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6 results
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Press release
23 February 2021
UNICEF begins shipping syringes for the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines under COVAX
https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/unicef-begins-shipping-syringes-global-rollout-covid-19-vaccines-under-covax
NEW YORK, 23 February 2021 – UNICEF has sent 100,000 syringes and 1,000 safety boxes for COVID-19 vaccinations to the Maldives by air freight from UNICEF’s humanitarian warehouse in Dubai—part of the first wave of COVID-19-related syringe shipments to begin rolling out in the coming days. Others in the first wave of shipments include Côte d'Ivoire and São Tomé and Príncipe. The 0.5 ml syringes and safety boxes are expected to arrive in Malé, Maldives on Tuesday. Over the next few weeks, UNICEF will ship more than 14.5 million 0.5 ml and 0.3 ml auto-disable syringes to more than 30 countries. While the 0.5 ml syringes are meant for use with the Serum Institute of India/AstraZeneca vaccine, the 0.3 ml ones are to be used with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. “In this global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, syringes are as vital as the vaccine itself,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “It is critical to have adequate supplies of syringes already in place in every country before the vaccine arrives so that the vaccine can be administered safely. This would allow immunization to start immediately and help turn the tide on this terrible virus.” The countries that will receive syringes in this initial tranche are from those included in the  COVAX indicative distribution  and that have put in requests to UNICEF to supply syringes. These shipments will support the country rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, and is part of work by the  COVAX Facility  to provide vaccines to all participating countries. The 0.5 ml syringes are being dispatched from UNICEF’s humanitarian warehouse in Dubai, while the 0.3 ml & 2 ml syringes will be transported directly from a manufacturer in Spain. The consignments will also include safety boxes for the safe disposal of syringes. Both syringes are of the auto-disable type, which means they cannot be used again after a single dose of vaccine has been administered. This reduces the risk of infection from blood-borne diseases as a result of syringe re-use. In all, UNICEF will be supplying up to 1 billion syringes and 10 million safety boxes to countries in 2021 to ensure they are ready for COVID-19 vaccinations. In order to meet the demand for these vital supplies,  UNICEF created a stockpile  of almost half a billion syringes in its warehouses in Copenhagen and Dubai in preparation for the broader rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in 82 low- and lower middle-income countries. UNICEF has been working with airlines, logistics operators and freight forwarders to ensure the syringes are treated as priority freight, whether they are being shipped direct from a manufacturer or from UNICEF warehouses to the destination country’s port of entry. Although the first deliveries will be transported by air, most of the syringes and safety boxes will be transported by sea due to the large amount of space they take up as cargo. UNICEF is aiming to make 2 billion COVID-19 doses available for delivery in 2021. Even before COVID-19, UNICEF was already the largest single vaccine buyer in the world, procuring over 2 billion vaccines annually in order to reach almost half of the world’s children under 5. In addition, the agency procures and supplies around 600-800 million syringes for regular immunization programmes annually. COVAX is a global collaboration co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, and includes UNICEF, which leads on procurement and delivery, as well as getting countries ready to receive vaccines. ##### Двое мужчин на складе с коробками UNICEF/UN0419486/Pableo
Article
23 June 2021
Moving with the times: 1980–1988
https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/moving-times-19801988
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 series of posters introduced in the 1980s features the tagline, “What would you like to be when you grow up? Alive!” UNICEF poster UNICEF На серии плакатов, выпущенных в 1980-х годах, размещен слоган “Что бы ты хотел делать, когда вырастешь? Жить!”
Press release
16 February 2021
Leading airlines commit to helping UNICEF in its historic mission of transporting COVID-19 vaccines around the world
https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/leading-airlines-commit-helping-unicef-its-historic-mission-transporting-covid-19
COPENHAGEN, 16 February 2021 – UNICEF is today launching the Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative. Under this landmark initiative, over  10 leading airlines  are signing agreements with UNICEF to support the prioritization of delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, essential medicines, medical devices and other critical supplies to respond to the pandemic. The Initiative will also act as a global logistics preparedness mechanism for other humanitarian and health crises over the longer term.  “Delivery of these life-saving vaccines is a monumental and complex undertaking, considering the sheer volumes that need to be transported, the cold chain requirements, the number of expected deliveries and the diversity of routes” said Etleva Kadilli, Director of UNICEF Supply Division. “We are grateful to these airlines for joining forces with the UNICEF Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative to support the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines.” The UNICEF Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative brings together the airlines covering routes to over 100 countries, in support of  the COVAX Facility  – the global effort aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Based on the COVAX Facility’s indicative distribution and first round allocation plan, 145 countries will receive doses to immunize around three per cent of their population, on average, starting in the first half of 2021, subject to all requirements being met and final allocation plans. In addition to prioritizing shipments of these life-saving supplies, the airlines will take measures such as temperature control and security, while also adding freight capacity to routes where needed. Their commitments are critical to the timely and secure delivery of vaccines and critical supplies.  Safe, timely and efficient transportation of life-saving supplies is critical to supporting access to essential services for children and families. COVAX deliveries and the subsequent vaccination of frontline workers will support health and social care systems to safely resume these critical services. Man next to a plane UNICEF/UNI319459/Rocio Ortega
News note
31 July 2019
Why family-friendly policies are critical to increasing breastfeeding rates worldwide - UNICEF
https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/why-family-friendly-policies-are-critical-increasing-breastfeeding-rates-worldwide
NEW YORK, 1 August 2019 – From supporting healthy brain development in babies and young children, protecting infants against infection, decreasing the risk of obesity and disease, reducing healthcare costs, and protecting nursing mothers against ovarian cancer and breast cancer, the benefits of breastfeeding for children and mothers are wide spread. Yet, policies that support breastfeeding – such as paid parental leave and breastfeeding breaks – are not yet available to most mothers worldwide. “The health, social and economic benefits of breastfeeding – for mother and child – are well-established and accepted throughout the world. Yet, nearly 60 per cent of the world’s infants are missing out on the recommended six months of exclusive breastfeeding,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “In spite of the benefits of breastfeeding, workplaces worldwide are denying mothers much needed support. We need to far greater investment in paid parental leave and breastfeeding support across all workplaces to increase breastfeeding rates globally.” Only 4 out of 10 babies are exclusively breastfed: Only 41 per cent of babies were exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life in 2018, as recommended. In comparison, these rates were more than half – 50.8 per cent – in the least developed countries. The highest rates were found in Rwanda (86.9 per cent), Burundi (82.3 per cent), Sri Lanka (82 percent), Solomon Islands (76.2 percent) and Vanuatu (72.6 percent). Research also shows that infants in rural areas have higher levels of exclusive breastfeeding than urban babies. Upper-middle-income countries have the lowest breastfeeding rates: In upper-middle-income countries, exclusive breastfeeding rates were the lowest at 23.9 per cent, having decreased from 28.7 per cent in 2012. Breastfeeding at work works: Regular lactation breaks during working hours to accommodate breastfeeding or the expression of breastmilk, and a supportive breastfeeding environment including adequate facilities enable mothers to continue exclusive breastfeeding for six months, followed by age-appropriate complementary breastfeeding. Working women do not get enough support to continue breastfeeding: Worldwide, only 40 per cent of women with newborns have even the most basic maternity benefits at their workplace. This disparity widens among countries in Africa, where only 15 per cent of women with newborns have any benefits at all to support the continuation of breastfeeding. Too few countries provide paid parental leave: The International Labour Organization (ILO) Maternity Protection Convention 2000 (no. 183) standards include at least 14 weeks of paid maternity leave, and countries are recommended to provide at least 18 weeks as well as workplace support for breastfeeding families. Yet, only 12 per cent of countries worldwide provide adequate paid maternity leave. UNICEF’s latest policy brief on family-friendly policy brief recommends at least six months of paid leave for all parents combined, of which 18 weeks of paid leave should be reserved for mothers. Governments and businesses should strive for at least 9 months of combined paid leave. Availability of longer maternity leave means higher chances of breastfeeding: A recent study found that women with six months or more maternity leave were at least 30 per cent more likely to maintain any breastfeeding for at least the first six months. Breastfeeding makes sense for both babies and their mothers: Increasing breastfeeding could prevent 823,000 annual deaths in children under five and 20,000 annual deaths from breast cancer. Not enough babies breastfed in the first hour: In 2018, less than half of babies worldwide – 43 per cent – were breastfed within the first hour of life. Immediate skin-to skin contact and starting breastfeeding early keeps a baby warm, builds his or her immune system, promotes bonding, boosts a mother’s milk supply and increases the chances that she will be able to continue exclusive breastfeeding. Breastmilk is more than just food for babies – it is also a potent medicine for disease prevention that is tailored to the needs of each child. The ‘first milk’ – or colostrum – is rich in antibodies to protect babies from disease and death. The investment case for breastfeeding: If optimal breastfeeding is achieved, there would be an estimated reduction in global healthcare costs of USD 300 billion. ### Notes to Editors: About World Breastfeeding Week World Breastfeeding Week is marked annually from 1 to 7 August to highlight the critical importance of breastfeeding for children across the globe. Breastfeeding gives children the healthiest start in life and is one of the simplest, smartest and most cost-effective ways we have of ensuring that all children survive and thrive. This fact sheet – marking World Breastfeeding Week – features new data from the 2019 Global Breastfeeding Scorecard, and the latest available evidence on coverage, access to family-friendly policies, and the health and economic benefits of breastfeeding. Mother and father with new born baby UNICEF/UN0206267/Pirozzi
Article
16 February 2021
Five opportunities for children we must seize now
https://www.unicef.org/eca/five-opportunities-children-we-must-seize-now
  History and science tell us vaccines are the best hope we have of ending this virus and rebuilding our lives and our livelihoods. Yet, as Ridhi reminds us, there is a real risk the  What you need to know about a COVID-19 vaccine COVID-19 vaccines  will not reach all who need it. Vaccine hesitancy will have a profound effect on our ability to overcome COVID-19. A  study  of nearly 20,000 adults from 27 countries found that roughly 1 in 4 of them would decline a COVID-19 vaccine. A similar  study  of Americans showed that unclear and inconsistent messaging from public health officials and politicians could reduce vaccine use. Meanwhile, vaccine misinformation has become a big and growing business. Anti-vaccination entrepreneurs have increased their online following by at least 20 per cent during the pandemic. According to Avaaz, the top 10 websites identified by researchers as spreading health misinformation had almost four times as many views on Facebook as information from established health sites. In short, we are losing serious ground in the fight for trust. And without trust, any COVID-19 vaccine will be useless. But with the global roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, we now have the opportunity to truly reach every child with life-saving immunizations. The light at the end of the tunnel needs to shine for all.   What needs to be done: Now that the world has developed multiple COVID-19 vaccines, we can turn our attention to the long and difficult fight to eliminate this virus from the planet with equity and fairness, reaching everyone including the poorest and most excluded. Work is already being done to prepare for that day. UNICEF is a committed partner of the Advance Market Commitment Engagement Group of the  COVAX information centre COVAX Facility , a global collaboration to guarantee fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world. Our goal is to ensure that no country and no family is pushed to the back of the line as vaccines become available. We will do this by leading efforts to procure and supply COVID-19 vaccines and using our existing infrastructure to help facilitate their logistically demanding delivery, even to the most remote areas. Governments must work together to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are affordable and accessible to all countries. But just as critically, because the most important ingredient to any vaccine is trust, UNICEF is rolling out a global digital campaign to build public support and raise local awareness about the value and effectiveness of all vaccines. Technology companies have a huge role to play and have taken important initial steps to address the spread of dangerous misinformation on their platforms. In October 2020, Facebook announced a global policy to prohibit ads that discourage vaccinations. Soon after, YouTube announced a crackdown on anti-vaccination content, removing videos that include misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines. But more can be done. Social media platforms must take steps to flag and remove content that distorts the truth. Vaccine hesitancy goes far beyond COVID-19 vaccines. In 2019, WHO said vaccine hesitancy was one of the top 10 threats to global health and without trust, vaccines are just expensive vials in a doctor’s cabinet. 
Report
23 February 2022
Examining the impact of BMS marketing on infant feeding decisions and practices
https://www.unicef.org/eca/reports/examining-impact-bms-marketing-infant-feeding-decisions-and-practices
About, How marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding,  systematically examines women’s and health professionals’ experiences of formula milk marketing. The largest ever study of its kind, it draws on surveys with over 8 500 pregnant women and mothers of young children (aged 0-18 months) across eight countries, and more than 300…, HOW THE MARKETING OF FORMULA MILK INFLUENCES OUR DECISIONS ON INFANT FEEDING How the marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding The impact of marketing of breast-milk substitutes on infant feeding decisions and practices: report of a multi-country research study commissioned by the World Health Organization and the United…

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