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09 Июнь 2021

Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on children and families in the Western Balkans and Türkiye

https://www.unicef.org/eca/mitigating-impact-covid-19-children-and-families-western-balkans-and-t%C3%BCrkiye

There is abundant evidence that children bear a heavy burden resulting from disrupted essential services, increased social isolation, and loss of family income. In pandemic times, parents and caregivers are more likely to feel overwhelmed with providing stimulation and care for their young children and delay seeking prompt medical attention for children. Childhood immunization and other basic services were often suspended. School closures can mean a year of lost learning and children become more susceptible to dropping out. Uncertainties have created family distress, which contributes to serious mental health issues, especially among children who are vulnerable to violence and abuse. The pandemic has deepened pre-existing vulnerabilities of children with disabilities and children living in poverty. In 2021, UNICEF and the European Commission Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations launched a two-year initiative to strengthen national health, education, early childhood development, and child protection systems to ensure continuity in the provision of core services for vulnerable children and their families in the immediate and the longer-term recovery response to COVID-19. The initiative is being implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo* [1] , Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Türkiye.

02 Июль 2020

‘RM Child-Health’: safeguarding the health of refugee and migrant children in Europe

https://www.unicef.org/eca/rm-child-health-safeguarding-health-refugee-and-migrant-children-europe

More than 1.3 million children have made their way to Europe since 2014, fleeing conflict, persecution and poverty in their own countries. They include at least 225,000 children travelling alone – most of them teenage boys – as well as 500,000 children under the age of five. In 2019 alone, almost 32,000 children (8,000 of them unaccompanied or separated) reached Europe via the Mediterranean after perilous journeys from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and many parts of Africa – journeys that have threatened their lives and their health. Many have come from countries with broken health systems, travelling for months (even years) with no access to health care and facing the constant risks of violence and exploitation along the way. Many girls and boys arriving in Europe have missed out on life-saving immunization and have experienced serious distress or even mental health problems. They may be carrying the physical and emotional scars of violence, including sexual abuse. The health of infants and mothers who are pregnant or breastfeeding has been put at risk by a lack of pre- and post-natal health services and of support for child nutrition. Two girls wash a pot in the common washing area of the Reception and Identification Centre in Moria, on the island of Lesvos, in Greece. Two girls wash a pot in the common washing area of the Reception and Identification Centre in Moria, on the island of Lesvos, in Greece. Child refugees and migrants also face an increased health risk as a result of crowded and unhygienic living conditions during their journeys and at their destinations. Even upon their arrival in Europe, refugee and migrant children and families often face continued barriers to their health care, such as cultural issues, bureaucracy, and a lack of information in their own language. Southern and South East European countries are at the heart of this challenge, struggling to meet the immediate needs of vulnerable refugee and migrant children. And now, an already serious problem is being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Refugee checks on his son

16 Июнь 2021

UNICEF signs supply agreement for Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/unicef-signs-supply-agreement-sputnik-v-covid-19-vaccine

NEW YORK/COPENHAGEN, 27 May 2021 - UNICEF and Human Vaccine (Limited Liability Company), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), today announced a long-term agreement (LTA) for the supply of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. This is the fourth long-term supply agreement UNICEF has signed with a COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer. So far this year, UNICEF has signed such agreements with the Serum Institute of India, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Procurement by UNICEF under this agreement is conditional on the product achieving an Emergency Use Listing from WHO, to confirm the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine. In addition, an Advance Purchase Agreement (APA) with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will also be needed for procurement to begin on behalf of the COVAX Facility. Should the COVAX Facility decide to enter into an advance purchase agreement for the supply of the Sputnik V vaccine, UNICEF will be ready to deliver as soon as regulatory milestones have been met. At this point, UNICEF through this LTA, stands ready to access up to 220 million doses of the vaccine available for supply in 2021, to meet country demand. The Sputnik V vaccine consists of two different components of the vaccine to be administered 21 days apart. An exact delivery schedule will be determined in collaboration with the manufacturer. UNICEF’s priority is to make sure that all countries have safe, fast and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccine and to help them prepare for the rollout of immunization. The best way to bring the pandemic under control is to ensure that safe and effective vaccines are made available as widely as possible and as quickly as possible, reducing inequity by ensuring that no country or territory is left behind due to its economic status. On 24 February 2021, COVID-19 vaccine vials are produced for the COVAX facility at a manufacturer in Pune, a city located in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. UNICEF/UN0421679?Singh