UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia concludes visit to Croatia

ZAGREB, 26 September 2025 - UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Response in Europe, Regina De Dominicis today concluded her first official visit to Croatia. 

During the visit, De Dominicis met with government officials of the Republic of Croatia including Minister of Health Irena Hrstić, Minister of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Protection Marin Piletić, Ministry of Science and Education State Secretary Zrinka Mužinić Bikić,  Ministry of Foreign and EU Affairs State Secretary Zdenko Lucić, Member of the Croatian Parliament and Chair of the Family, Youth & Sports Parliamentary Committee Vesna Vučemilović, and Mayor of Zagreb Tomislav Tomašević, representatives of local authorities in Međimurje County, and other high level representatives to reaffirm UNICEF's commitment to working together to strengthen the systems and services that children and families rely on. 

De Dominicis commended the Government on recent advancements in key areas including a 10 per cent increase of the number of children in early childhood education since 2017, a 93 per cent increase in the number of children receiving early childhood interventions, childcare reform and its continued cooperation in implementing the EU Child Guarantee programmes, among others.  

During the meeting at Ministry of Foreign and EU Affairs, De Dominicis highlighted the Government’s support to UNICEF through Official Development Assistance (ODA) which has ensured critical support for children affected by emergencies, amounting to a total of over EUR 6.2 million across 10 countries in 17 ODA projects since 2018. 

“UNICEF continues to partner with government, local authorities, communities and private sector on focused priorities to scale up results for children in Croatia” said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. “ At the same time, we leverage together the country’s knowledge and experience to advance the children’s rights agenda beyond borders.” In Croatia child well-being indicators have improved steadily over the past decades, however challenges remain: 16.6% of children still grow up at risk of poverty, over 11.5% of children and young people experience mental health issues, and only one in eight children with a disability has access to early intervention services that are crucial for their development. “UNICEF looks forward to building on Croatia’s progress and continuing to partner across all sectors, so that every child, especially the most vulnerable, can grow up with the care, protection, and opportunities they need to thrive and reach their full potential.”  

De Dominicis visited Medjimurje County where she met with representatives of the County, the City of Čakovec, and municipalities to reflect on the achievements of the EU Child Guarantee programme, funded by the European Union and piloted from 2020 to 2023. The programme, aimed at reducing child poverty and social exclusion, focused on increasing access to health care, education, child protection and family support services for the most vulnerable children. This was followed by a visit to the Center for the provision of community services in Piskorovec.  

During the visit to Medjimurje De Dominicis met with young people living in alternative care and heard about their aspirations, challenges, and innovative proposals to tackle some of the most pressing issues affecting their lives.  

Concluding the three-day visit, De Dominicis met UNICEF Croatia Advisory Board on Children’s Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility and expressed her gratitude to the Board for being key partners in promoting and advocating for children’s rights through responsible business practices and family-friendly policies in Croatia.  

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Ms. Regina De Dominicis is the Regional Director of UNICEF for Europe and Central Asia, based in Geneva, Switzerland. In her role, Ms. De Dominicis also serves as UNICEF Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Response in Europe.  Prior to this assignment, Ms. De Dominicis was UNICEF’s Representative in the Republic of Türkiye, where she led UNICEF’s largest programme in the Europe and Central Asia region. Ms. De Dominicis has also held positions of the UNICEF Representative to the Republic of Serbia and UNICEF Representative to the Kingdom of Morocco. Before joining UNICEF, Ms. De Dominicis worked with the European Commission and the European Agency for Reconstruction in both humanitarian and development contexts.