“I have always had to behave ‘like a girl’ and I am not used to being asked for my opinion, but you ask me to say what I think during these workshops.”   A 13-year-old girl from Syria describes the impact of empowerment workshops in Serbia  Boy is drawing a picture. UNICEF-supported activities for children on the island of Lesvos, Greece The ‘RM…, In Bosnia and Herzegovina, , information workshops have been tailored to the needs of different groups of children, including those who are unaccompanied and separated. Topics over the past year have included personal and oral hygiene, drug and alcohol use and its impact on health, the importance of immunization, early childhood development, medical…, In Bulgaria, , the initiative has supported group sessions that have exceeded their targets, with 99 sessions held for refugee children and mothers – more than three times the 28 sessions envisaged. There were more than twice as many information sessions on gender-based violence as originally planned: 107 rather than 48. In all, 600 refugee and migrant…, In Greece, , support from the initiative has enabled UNICEF and its partners to equip refugee and migrant children with information on health risks, entitlements and services through its non-formal education programme in urban areas and on the islands. In the first full year of the initiative, 1,796 children and 464 parents have received crucial information…, In Italy, , there has been an emphasis on peer-to-peer health literacy over the past year. Young refugees and migrants have shared critical health messages through, for example, the U-Report on the Move platform – a user-friendly, cost-effective and anonymous digital platform with more than 6,000 subscribers, where they speak out on the issues that matter…, Serbia, have also been exceeded, with 1,094 refugee and migrant children and parents receiving information on mental health (original target: 500) and 722 receiving information on GBV (original target: 600). Looking beyond the sheer numbers of beneficiaries, those taking part in health literacy workshops, in particular, have voiced their appreciation. One…

With new knowledge backed by data, UNICEF increased the urgency of its appeals – healthy children need essential resources., 1980, “We need to give children’s essential needs a ‘first call’ on society’s resources.” James Grant, UNICEF Executive Director (1980–1995) Джеймс Грант UNICEF/UNI98144/James Кения, 1989 год: Джеймс Грант, Исполнительный директор ЮНИСЕФ, поднимает флаг Организации Объединенных Наций на грузовике для доставки помощи, выезжающем из Найроби после начала…, 1982, UNICEF launches the Child Survival and Development Revolution, a drive to save the lives of millions of children each year. Special emphasis is placed on four low-cost measures: growth monitoring, oral rehydration therapy, promotion of breastfeeding, and immunization (together they are sometimes referred to by the acronym GOBI) A…, 1983, To accelerate advances in education, UNICEF endorses a joint primary education and literacy programme with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). . Учащиеся Эфиопия, 1986 год: Учащиеся возле начальной школы в Аддис-Абебе., 1985, A cease fire in El Salvador’s civil war, based on the UNICEF-supported concepts of "children as a zone of peace" and "periods of tranquility" for humanitarian assistance, allows for three days of mass immunization of children. This approach is later applied in Lebanon (1987), Sudan (1989), Iraq (1991), and elsewhere with…, 1986, The publication of the report  Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances  raises awareness of the need for child protection. Придорожный щит Афганистан, 1991 год: Придорожный щит предупреждает о наличии противопехотных мин возле лагеря в Джалалабаде для перемещенных лиц из Кабула — столицы Афганистана. The Earth Run in India symbolizes a…, 1987, Developing countries are hard hit by global economic crises. The landmark report Adjustment with a Human Face calls for national programmes and policies to protect the rights of women and children especially during economic downturns. Обложка В томе 2 данного доклада анализируются конкретные примеры того, каким образом развивающиеся страны…, 1988, The International Child Development Centre is established to oversee research for children at the historic Innocenti building in Florence, Italy. “We must find ways to improve our abilities to be creative, to be highly effective professionals, and to be good managers and mobilizers.” Jim Himes, Director of the International Child Development…, Explore our 1989, –, 2005 timeline, .,  

“Very often we have the feeling that this space functions as a container for the absorption of negative emotions of the people who visit us. People who come here often feel safe enough to share their fears, their frustrations and even their darker thoughts. We try to give them space to express their feelings and we always find ways to boost their…, A comprehensive approach to primary health care , The 27-month, €4.3 million ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative, launched in January 2020 and co-funded by the European Union Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, has risen to these challenges over the past year by strengthening the capacity of health systems to deliver health care to refugee and migrant children. The initiative has met or even…, In Bosnia and Herzegovina, , support from the ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative has helped to ensure that every refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking child aged 0-18 who lives in a temporary reception centre has access to paediatric health-care services, including immunization. Experienced and qualified multidisciplinary teams have referred children to specialized…, In Bulgaria, , UNICEF has worked closely with the Council of Refugee Women (CRWB) and the Mission Wings Foundation (MWF) to develop individual needs assessments for refugee and migrant children and mothers who need pre- and post-natal care and ensure their access and referral to state-led health services, from immunization to regular health checks. In all, 569…, In Greece, , the initiative has strengthened the capacity of national health authorities through complementary support for primary health care and for psychosocial support and referral to specialized mental health services for refugee and migrant children. UNICEF and its partner METAdrasi have, for example, provided mother and childcare services through…, In Serbia, , the initiative has supported UNICEF’s efforts to increase immunization among refugee children and migrants by strengthening the assessment and monitoring process. As a result, refugees and migrants have been included in the national COVID-19 Immunization Plan. UNICEF has also supported access to health and other services through Mother and Baby…, Mental and emotional health , In Bulgaria, , children and parents in four reception facilities benefit from activities supported by the initiative that aim to help them deal with their emotions. As part of this intervention, Caritas has set up a team of health facilitators to identify children and women in serious distress and refer them to high-quality psychosocial support., In Greece, , a total of 1,108 refugee and migrant children in the Reception and Identification Centre (RIC) sites on Lesvos and in Athens have taken part in UNICEF-supported psychosocial sessions in the first year of the initiative, receiving referrals to specialized mental health services when needed. With funding from the ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative, …, In Serbia, , UNICEF and its partners have provided community-based psychosocial support, recreational and youth activities for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) in asylum centres in Sjenica, Belgrade and Bogovadja. This support has included the identification and referral of children at risk to specialized care. The initiative’s original target of…, In Italy, , UNICEF has built on existing approaches to provide both psychological support and GBV prevention and response services in Rome, Sicily, and Calabria in partnership with Médecins du Monde, INTERSOS and Centro Penc. Activities have focused on counselling, case management and referrals, and have been conducted by multi-sectoral teams of qualified…, Gender-based violence , The initiative has built on existing UNICEF interventions for GBV response and prevention in all five countries, helping partners to identify those experiencing or at risk of GBV, and referring survivors to specialized public health services as needed (medical, mental health, legal, and case management)., In Bulgaria, , the initiative has reinforced UNICEF’s efforts to tackle critical gaps in the provision of GBV and protection services and integrate support for refugee and migrant children into national child protection and welfare systems. Work to address the emergency protection needs of GBV survivors and those at risk has been combined with measures to…, In Greece, , UNICEF has ensured that GBV prevention and response services are available for refugee and migrant children through the operation of Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) at an urban Community Centre in Athens run by the Melissa Network, as well as the Child and Family Support Hub (CFSH) (Tapuat Centre) in Lesvos managed by partner Illiaktida. In…, In Serbia, , UNICEF supports safe spaces for girls on the move and their mothers in four locations, where they have access to GBV prevention and response services, including empowerment workshops and information. Here, trained teams identify GBV concerns and refer cases to specialized services. In all, 913 refugee and migrant children have been reached by…, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, , given the critical importance of their health and wellbeing for that of their children., In Bulgaria, , UNICEF and the CRWB are mapping and analysing the health experiences of refugees and migrants in their countries of origin – experiences that have shaped their expectations of health services in general – and have launched a survey on their health status and needs. The goal: to develop and implement a Community Health Programme that is based on…, In Serbia, , cutting-edge field research is exploring the prevalence of alcohol and substance use among young refugees and migrants, and its psychological impact. The findings – expected by the end of 2021 – will guide the development of materials and capacity building for health and community workers who are in regular contact with young refugees and…

The ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative has supported work across five European countries to improve health literacy among refugee and migrant children. The aim is to enhance their knowledge about key health issues and risks, help them navigate health-service provision in their host countries and empower them to demand health services as their right., Health literacy – the ability to find, understand and use information to promote and maintain good health – matters for all of us. But it is particularly important for refugee and migrant children and adolescents who struggle to access health care. The challenges they face include a chronic lack of health information in their own languages, and a…, Step 1: Identify the challenges and the knowledge gaps, UNICEF has worked with partners and with young refugees and migrants on the ground to identify information gaps – work that has, in turn, guided the development of health literacy packages across all five countries on a range of crucial health issues, from immunization and nutrition to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and…, Step 2: Fill the knowledge gaps, using established and trusted channels, The assessment of health literacy supported by the ‘RM Child-health’ initiative has confirmed the languages in which all materials should be available, including Arabic, Farsi, French, and many more, as well as the information channels used most often by refugee and migrant communities. Awareness-raising sessions, face-to-face and online workshops…

During the first TEDxYouth event organized on 17 November in Kazakhstan, Baurzhan, age 13, and his mother Aliya spoke about living openly with HIV.  This is his story. Standing before more than 100 people, Aliya asks if anyone in the audience remembers the incident in 2006 when 149 children in southern Kazakhstan were infected with the human…

The health risks faced by refugee and migrant children, 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…, Rising to the challenge: the ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative, EU health In response to this challenge, the European Union Directorate General for Health and Food Safety is working with UNICEF to help ensure that refugee and migrant children and their families have access to quality health care and essential  health information in six countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Serbia and…, Strengthen the capacity of national authorities, to deliver health care to refugee and migrant children, including immunizations, mental health and psychosocial support, gender-based violence prevention and response, as well as maternal and newborn health care and nutrition counselling., Increase health literacy among refugee and migrant children, by providing information to safeguard their own health and help them make right decisions about their health and wellbeing, and medical interpreters and cultural mediators to support communication between children and families and health care providers., Strengthen the implementation of health policies, by, for example, increasing the number of health workers with the skills and knowledge to support refugee and migrant children who need health care. “This collaboration between the EU and UNICEF will ensure better access for the most vulnerable refugee and migrant children to vital health care, and to the support they need for their emotional, as…, Voices from the field, Newsletters, RM Newsletter January 2021 UNICEF ECARO RM Newsletter June 2021 UNICEF ECARO The content of this webpage represents the views of the author(s) only and is his/her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency or any other body of the…

Meet our staff, A day at the office can mean many things to a UNICEF staff member It could mean talking with a 14-year-old former child soldier about their experiences, or finding funding for vital supplies for children during an emergency, or dedicating each day to efforts to eradicate a killer disease.  It's not all drama, of course.  Much of the organization's…, Please be sure to visit the vacancies section., International postings, Children and UNICEF staff playing in a migrant reception centre in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Current vacancies, International postings If you are seeking a post with UNICEF in one of our duty stations around the world, please visit UNICEF’s global website . There you will find information about required qualifications and the benefits of working with UNICEF. UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion and encourages qualified female and male candidates…

Our programmes across the region, UNICEF works with and for disadvantaged children and adolescents in 21 countries and territories across Europe and Central Asia. Our ambition is to get the entire region working together - as one - on behalf of its most vulnerable children. Explore the different areas of our work below. Students, some with disabilities, participate in a UNICEF…, Emergency response, Refugee and migrant crisis in Europe In Serbia, two children wait their parents to finalize the registration procedure in the Reception Centre in the town of Presevo, close to the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Conflict in Ukraine Sasha, 6, steps out of her cellar in eastern Ukraine where her, her sister, and their…

Thanks to funding from the European Union ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative, UNICEF works to ensure that all refugee and migrant children in Bosnia and Herzegovina have access to primary health care, including paediatric services and, in the case of 10-year old Maisa, a vital pair of glasses. “I will wear these glasses all the time. I hope I won't lose…

"When COVID arrived here, I thought: ‘It's over, it will spread throughout the building’. I didn't think it was possible to avoid the spread of the outbreak. Instead, we have had very few cases and we owe this, above all, to the support we received from INTERSOS and UNICEF."  Josehaly (Josy), a refugee living in Rome A field worker from Intersos…, In Bulgaria, , UNICEF and its partners were able to take immediate measures with support from the ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative to alleviate the impact, including online awareness raising and information sessions and the use of different channels for communication, including social media. UNICEF’s partners, the Council of Refugee Women in Bulgaria (CRWB) and…, In Greece, , the initiative supported the development of child-friendly information posters and stickers for refugee and migrant children and their families on critical preventive measures and on what to do and where to go if they experience any COVID-19 symptoms., In Italy, , the initiative has supported outreach teams and community mobilization, providing refugee and migrant families with the information and resources they need to keep the pandemic at bay. In Rome, for example, health promoters from Intersos continued to work directly with refugee and migrant communities in informal settlements, not only to prevent…, In Serbia, , the initiative has supported UNICEF’s efforts to improve the immunization process for refugee children and migrants by strengthening the assessment and monitoring process. As a result of such efforts, refugees and migrants have been included in the national COVID-19 Immunization Plan.  , Building on what works, As these examples show, support from the ‘RM Child-Health initiative’ has helped UNICEF and its partners rise to the challenges posed by the pandemic over the past year. The initiative has enabled frontline workers to accelerate, adapt, expand and intensify work that was already underway, and to mobilize social media and other channels, as well as…

Logo Logo  , BRUSSELS, GENEVA, 5 May 2020, – Under the Health Programme of the European Union, the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety has committed a project grant to  UNICEF to support work ensuring refugee and migrant children and their families have access to quality health care and accurate health information in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia…

"I want to be a photographer, and you know that the most valuable tool for any photographer is their eyes," says 17-year-old Ferhat* as he contentedly nods to his reflection in the mirror, adjusting his glasses. It has been three years since he left his home in Tehran together with his parents and younger sister in search of a better life in…