Publications

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November 2009, UNICEF is dedicating a special edition of its flagship publication The State of the World’s Children to child rights. The report broadly assesses the Convention’s impact on children’s well-being and human development during the past two decades, addresses the critical challenges for the next 20 years and outlines an agenda for action to ensure the Convention’s promise becomes a reality for every child.

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November 2009, UNICEF is dedicating a special edition of its flagship publication, The State of the World’s Children, to children’s rights. This Executive Summary provides an overview of the full report, examines the Convention’s evolution, progress achieved on child rights, challenges remaining, and actions to be taken to ensure that the Convention’s promise becomes a reality for all children.

This reference guide, published in November 2009, presents the most recent key statistics on child survival, development and protection for the world’s countries, territories and regions.

An AIDS-free generation is not impossible. Yet the world is not on track to meet targets for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, and the global economic crisis raises concerns about sustaining and expanding assistance. This Fourth Stocktaking Report highlights progress made and challenges that remain in scaling up services for women, children and young people affected by the epidemic, and it calls for concerted action and continued commitments amid economic difficulties that affect all countries.

A companion volume to Children and AIDS: Fourth Stocktaking Report, 2009, with statistical data for 157 countries and territories.

There is an urgent need to accelerate efforts throughout the world to reduce undernutrition, which contributes to more than one third of all deaths in children under age 5. Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition provides information on nutrition strategies, progress made by programmes and current challenges, based on the most recent data available. The report profiles 24 countries where 80 per cent of the world’s stunted children live.

The violence, exploitation and abuse experienced by children all over the world takes many forms, including corporal punishment, harmful traditional practices, hazardous labour, sexual exploitation, trafficking, association with armed groups and forces, and needless placement in prisons and institutions. This edition of Progress for Children reports some improvements but many remaining challenges to protecting children from such abuses. It calls on society to build a ‘protective environment’ for children.

Through dynamic partnerships and tireless advocacy, UNICEF produced results for children and their families in 2008. The Annual Report 2008 highlights significant accomplishments as well as the challenges of UNICEF’s work in 155 countries, areas and territories during a year marked by global financial, food and fuel crises.

The 1996 Machel Study challenged the world to recognize that "war affects every right of the child." This follow-up report analyses the progress – and challenges – of the subsequent decade. More than 40 UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions – along with children from nearly 100 countries – contributed to this review, which was co-convened by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and UNICEF. The Strategic Review is part of ongoing advocacy efforts to bring the issues of children in conflict to the forefront.