Results for Children

Health and Sanitation Programme

During 2009, the Health and Sanitation (H&S) Programme worked in partnership with Pacific Island governments and development partners (World Vision International (WVI), Live and Learn Environmental Education (LLEE), Partners in Community Development Fiji (PCDF) to:

(1) increase childhood immunization coverage, focusing on low-performing provinces;

(2) ensure that evidence-based maternal and child health plans and programmes were strengthened in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu;

(3) support community-based hygiene improvement and water safety plans that lead to a reduction in childhood diarrhoea and other water-related diseases in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu; and

(4) continue recovery and reconstruction in the areas affected by the 2007 earthquake and tsunami in Solomon Islands and provide health, nutrition and sanitation in emergency areas.

Looking Back

Last year a number of initiatives to improve and accelerate the achievement of health-related MDGs in the Pacific Island countries (PICs) were undertaken. As part of the Asia Pacific Representatives Meeting (APRM), UNICEF prepared several country analysis of trends and obstacles to the achievement of MDG 4 and 5, which were shared to all PICs during a MDG review workshop held in March 2009 in Nadi, Fiji. UNICEF’s proposal of a Pacific Health Countdown to 2015 was approved by PICs and all key development partners. Pacific Health Ministers in the their meeting of July 2009 in Papua New Guinea (PNG) agreed to:

(a) analyze and identify weaknesses and resources of health systems at all levels;

(b) make sector-wide investment cases to remove obstacles;

(d) focus more on nutrition since it relates to gestational diabetes, infant and young child feeding, micro-nutrients and food security;

(e) tackle STIs and provide youth friendly health services; and

(f) provide multi-sector and integrated support to water and sanitation programming.

Despite the global food, fuel and financial crisis, several countries managed to sustain accelerated achievement of health related MDGs. Fourteen out of the 22 PICs had high measles immunization coverage (over 90 percent). Through the Vaccine Independent Initiative, UNICEF with WHO, JICA, AusAID and other partners procured and distributed all vaccines and vaccination devices. UNICEF provided technical and financial support to Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Vanuatu to undertake integrated measles campaign which included measles vaccination, vitamin A supplementation, de-worming, birth registration and demonstration of hand-washing (the latter two for the first time) with funding from AusAID, NZAID and Australian National Committee and working in close collaboration with WHO and JICA. Nutrition security received the highest profile in the national food summits of Fiji Islands, Vanuatu and Samoa, following specific UNICEF advocacy and technical inputs to the concept papers and draft action framework for the 2010 Pacific Food Summit.

UNICEF was also part of the Food Secure Pacific Working Group (alongside WHO, FAO, SPC, CHIP-Australia, AusAID), which organised national and the Pacific Food Summits. Through this initiative UNICEF was able to highlight the importance of nutrition security and the need to control micronutrient deficiencies through food fortification as well as promotion of nutritious foods to children at home and in schools.

As an active member of the UN Global Economic Crisis Group, UNICEF H&S Programme provided technical health, nutrition and WASH information needed to set up a sentinel site monitoring system and will contribute to the Pacific GEC Conference scheduled for February 2010 in Vanuatu.

Moving Forward

A number of priorities are planned for 2010 and beyond. These are:

(1) Carry out a medium-term review of the health and sanitation programme and contribute to the multi-country programme Mid-Term Review (MTR).

(2) Complete the assessment of Knowledge Attitude and Practices (KAP) on maternal, child and health nutrition (MCHN) interventions and use the findings and those from various surveys and sources to develop communication plans for MCHN interventions in the three priority countries.

(3) Maintain high immunization coverage in all PICs, including introduction of new vaccines by supporting:
- integrated measles immunisation campaigns in Tuvalu and FSM (Chuuk State);
- introducing the vaccine pentavalent, revising the EPI and Cold Chain Policy and developing a thorough Multi-Year EPI Plan in Vanuatu;
- a Vaccine Management Assessment (VMAT) and introduction of rotavirus and pneumococcus vaccines in Kiribati;
- cold chain and routine immunization strengthening in all PICs, including Fiji EVSM certification;

(4) Advocacy at all levels to influence policies, plans and budgets for the achievement of health-related MDGs by a number of initiatives including the collection of data for the Pacific Health Countdown 2015 Partnerships (PHCDP2015); providing technical and financial support to at least six hospitals in the three priority countries to be awarded Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) status and to increase their capacity to manage pregnancy and newborn complications; advocating and supporting food fortification, Vitamin A, iron and folate supplementation; assisting with the Kiribati national food summit, Pacific Conference on global economic crisis (February 2010 in Vanuatu) and Pacific Food Summit (April 2010 in Vanuatu); and supporting water supply and promoting proper sanitation and hygiene in primary schools and communities.

(5) During emergencies, provide humanitarian assistance in the areas of health, nutrition and WASH and assist with rehabilitation and reconstruction of WASH installations in affected areas.

(6) Fund-raise and support communities initially in Vanuatu followed by other PICs, to cope with the effects of climate change and natural disasters, with special attention to women, children, people living with disabilities and HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable groups in PICs.

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