Page 2 - Unicef

14 million children in Sudan in 'dire need' of humanitarian support: UNICEF

Over 1.7 million children in Sudan have been forced out of their homes facing risks of hunger, disease, violence, and family separation

29.2 mn projected to need humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan: UNICEF

Afghanistan's recession has been exacerbated by drought-like conditions, floods, insecurity, harsh winters, political and economic instability, and displacement

UNICEF India head Cynthia McCaffery bats for child-friendly, safe cities

UNICEF India head Cynthia McCaffery has stressed on developing cities that are safe, accessible and friendly for children and youth. Clean air, green spaces and a safe environment benefit not only children but the entire community, McCaffrey said. She participated in the Urban 20 (U20) Mayoral Summit held in Gujarat's Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad cities on July 7 and 8, as part of India's G20 presidency, where discussions were held on the future of cities of the world. "More than 56 per cent of the population currently lives in urban areas. Estimates suggest that 70 per cent of the global population will live in cities by 2050, adding an additional 2.5 billion people to the urban population mostly in Asia and Africa. This means that there will be more than 1.6 billion children living in urban areas by 2050, McCaffery said. Every week, around 1.4 million people move to urban areas worldwide and many of the people will find themselves living in temporary and informal settlements, she ..

UNICEF concerned by Taliban move to bar int'l NGOs from education sector

UNICEF said on Thursday it is deeply concerned by reports of the Taliban pushing out international organizations from Afghanistan's education sector and ordering them to hand over their activities to local nongovernmental groups. It's the latest restriction on NGOs operating in the country after the ban imposed in December on Afghan female staff, allegedly because they weren't wearing the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, correctly and weren't complying with gender segregation in the workplace. In April, the ban was extended to the UN. A WhatsApp voice note, purportedly from a senior education official in Kabul, says all international organisations have a one-month deadline to transfer their education work to local groups. The Education Ministry was not immediately available to verify the voice note, but aid agency officials told The Associated Press they are aware of the message and are taking it seriously. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak t

300 children rescued from Sudanese orphanage after 71 others died: UNICEF

About 300 infants, toddlers and older children have been rescued from an orphanage in Sudan's capital after being trapped there while fighting raged outside, aid officials said on Thursday. The evacuation came after 71 children died from hunger and illness in the facility since mid-April. The tragedy at the Al-Mayqoma orphanage made headlines late last month as fighting raged outside between Sudan's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The deaths have highlighted the heavy toll inflicted on civilians since mid-April when the clashes erupted between forces loyal to Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and RSF forces led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. About 300 children at the Al-Mayqoma orphanage in Khartoum were transferred to a safer location elsewhere in the northeastern African nation, said Ricardo Pires, a spokesman for the UN children's agency, UNICEF. Sudan's ministries of social development and health have taken charge of the children, while UNICEF has provided humanita

India a prime example of successfully growing pharma industry: UNICEF

India is a prime example of successfully growing a domestic pharmaceutical industry capable of meeting global supply needs, a top UNICEF official said. India can share its expertise and learnings from the model it used to foster the pharmaceutical industry with countries and regions trying to build capacities including how to incentivise the private sector, ensure regulatory and quality assurance systems in place and develop a globally competitive industry, Tara L Prasad, Senior Manager, Centre for Health Emergency Strategy and Partnerships at UNICEF, said. She is here to attend the third G20 Health Working Group meeting that is being held from June 4 to 6. "Further, India can share lessons on how to create an enabling environment, including investments in human and physical capital, as well as its learnings in moving beyond generic industry to expanding research and development innovator industry," Prasad said. The G20 more broadly can call upon its industry to ensure manufacturer

Protection systems for disaster mitigation discussed at G20, UNICEF meet

The need for making a social protection system an effective and preferred instrument for disaster risk financing was discussed at an event convened here by the G20 Disaster Risk Resilience Working Group and UNICEF on Wednesday, an official statement said. The discussions also emphasised the need for new-age social protection systems that invest in local risk resilience to mitigate the impact of disasters, it said. The meeting, which began on Wednesday and will go on till May 25, is being attended by delegates from the G20 countries, International Finance Institutions, United Nations agencies, civil society, private sector and community members. Its theme is 'Strengthening Social Protection Systems for Climate and Disaster Risk Management'.

Millions of children at risk as cyclone hits Myanmar, Bangladesh: UNICEF

The trail of destruction left by Cyclone Mocha, which tore through parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar, is causing severe disruption to the lives of millions of vulnerable children, said the UNICEF

Constant decline in maternal, newborn deaths in S Asia: UNICEF official

Maternal and newborn deaths have seen a persistent decline in South Asia amidst their stagnation globally and even an increase in some regions of Latin America in the last five years, a top UNICEF official has said. The decline in maternal mortality in South Asia since 2016 has been driven by good performance in countries like Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Dr Gagan Gupta, Senior Advisor, Maternal and Newborn Health at UNICEF said here on Wednesday. He, however, said the progress on reduction in neonatal mortality needed a greater push in the region. "India has been one of the exemplar countries with a rapid rise in institutional deliveries, rapid scale-up of newborn care units and several policy changes to improve access of mothers and newborns to quality health services," he told PTI. Gupta has been addressing various sessions at the ongoing 'International Maternal Newborn Health Conference' (IMNHC 2023) here. The four-day conference hosted by the South Afri

India among 3 countries where vaccines' importance improved: Unicef

India is one of three countries out of 55 where the perception of the importance of vaccines held firm or improved after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to UNICEF. However, India is home to about 2.7 million of the world's zero-dose children, UNICEF stated. Zero-dose children are those who have not received a single routine vaccine. "Despite the increase in the number of zero-dose children to three million during the pandemic, India was able to arrest the backslide between 2020 and 2021 to bring the number of zero-dose children down to 2.7 million thanks to unwavering political commitment and sustained evidence-based catch-up campaigns initiated by the government, including the fourth Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) and its continued provision of comprehensive Primary Health Care services," said Vivek Virendra Singh, a health specialist at UNICEF. The public perception of the importance of vaccines for children declined during the COVID-19 pandemic in 52 of the 55 countries

Over 10 mn Pakistanis lack safe drinking water after 2022 floods: Unicef

More than 10 million people, including children, still lack access to safe drinking water after the catastrophic floods hit Pakistan from June to October last year, the Unicef said

Poorest learners benefit least from public education funding: UNICEF

Only 16 per cent of public education funding goes to the poorest 20 per cent of learners, while 28 per cent goes to the richest 20 per cent, the UNICEF said in a report

4 mn children living near contaminated floodwater in Pakistan: UNICEF

"Severe acute malnutrition, respiratory and waterborne diseases, coupled with the cold, are putting millions of young lives at risk"

Vocational education must be integrated into higher education institutes

The Ministry of Education organized a one-day Consultation Workshop on Reimagining Vocational Education and Career Guidance for School Students in collaboration with UNICEF and YuWaah at New Delhi

Society should end stereotypes: UNICEF ambassador Priyanka Chopra

Stressing on gender equality, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Tuesday said government schemes are there, but the real need is to change the mindset of people towards girls and women. The UNICEF goodwill ambassador, who was on a two-day visit to the Uttar Pradesh capital since Monday, also described child abuse as a bane of society. "No matter how many schemes you implement, they have done (their job). But real change can come only by changing the mindset of society towards females," she told PTI here. "Our country India has a huge population and the mindset is very old. Until this mindset that girls do not need anything, girls do not have any rights and girls are our property changes, how will a transformation come on a large scale," she asked. The UNICEF goodwill ambassador lauded the Uttar Pradesh government's women helpline number '1090', saying it "can digitally track the victim and provide her help in times of distress". On Monday, she had visited the centre here from where the

Karnataka govt likely to follow Chhattisgarh's model of child care

The team observed the activities being done for the emotional, physical and intellectual development of children at Anganwadi centres

United Nations body says Pakistan floods impacted 16 million children

An estimated 16 million children have been impacted by "super floods" in Pakistan with at least 3.4 million of them needing immediate lifesaving support, the UN has said. The situation is extremely grim in flood-hit areas with malnourished children battling diarrhoea, dengue fever, and several painful skin diseases, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) representative Abdullah Fadil said in a statement on Friday. Fadil, who recently concluded a two-day visit to the flood-affected areas of Sindh, said floods had now claimed the lives of at least 528 children. "Each and every one of these deaths is a tragedy that could have been averted," he said. An estimated 16 million children have been impacted by these super floods' and at least 3.4 million girls and boys remain in need of immediate, lifesaving support. "Young children are living out in the open with their families, with no drinking water, no food, and no livelihood, exposed to a wide range of new ...

Over 3 mn children at risk after massive floods in Pakistan: UNICEF

Last week, Pakistan declared a state of emergency and called on other countries and international organizations to provide assistance amid the massive floods

UNICEF head voices concern over child casualties in Russia-Ukraine conflict

UNICEF has voiced concern over child casualties in the Ukraine conflict

Tanzania join hands with Unicef to launch campaign to end child marriage

The government of Tanzania and the Unicef have launched a campaign aimed at ending child marriage in the country