Following the release of a UN study that shows at least 40 million children have missed out on early childhood education due to measures to combat COVID-19, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Henrietta Fore, warned that “the pandemic is making a global childcare crisis even worse.” More
Tag Archives: UNICEF
World leaders must address ‘shameful’ disparities in education spending: UN children’s agency
A new report from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, published on Monday to coincide with a meeting of education ministers, gathered at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, shows that a third of adolescent girls from the poorest households have never been to school, and spending on education is heavily skewed towards wealthier households and urged world leaders to address ‘shameful’ disparities in public education spending. More
UNICEF urges governments to repatriate thousands of foreign children stranded in northeast Syria
The agency estimates nearly 28,000 children from more than 60 countries remain trapped in the region, mostly in displacement camps. This includes almost 20,000 from Iraq.
“Children, whether in the northeast or elsewhere inside Syria, must not be abandoned while the walls of war close in around them”, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement issued on Monday. More
Volcano on Vanuatu Ambae Island Causes Full Evacuation
The active volcano on Vanuatu’s Ambae island has caused total evacuation.
We ask Andrew Parker, Chief of UNICEF Pacific Vanuatu Field Office – what happened, what UNICEF is doing to help affected communities & what are the long term challenges? Stress and Trauma for children? Education? Health and Health services? Where do people go? Health? Nutrition? Issues for host communities? He answers in our interview from Vanuatu.
Vaccination campaign launched in Fiji
Vaccination campaign launched to protect every child and adolescent in Fiji against meningococcal disease
SUVA, 14 May 2018 – Soon every child and adolescent in Fiji will have the chance to be protected against meningococcal C after a recent outbreak of the disease, with the Government of Fiji’s vaccination campaign set to launch on 14 May, supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
This country-wide mass vaccination campaign aims to vaccinate up to 325,000 children and adolescents against meningococcal C disease – the age group most at risk of getting the disease.
UNICEF On Standby To Support Governments of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji as Cyclone Gita intensifies
SUVA, 13 February 2018 – As Tropical Cyclone Gita intensifies, the strongest storm to ever hit Tonga, and heads towards Fiji, UNICEF offers its support to the affected Pacific island countries of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.
“UNICEF is ready to support the Governments of Tonga and Samoa respond to the emergencies caused by Tropical Cyclone Gita. We are also on standby to provide support to the Government of Fiji as they brace for Cyclone Gita,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Pacific Representative.
In Tonga, about 80,000 people, including 32,000 children, are at risk from the Category 4 Tropical Cyclone Gita that hit on Monday night, with widespread damage to infrastructure and floods reported.
“UNICEF is prepared to support the governments’ response, to ensure urgent life-saving support is provided, including access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene for those families affected,” he added.
UNICEF is working closely with the Tongan National Emergency Office and the UN Coordination office in Tonga to coordinate activities and respond as required. Emergency supplies including portable water field test kits, to check for safety of drinking water; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Kits, which include purification tablets; water containers and hygiene products such as soap and menstrual hygiene products; inter-agency emergency health kits that include medicines, micronutrient powders, Vitamin A capsules; and tents, are being prepositioned for shipment to Tonga.
In Samoa, basic emergency supplies are already available and have been offered to the Samoan government if required to support the needs of affected children and families affected.
Supplies are also prepositioned in Fiji for use to affected areas and the National Disaster Management Office in Fiji have been offered the use of RapidPro – an open-source platform of applications that can help the government deliver information quickly and connect communities to lifesaving services through the short message service (SMS) for mobile phones.#####
For more information, please contact:
Cate Heinrich, UNICEF Pacific,
Tel: +679 9925 606, cheinrich@unicef.org
Donna Hoerder
Communication Specialist – External Relations,
UNICEF Pacific
Phone: (679) 323-6100 Email: dhoerder@unicef.org
Pictures no child should draw | UNICEF
Warning. This animation is based on real life drawings by children in UNICEF-supported child friendly spaces in emergencies across the world.
PRESS RELEASE: UNICEF Education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) emergency supplies dispatched to Makira province
Honiara, 3 January 2017 – UNICEF continues to support the current emergency response efforts to affected communities in Makira province with the provision of education, water and hygiene supplies, following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in early December 2016.
These supplies are sufficient to meet the needs of 12,500 people and include 3000 pieces of hand washing soaps, 5000 water containers, two cartons of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials carrying messages on hygiene practices, 12 tents and tarpaulins for affected schools.
UNICEF PACIFIC WELCOMES SHELDON YETT AS NEW REPRESENTATIVE, AND BIDS FAREWELL TO DR KAREN ALLEN
(L-R): Outgoing UNICEF Pacific Representative Dr Karen Allen with newly appointed Representative Mr Sheldon Yett in Suva. (Photo credit: UNICEF Pacific/2016/Hing)
SUVA, FIJI. 26 August 2016 – UNICEF is pleased to announce the arrival of Mr. Sheldon Yett as the new UNICEF Pacific Representative, replacing Dr. Karen Allen.
Mr. Yett, is the new accredited Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund to the Pacific island countries of the Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Mr. Yett presented his credentials this morning to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Ravindran Nair. In the coming months, Mr. Yett will be travelling to other countries in the Pacific region to present his credentials and meet staff and partners.