Unicef

Sick kids wait months for Israeli permission to leave Gaza for treatment

The 12-year-old Palestinian boy was lying in a hospital bed in central Gaza, wracked with leukemia, malnourished and whimpering in pain despite the morphine doctors were giving him, when Rosalia Bollen, a UNICEF official, said she saw him in late October. Islam al-Rayahen's family had asked Israeli authorities six times over the past months for permission to evacuate him from Gaza for a desperately needed stem cell transplant, Bollen said. Six times, the request was refused for unexplained security reasons, she said. Islam died three days after she saw him, Bollen said. Thousands of patients in Gaza are waiting for Israeli permission for urgently needed medical evacuation from Gaza for treatment of war wounds or chronic diseases they can't get after the destruction of much of the territory's health care system by Israel's 15-month military campaign. Among them are at least 2,500 children who UNICEF says must be transported immediately. They cannot afford to wait. These children wi

Over 2,400 children killed or injured in 1,000 days of Ukraine war: UNICEF

UNICEF further said that the attacks have severely disrupted water, heating and electricity services. Between March 22 and August 31 this year, attacks on energy infrastructure across Ukraine

Unicef issues tender to secure mpox vaccines for most-affected countries

The emergency tender is designed not only to secure immediate access to mpox vaccines but also to expand production

UAE signs agreement with UNICEF to aid humanitarian efforts in Sudan

The agreement allocates $ 6million for UNICEF's operations in Sudan and $ 1million for its activities in South Sudan

UNICEF lauds MP CM's efforts to promote menstrual health among adolescents

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) India unit has praised Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's initiatives for promoting menstrual health among adolescents in the state. A post on the UNICEF India's X account on Saturday night said Rs 57.18 crore has been transferred into the accounts of 19 lakh school-going girls in Madhya Pradesh as part of a cash transfer scheme. "We appreciate Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr Mohan Yadav's initiative to promote menstrual health among adolescents," it said. "UNICEF India is working with the Government of India and stakeholders to promote school hygiene and menstrual health awareness," it added. According to officials, Yadav transferred a collective sum of Rs 57.18 crore to the accounts of 19 lakh girl students under the 'Samagra Shiksha' programme for sanitation and hygiene during an event organised in state capital Bhopal on August 11. Under the sanitation and hygiene scheme, funds have been transfer

Extreme heat endangering children in West, Central Africa, says UNICEF

Children in West and Central Africa are increasingly exposed to extreme heat, which further endangers their health, according to a new report by UNICEF. The frequency of heatwaves in the region has more than quadrupled since the 1960s, according to the report published on Wednesday. West Africa experienced an unprecedented heat wave earlier this year that led to a surge in deaths. One hospital in Mali reported 102 deaths in the first four days of April, compared to 130 deaths in the entire month of April last year. It's unknown how many of the fatalities were due to the extreme weather as such data cannot be made public under the regulations imposed by the country's military rulers. The extreme heat is creating health concerns for children and pregnant women as it is linked to higher chances of stillbirths, low birth weight and preterm births, according to the report. Exposure to high levels of heat also leaves children more vulnerable to developing chronic diseases and contracting

500 mn children see twice as many hot days as their grandparents: UNICEF

Children in West and Central Africa face the highest exposure to extremely hot days and the most significant increase over time, according to UNICEF

Health ministry trashes Unicef's report on high 'zero dose children'

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday said media reports stating that India has a high number of 'zero dose children', who did not receive any vaccine, in comparison to other countries based on UNICEF report depicts an incomplete picture of the country's immunization data. The ministry said they do not factor in the population base and immunization coverage of the countries compared. The accurate and complete narrative of the immunization efforts of the government can be gauged through comprehensive understanding of the relative data and programmatic interventions, the ministry added. The percentage coverage for all antigens in India is higher than the global average. In India, for most of the antigens, the coverage is more than 90 per cent, which is at par with other high-income countries such as New Zealand (DTP-1 93 per cent), Germany and Finland (DPT-3 91 per cent), Sweden (MCV-1 93 per cent), Luxembourg (MCV-2 90 per cent), Ireland (PCV-3 83 per cent), United Kingdom of Great

Population of country not considered in the latest WHO-Unicef data

India's population, which is many times more than several nations, has not been taken into account while comparing children's vaccination data with 19 other countries in the latest WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunisation coverage (WUENIC), official sources have said. They asserted that India is steadfast in its commitment to reduce the number of zero-dose children. "Even though India has the second highest (number of) zero-dose children in the world, it accounts for 0.11 per cent of the country's total population," Union health ministry sources said on Tuesday. The sources were reacting to the WUENIC data released on Monday which stated that India had the second highest number of children, nearly 16 lakh, who did not receive any vaccine in 2023, just after Nigeria with 21 lakh zero-dose children. "The comparison is flawed as the base population has not been taken into consideration," a source said. The WUENIC data showed that India's rank improved from 2021 when the coun

1.6 million children unvaccinated in India; Afghanistan and Pak rank better

Persistent socio-economic barriers and geographical disparities hinder immunisation efforts, with significant impact on global health

Haiti PM hospitalised days after being selected to lead nation: Official

Haiti's newly selected prime minister, Garry Conille, was hospitalised late Saturday in the capital of Port-au-Prince just days after arriving in the country, an official told The Associated Press. It wasn't immediately known why Conille was hospitalised. Louis Grald Gilles, a member of the transitional presidential council that recently chose Conille as leader of the troubled Caribbean country, said he was en route to the hospital and did not have further information. A spokesman for Conille did not immediately return a message for comment. AP journalists observed high-ranking officials entering the hospital, including Frantz Elb, director of Haiti's National Police. Also present was Bruno Maes, UNICEF's representative in Haiti. They both declined comment. A handful of curious onlookers gathered outside the hospital as authorities blocked the street with tinted-glass SUVs. Conille was chosen as prime minister May 28 after a convoluted selection process. He faces an arduous task

Unicef India appoints actor Kareena Kapoor Khan as National Ambassador

UNICEF India on Saturday announced Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan as its new National Ambassador. The "Crew" star, who has been associated with UNICEF India since 2014, will support the not-for-profit organisation in furthering every child's right to early childhood development, health, education and gender equality, a press release said. Kareena had earlier served as a Celebrity Advocate for UNICEF India. There are few things as important as the rights of children, the future generation of this world. I am honoured to continue my association with UNICEF now as India's National Ambassador," the 43-year-old actor said in a statement. "I will strive to use my voice and influence for vulnerable children and their rights, especially around early childhood, education and gender equality. For every child deserves a childhood, a fair chance, a future," she added. Besides Kareena, UNICEF India has also appointed its first-ever Youth Advocates, who are peer leaders and champions on iss

23.7 million people need humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan: UNICEF

According to UNICEF, only 35 per cent of the required $1.4 billion in aid for children in Afghanistan has been secured.

India does better for its children, improves their chance of survival

Overall life expectancy has declined compared to 10 years ago though

IVI commences tech transfer of oral cholera vaccine to Biological E

The tech transfer will be completed by 2025 and the vaccine will be manufactured for India and international markets by Biological E

100K Afghan children in dire need of support after earthquakes, says UNICEF

Almost 100,000 children in Afghanistan are in dire need of support, three months after earthquakes devastated the country's west, the UN children's agency said Monday. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook Herat province on Oct. 7 and a second strong quake struck the same province days later, on Oct. 11, killing more than 1,000 people. The majority of those dead in the quakes in Zinda Jan and Injil districts were women and children, and 21,000 homes were destroyed, UNICEF said in a statement. The atmosphere in these villages is thick with suffering even 100 days after the earthquakes in western Afghanistan when families lost absolutely everything," said Fran Equiza, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan. "Children are still trying to cope with the loss and trauma. Schools and health centers, which children depend upon, are damaged beyond repair, or destroyed completely, he added. As if this was not enough, winter has taken hold and temperatures hover below freezing," Equiza said. "Childr

Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis deepens amid economic downturn: UNICEF

The report highlights that the economic downturn has led to an increased demand for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan

'2/3rd child-related SDGs off-track, India's progress to impact hugely'

Two-thirds of child-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are off-track globally and India's progress will be crucial in achieving them, UNICEF chief Catherine M. Russell has said. In an interview to PTI, Russell said India's population and scale make its potential for progress particularly significant on the global stage. "When India starts to make progress on some of these things, it can change so quickly and have such a huge impact on the rest of the world," the UNICEF executive director said. On a question on the SDGs, she said globally they are way off-track. "We estimate that two-thirds of the SDGs that relate to children are not where they need to be. The truth is that globally SDGs are way off-track," she said. The SDGs are a set of 17 interconnected global objectives established by the United Nations in 2015 to address a wide range of social, economic and environmental challenges facing the world. These goals, often referred to as the Global Goals, are designed to

India looked upon as leader in child, gender-responsive budgeting: Unicef

UNICEF India representative Cynthia McCaffrey has said the country is being looked upon as a leader in child and gender-responsive budgeting, especially in South Asia. She hailed India and Madhya Pradesh for making great progress in making plans and budgets child-responsive. "Child responsive budgeting is a strategy to integrate national and state development plans and budgets with child rights commitments. India today is looked upon as a leader in child and gender-responsive budgeting, especially in South Asia, McCaffrey said. She was addressing the inaugural conference on evidence-based social and economic development here organized by Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis (AIGGPA), Government of Madhya Pradesh, in partnership with UN agencies on Tuesday, an official said. "On behalf of UNICEF, I would like to commend the Madhya Pradesh government under the leadership of Chief Minister (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) and AIGGPA for convening this important

SAP Labs India's Sindhu Gangadharan appointed as Nasscom vice-chairperson

Earlier this year, Gangadharan was appointed as chairperson of the Nasscom GCC Council for the financial year 2023 to 2025