Poverty

Political turmoil, civil unrest, violence, crippling poverty and natural disasters: This deadly combination is jeopardizing the well-being and future of Haiti’s children. More than 3 million children – the highest number on record in Haiti – require humanitarian support.   Despite the insecure and volatile environment, UNICEF is working with…, Recent news and features, What’s happening in Haiti?, Even before the current crisis, Haiti was the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, having experienced decades of inadequate basic services and a lack of human capital development, combined with extremely high inequality, marginalization and social exclusion.   These challenges have been compounded by the proliferation of armed groups who are…, Haiti crisis snapshot, How is the crisis affecting children in Haiti?, A woman looks up to the side while cradling her baby in her arms. Children and families are enduring relentless waves of brutal violence perpetrated by armed groups. Each day brings new horrors, the loss of loved ones, homes destroyed, and an ever-present shadow of fear. Children are being killed or injured on their way to school, while women and…, How is UNICEF helping children in Haiti?, A boy smiling brightly sticks his hand into a black school bag with the UNICEF logo that he is holding in his lap. Despite the highly volatile environment, UNICEF is stepping up efforts to protect families and provide life-saving support, including for those who are trapped and cut off from essential services. Together with the Government and…, Donate to support UNICEF’s work for Haiti’s children

At the start of 2024, we stand at a critical juncture: Geopolitical tensions are escalating, economic integration is unravelling, and multilateral cooperation is faltering. This global fragmentation threatens to undermine decades of progress made for children worldwide. The choices we make today – whether to continue on this path or whether we…

FLORENCE/NEW YORK, 6 December 2023 – Some of the world’s richest countries experienced sharp rises in child poverty between 2014 and 2021, according to data published today by UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight.  Report Card 18: Child Poverty in the Midst of Wealth – the latest in the series looking at children’s well-being…

I'm from Argentina, a country that has had many economic problems for as long as I can remember. According to a UNICEF Argentina study, two out of every three children in Argentina are poor or deprived of basic rights, which means there is many people living in low-income neighborhoods who cannot cope with heat waves or floods. Clearly, the…

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON D.C., 13 September 2023 – An estimated 333 million children globally – or 1 in 6 – live in extreme poverty, according to new UNICEF-World Bank analysis released today. Global Trends in Child Monetary Poverty According to International Poverty Lines – which for the first time looks at trends in extreme child poverty – finds that…

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…

BEIRUT, June 20, 2023 – Families in Lebanon are barely able to meet their most basic needs despite cutting down drastically on expenses according to a new survey by UNICEF. A growing number of families are having to resort to sending their children – some as young as six years old - to work in a desperate effort to survive the socio-economic…

UNICEF’s Position Paper on Leveraging Nutrition and Social Protection Programming to address Malnutrition and Poverty, including in Fragile and Humanitarian Contexts describes the rationale for purposively integrating nutrition and social protection programmes. It explains why a collaborative response matters for children and women. The Position…

Ending child poverty: A policy agenda

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 17 October 2022 – The war in Ukraine and rising inflation have driven an additional four million children across eastern Europe and Central Asia into poverty, a 19 per cent increase since 2021, according to a new UNICEF study published today. The impact of the war in Ukraine and subsequent economic downturn on child poverty in…

For more than 15 years UNICEF has been at the forefront of measuring, monitoring, and addressing child poverty. This document provides an overview of UNICEF's role and commitment to ending child poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It outlines UNICEF's key areas of expertise in child poverty alongside country examples covering…

Seventy-four years after UNICEF was established and 31 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the organization’s mission to promote the full attainment of the rights of all children is as urgent as ever.  The UNICEF Strategic Plan 2018-2021 is anchored in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and charts a course…, Icon representing poverty - child with an empty bowl GARR-icon-child-poverty-blue Icon representing poverty - child with an empty bowl GARR-icon-child-poverty-blue 1 in 6 children in the world is living in extreme poverty Icon representing 2 year old girl GARR-icon-2-year-old-girl-blue Icon representing 2 year old girl GARR-icon-2-year-old-girl-…, portrait-girl Public finance for children, Icon representing partnerships - two people shaking hands GARR-icon-partnerships-blue Icon representing partnerships - two people shaking hands GARR-icon-partnerships-blue In 137 UNICEF country offices as part of the COVID-19 response, UNICEF worked with governments, development partners and International Financial Institutions to protect and…, portrait-girl Strengthening social protection systems, Icon representing children - boy and girl holding hands GARR-icon-children-blue Icon representing children - boy and girl holding hands GARR-icon-children-blue Only 1 in 4 children currently has any access to a child or family benefit Nearly 133 million children in 95 countries were reached through UNICEF-supported cash transfer programmes 115…, girls-football-match Promoting positive gender norms and socialization, 94 UNICEF Country Programmes across all regions included concrete gender equality objectives 64 UNICEF Country Offices  carried out interventions to confront gender discriminatory roles and norms and promote positive gender socialization 3 million mothers, fathers and caregivers were reached across 94 countries  To promote positive gender norms…, big-sister-carry-younger-sister Supporting children with disabilities to reach their full potential, Icon representing children with disabilities - child in a wheelchair GARR-icon-children-with-disabilities-blue Icon representing children with disabilities - child in a wheelchair GARR-icon-children-with-disabilities-blue 4.8 million children with disabilities across 148 countries reached with UNICEF disability-inclusive development and…, young-women-outside Supporting adolescents to engage in shaping their future, Adolescent Participation and Civic Engagement Icon representing civic engagement - adolescent boy and girl GARR-icon-civic-engagement-initiatives-blue Icon representing civic engagement - adolescent boy and girl GARR-icon-civic-engagement-initiatives-blue 19,500,000 adolescents (54 per cent girls) engaged in UNICEF programmes across 125 countries…, girl-hugging-globe Looking forward, Looking ahead, UNICEF is sharpening the focus of this Goal Area with a focus on reducing child poverty, revamping and reaffirming our focus on public finance for an inclusive recovery, and expanding access to inclusive social protection, including in humanitarian crises and fragile contexts. Strengthening social protection systems’ capacities to…,    With thanks, This report highlights the achievements made possible by the generous contributions of softly earmarked thematic funding received from various partners. UNICEF would like to express it's sincere appreciation for these contribution, Read more and support our work, June 2022, Global Annual Results Report 2021 GOAL AREA 5 Every child has an equitable chance in life Cover image: UNICEF/UNI388995/Mussapp As part of the response to COVID-19, UNICEF and the World Bank supported the Government of Guatemala with the design and implementation of Bono Familia, an unconditional emergency cash transfer programme to support the…