Armenia

The challange, Every third child in Armenia is currently living in poverty Poverty is an underlying cause contributing to many challenges in the child rights realization in Armenia. No one is more vulnerable to poverty than children. Poverty affects directly children’s lives, from good nutrition to early learning, success in school, opportunities for non-formal…, Multi-dimensional poverty, UNICEF icon of a girl. Almost one in three children in Armenia are both poor and deprived. UNICEF icon_girl and boy. Every second child is multi-dimensionally poor/deprived, particularly in utilities, social interactions and leisure. 1/3 relation with children's icons. One-third of children in Armenia are deprived but not poor.  These children…, The solution, Social protection plays a vital role in strengthening the resilience of children, families and communities, achieving greater equity, and supporting national human and economic development. Targeted interventions can reduce the impact of poverty on children and improve their chances in life. Placing children at the heart of poverty reduction is…, Main directions, Stepan, 14 with his mother Kristine live in extreme poverty in the outskirts of city of Vanadzor, Armenia. Stepan is making a fire in woods stove to heat the house. Policy advocacy and technical assistance for putting child poverty reduction at the core of all government programmes. Stepan, 14 with his mother Kristine live in extreme poverty in…

The village of Nerkin Tsaghkavan lies on the north-eastern tip of Armenia, close to Georgia and just a mile or so away from Azerbaijan. Nestled in the wooded hills of Tavush region, the village enjoys a benign climate perfect for growing peach, figs and other fruits. However, this peaceful and almost idyllic picture is marred by anxiety about…

The challenge, There are insufficient and declining allocations of the state budget for social protection, health and education, key areas of direct impact on children. Guaranteeing the rights of children under the CRC is not only a legal and moral responsibility; but it also has implications for economic and social policies and, consequently, for the allocation…, Important issues, Children during a physical education class in a gym of the Inclusive School No. 162 in Yerevan, Armenia. Some other issues related to child budgeting in Armenia include: lack of clear mechanisms to track direct and indirect expenditure on children and adolescents, inadequate links between child-related plans and budgeting, inefficient spending,…, The solution, Fulfilling obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child has clear financial implications. While the need to extend care, assistance and protection of children, both girls and boys, is enshrined in national laws and international agreements, there should be a process of translating these commitments into strong national programmes…, Impact, Investing in children and adolescents is key, and there are four general reasons for this Firstly, it is a legal obligation prescribed by the CRC for the realization of child rights. Secondly, childhood is a unique window of opportunity, while adolescence is a second window of opportunity. Interventions and policy choices made today will determine…, Main directions, icon data UNICEF supports the generation of data on budgetary spending for children, as it is important in terms of policy and budget planning, particularly in the context of poverty reduction and ensuring equity. chart icon The Government of Armenia should at least protect, if not increase, financial allocations for social sectors, particularly…

The challenge, Despite considerable achievements in the realization of the right to education, children from vulnerable groups are often exposed to stigma and discrimination, and are often segregated within education system in Armenia. They do not appear in national statistics, becoming ‘invisible’ to decision makers, service providers and the public.   The…, The solution, UNICEF Armenia aims at continuing to support the Government in making all schools inclusive and child-focused, recognizing that the obstacles to children’s learning are not the ‘fault’ of a child’s impairment or social status, but rather inability of some schools to include children with disabilities or children from vulnerable families. UNICEF is…, Our actions are,   Capacities and practices strengthened within the education sector to ensure child, disability and gender sensitive learning environments for all, (as part of UNICEF Armenia collaboration with the University of Minnesota’s (UMN) Global Resource Center (GRC) and Armenian State Pedagogical University). Enhancement of a policy framework on…, We will continue our work on the following issues, A girl with autism during the therapy session in the inclusive school in Yerevan. Promoting collaboration between pre- and in-service teacher training institutions for successful student inclusion at the grade level. A third-grade girl during a math class at the inclusive school in Yerevan Expanding inclusive education practices to all levels of…

Child health. Challenges, For every child, quality healthcare Armenia has achieved a two times reduction in infant mortality rate during the last decades, reflecting intensive efforts of the Ministry of Health and partners to improve children’s health status. However, during the last three years there is some stagnation. Neonatal mortality counts for 70% of infant deaths.…, Key achievements, A 1 year old baby receives his general vaccine. UNICEF Armenia/2016/Pirozzi General check-ups including growth monitoring and immunisation for babies and children. UNICEF supports Government of Armenia to introduce new vaccines and to sustain very high vaccination coverage. A newborn sleeping girl in the maternity ward. UNICEF Armenia/2018/Osipova…, Mother and Child Nutrition. Challenges, For every child, healthy nutrition UNICEF and Ministry of Health efforts of the last years have contributed to almost halving the stunting rate and to increasing the exclusive breast-feeding rate by 30%. Meanwhile, less attention was paid to child overweight and obesity prevention. ADHS 2015-16 highlighted high prevalence of overweight among <5…, Key achievements, A health worker checking up a newborn in the polyclinic and looking to the child with full of love. UNICEF Armenia/2018/Osipova General check-ups of babies in the Polyclinic of Yerevan, Armenia. UNICEF Armenia works with the Ministry of Health on strengthening regional intensive neonatal care services to decrease neonatal and infant mortality.…

This is little Mariam. She lives in Shamut and has been going to the pre-school centre in the village for a year. Just one year ago, Shamut, like many other communities in Armenia, did not have a kindergarten. Because Shamut is a small village with a modest population of children, building a traditional kindergarten here would have been too…

Vaccination is one of the most successful and cost-effective ways to secure the health and future of children. Vaccines protect children against disease and death, saving up to 3 million lives every year. With improved immunization coverage for children, 1.5 million lives more could be saved.   UNICEF has supported the Ministry of Health in…

“I always help my mom with the cooking; I add the salt,” said four-year-old Avet, adding that he loves to eat. “My mother always tells me that we only need a little salt – just one pinch.” We talked to Avet during our visit to one of the inclusive kindergartens in Armenia, where we had gone to find out what children know about salt. He surprised…

If childhood vaccination is not prioritized, many kids can miss out on their right to be vaccinated, which could cost them their lives. Vaccines save children's lives by protecting them from infectious diseases. In 2016, around 1.4 million children under the age of five died from vaccine-preventable diseases. Pneumonia, diarrhea, and measles…, Six basic facts about vaccines, 1. 350,000 cases of polio were reported around the world in 1988. About 2.5 billion children have been vaccinated against the virus since. Today, the world is closer to eradicating polio than ever before. Last year, only 22 cases of the disease were registered in two countries. This year, more than 400 million children will be vaccinated against…

“I have never thought that I can do important things other than housekeeping. It is like a dream that it couldn’t come true with two little children at home”,- said Heghine a Caregiver in the preschool education center established by UNICEF in Marts village for 16 children. It is a new cost-effective model of early childhood education services and…

Media reporting on children and young people should never put them at risk. UNICEF has developed principles and guidelines to help journalists report on children’s issues in a way that enables them to serve the public interest without compromising the rights of children. These are six over-arching principles; six guidelines for interviewing…

On November 20, 2017 Armenia joined UNICEF’s global Children Takeover campaign dedicated to World Children’s Day. On that day National Assembly of Armenia joined UNICEF’s global campaign to help to give a voice to children.A special session taken over by five adolescent speakers was held in the National Assembly of Armenia that was live streamed…