were hit by…

PANAMA CITY, 20 November 2023 – Most child-related Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators are off-pace to meet their targets by the 2030 deadline in Latin America and Caribbean, UNICEF warned on World Children’s Day. At the current pace, the region will not achieve 58 per cent of the indicator targets related to children’s rights and well-…

Political turmoil, civil unrest and increasing armed violence, crippling poverty and natural disasters: A deadly combination of threats continues to jeopardize the survival, safety and well-being of Haiti’s children. Half of the population in Haiti needs humanitarian assistance, including nearly 3 million children. But half of those in need of…, Supporting nutrition services, Haiti. A healthcare worker measures the upper arm circumference of a child at a UNICEF-supported clinic treating malnutrition in Port-au-Prince. A healthcare worker measures the upper arm circumference of a child at a UNICEF-supported clinic treating malnutrition in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Hunger and life-threatening malnutrition are at record…, Delivering health supplies, Haiti. A child receives a vaccine as part of a cholera vaccination campaign carried out in Mirebalais. A child receives a cholera vaccine, as part of the vaccination campaign, in Mirebalais, Haiti. In October 2022, Haiti declared a resurgence in cholera after more than three years without a single reported case. Malnutrition and cholera are a…, Promoting safe learning environments, Haiti. A boy opens a bag containing school supplies. A boy opens a bag containing school supplies in Morency, Haiti. Education is under attack in Haiti. Acts of armed violence against schools and school children, including shooting, ransacking, looting and kidnappings, have increased dramatically as rising insecurity and widespread unrest begin to…, Providing psychosocial support, Haiti. Families gather at a site for displaced persons in Tabarre Families gather at a site for displaced persons in Tabarre, Haiti. Kidnappings, burned houses, killings and displacement – children’s lives are under constant threat from increasing armed violence, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince. The looming threats of violence –…, Assisting with disaster recovery and preparedness, Haiti. Children play in the rubble of homes destroyed in the 2021 earthquake in Les Cayes Children play in the rubble of homes destroyed in the 2021 earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti. Two years since a powerful earthquake struck southwestern Haiti in August 2021 earthquake – causing more than 2,200 deaths, destroyed tens of thousands of homes, and…

NEW YORK, 23 October 2023 – “Excellencies, colleagues, "Thank you to Ambassador França Danese for hosting this briefing during Brazil’s Security Council presidency, and for inviting me to update you on the dire humanitarian and child rights crisis in Haiti. "Today, I am speaking both as UNICEF Executive Director, and as the designated Principal…

PANAMA/NEW YORK, 7 September 2023 - Children are migrating through Latin America and the Caribbean in record numbers and now account for a larger share of the migrant population than other regions in the world, according to a UNICEF child alert issued today. Record numbers of children are on the move via three major migration routes in Latin…

"Good morning. "Today, I have the distinct privilege of unveiling the latest UNICEF Child Alert report, focusing on the evolving migration patterns of children and families in Latin America and the Caribbean. "The purpose of our gathering is twofold: to highlight these critical findings and to underscore the urgency of the situation we are facing…

BRASILIA/NEW YORK, 31 August 2023 -   UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell concluded today a four-day visit to Brazil to highlight the plight of children and adolescents in the country impacted by poverty and climate change. “Prioritizing children and their well-being must be a top priority for the Government and the private sector in…