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Annual report 2024
Annual report 2024
In 2024, UNICEF Innocenti shared global and country-level research and analysis to inform trends, engage stakeholders, and sustain insights on children’s issues.The State of the World’s Children 2024: The Future of Childhood in a Changing World achieved wide media dissemination and was launched across six countries. The five-year Gender-Responsive Age-Sensitive Social Protection (GRASSP) Programme concluded in 2024, providing evidence on gender equality integration in social protection systems. Digital technology research also featured prominently, with the Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC) report examining the potential of video games to support child well-being. As UNICEF Innocenti continues work in 2025, we will focus on three main priorities that will lead us to ask critical questions: How do we make sure every child learns? How do we meaningfully engage with children and young people? How do we secure the best future for children?
Emerging Breakthroughs on Climate Change
Emerging Breakthroughs on Climate Change
What signals of breakthroughs in climate action are emerging globally, and how can they shape the future for children and youth?This groundbreaking report emerges from a unique youth-led horizon scanning exercise led by 12 UNICEF Leading Minds Fellows on Climate – young leaders from diverse regions and backgrounds who identified over 150 signals of potential climate breakthroughs. Using strategic foresight methodologies, these young researchers analyzed emerging solutions across five critical domains: eco-literacy, equitable energy transitions, climate finance, loss and damage, and community-centric governance. This report is the first youth-led documented analysis of climate action breakthroughs through a children's rights lens, examining each signal's potential implications under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).Building on UNICEF Innocenti’s research on meaningful youth engagement and going beyond traditional consultation approaches, this foresight research directly engaged youth not just as participants but as researchers and co-authors, leading the analysis of how these breakthroughs might impact future generations. Through collaborative sensemaking sessions and application of the STEEP-V framework, the fellows mapped both intended and unintended consequences of emerging climate solutions, providing valuable insights on the path for implementation of the Paris Agreement, and for often-overlooked areas that are critical for the wellbeing of young and future generations.This resource is intended to help stakeholders – from UNICEF and international organizations to policymakers, practitioners, and civil society – understand perspectives and identify where they can most effectively contribute to advancing climate solutions that benefit children and future generations, while ensuring youth voices remain central to how these breakthroughs develop and scale.
Child Well-Being in an Unpredictable World
Child Well-Being in an Unpredictable World
Report Card 19 analyses recent trends in child well-being over a five-year period relating to the same six key indicators that were at the core of Report Card 16 published in 2020: life satisfaction, adolescent suicide, child mortality, overweight, academic proficiency and social skills.The report also seeks to understand the reasons for these trends and how they can inform actions to improve child well-being. It also presents a long-term perspective, looking at trends in key indicators of child well-being since 2000, when the first Innocenti Report Card was published.
Innovations in Data Governance for Children
Innovations in Data Governance for Children
UNICEF’s Compendium of Innovations in Data Governance for Children showcases cutting-edge policy approaches and practical tools that advance children’s rights in the digital age. Developed as part of the Data Governance for Children project, this collection of case studies highlights real-world examples of how governments, regulators, industry, civil society, and children themselves are shaping more responsible and child-centered data governance systems.The compendium builds on UNICEF’s 2021 Manifesto on Good Data Governance for Children, which called for concrete actions to put child rights at the core of data-related laws, policies, and practices. Responding to that call, the compendium explores a wide variety of emerging approaches — from Children’s Codes and regulatory sandboxes to certification schemes and impact and risk assessments — that translate high-level legal principles into practical, context-specific solutions.Through global consultations and expert guidance from key stakeholders, the project documents emerging models and facilitates policy learning across regions. Each case study examines the drivers, impact, and transferability of these innovations, offering insight into what works and why. This resource aims to inspire further innovation and support countries in building data governance systems that prioritize and protect children’s rights.
Testing Digital Accessibility in Education
Testing Digital Accessibility in Education
In 2024, UNICEF and the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic piloted the use of Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) in six schools to assess how technology can support inclusive education. The pilot introduced storybook-style ADTs for first- and third-grade students, integrating features such as audio narration, sign language videos and image descriptions. This working paper summarizes the findings from the pilot, exploring how students with and without disabilities interact with ADTs, how teachers incorporate them into lessons, and what infrastructure and support are needed to expand their use. Results show that ADTs can help foster inclusive learning environments, particularly when paired with teacher training and improved ICT resources.
Accessible Digital Textbooks Nicaragua
Accessible Digital Textbooks Nicaragua
In the Latin America and Caribbean region, more than 19 million children have a disability. In Nicaragua, disability is a major factor of exclusion from the education system. The Accessible Digital Textbooks for All (ADT) initiative, implements accessible digital tools and content to make learning accessible to all students – with and without disabilities – in the same classroom. In 2023, Nicaragua joined the Accessible Digital Textbooks for All (ADT) initiative, aiming to strengthen inclusive education by integrating digital tools into early-grade classrooms. With support from UNICEF, the Ministry of Education piloted two ADT prototypes—one for math and one for environmental studies—in three schools in Managua, reaching over 110 students with and without disabilities. The report summarizes lessons from this user testing phase, exploring how teachers and students interacted with the prototypes and what improvements are needed to ensure more inclusive learning experiences. Findings highlight the value of teacher training, the key role of ICT support, and the importance of accessible design—particularly for students with visual or hearing disabilities. The report also outlines recommendations to improve both content and technology as the initiative prepares for further implementation.
Cambodia Family Package Programme
Cambodia Family Package Programme
Despite rapid economic progress over the last two decades, almost 20 per cent of Cambodians continue to live below the national poverty line. The Cambodia Family Package Programme provides integrated social assistance to poor and vulnerable families, consolidating existing cash transfers for priority groups such as pregnant women, young children, school-aged children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Eligible households receive KHR 34,000 (US$8.30) per month plus additional grants for each different vulnerability type in the household. The Royal Government of Cambodia launched the programme in December 2023, and implementation started in April 2024.The rollout of the Family Package is accompanied by a rigorous impact evaluation, with a baseline conducted in May-June 2024. This report presents the baseline findings, providing critical insights into household conditions prior to programme implementation. Household characteristics indicate a high level of vulnerability, with the majority of participants falling below the poverty line, exhibiting low levels of consumption, high food insecurity and having limited dietary diversity. Economic activities revealed that households rely heavily on transfers, with low levels of non-farm enterprises, highlighting the need for diversified income sources. Similarly, financial inclusion remains low, with high reliance on informal sources for saving and borrowing, reflecting a need for improved financial access and savings mechanisms. The report also found gaps in school enrolment among adolescents and lack of access to affordable public health services.The baseline study examined the similarity between the treatment and comparison group and concluded that for the majority of the domains in the evaluation, the study design was effective. This baseline study has therefore paved the way for a rigorous impact assessment of the Family Package Programme in the future.
Data Must Speak: Ethiopia
Data Must Speak: Ethiopia
The Ministry of Education in Ethiopia developed its Education Sector Development Plan (ESDP) 2020/21-2024/25, outlining its vision of transforming society through harnessing the full potential of learners to become productive citizens. The ESDP includes several goals, including improving equitable access and participation in education for all children, improving the quality and relevance of education, ensuring good governance, and using education to establish national unity in diversity. As part of its plan, the MoE aims to improve its Education Management Information System (EMIS), including collecting more granular data, to inform decision-making and the equitable allocation of resources.By merging and analyzing existing administrative datasets in Ethiopia, the Data Must Speak (DMS) research helps to identify important associations between school inputs and school performance that can inform public policies and investments in the education sector. The DMS research leverages this administrative data to identify positive deviant schools – or those schools outperforming other schools operating in the same contexts and with equivalent resources. It then identifies the practices and behaviours that may be contributing to positive deviant schools’ success and explores how to scale these to more schools in the country.Data Must Speak (DMS) is a global initiative launched in 2014 to address evidence gaps and mitigate the learning crisis using existing data. The DMS Positive Deviance research is co-created and co-implemented with Ministries of Education and key partners. It employs mixed methods and innovative approaches, including positive deviance, behavioral sciences, implementation research, and scaling science, to generate knowledge and practical lessons. The research focuses on understanding 'what works,' 'why,' and 'how' to scale grassroots solutions for national policymakers and the international education community.On this webpage, you will find all the DMS Positive Deviance research outputs related to Ethiopia:DMS Stage 3: Discovering locally-led behaviours and practices to improve quality educationStage 3 Report: Schools Inspiring Change: Research on the practices and behaviours of positive deviant schools in EthiopiaExecutive Summary Stage 3 of the DMS research in Ethiopia
Global Research Agenda For Children with Disabilities
Global Research Agenda For Children with Disabilities
Children with disabilities remain under-researched and underserved globally. Despite commitments to removing barriers to inclusion, the evidence base for effective policies, programmes and investments remains fragmented. The Global Research Agenda for Children with Disabilities (the Research Agenda) provides a strategic framework to close evidence gaps, drive disability-inclusive research, and ensure the meaningful engagement of children with disabilities and their representative organizations.To understand which research areas can have the greatest impact for children with disabilities, please also review our Global Research Agenda for Children with Disabilities.
Arts and Culture for Inclusion
Arts and Culture for Inclusion
This systematic review by UNICEF Innocenti explores the role of arts- and culture-based programmes in promoting social inclusion for children with disabilities. Drawing on a comprehensive analysis of global evidence, the report examines interventions in dance, music, theatre, visual arts, cultural traditions, and other creative activities that foster participation, reduce stigma, and enhance well-being.The findings highlight the potential of these programmes to create inclusive environments where children with and without disabilities can engage, express themselves, and build meaningful social connections. While evidence gaps remain, particularly in low-income settings, humanitarian contexts, and underrepresented disability groups, the report underscores the promise of this approach and the need for further research and investment to expand its impact.This report serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers seeking to leverage arts and culture for disability inclusion. It provides key insights into programme effectiveness, challenges in implementation, and recommendations for future research. To understand which research areas can have the greatest impact for children with disabilities, please also review our Global Research Agenda for Children with Disabilities.
From Insight to Inclusion
From Insight to Inclusion
Effective policies and programmes depend on evidence – but for children with disabilities, research is too often incomplete or missing. UNICEF disability research worldwide fills these gaps, providing rigorous, up-to-date insights that drive smarter investments, stronger policies, and better outcomes for children.From Insight to Inclusion is a comprehensive UNICEF Innocenti report demonstrating how rigorous, research-driven insights transform the lives of children with disabilities. Anchored in UNICEF’s Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS), the report follows the journey from innovative research to tangible impacts in education, healthcare, social protection, and beyond. Featuring studies and case examples from 2018 to 2022, it reveals how evidence-based research empowers communities and fosters inclusive practices worldwide.Inclusion starts with knowledge. Please read the report and explore the range of UNICEF’s research on children with disabilities.To understand which research areas can have the greatest impact for children with disabilities, please also review our Global Research Agenda for Children with Disabilities.
Simulation of the Mother and Child Benefit Programme
Simulation of the Mother and Child Benefit Programme
UNICEF, in partnership with CARE Bangladesh, implemented a pilot simulation of the Mother and Child Benefit Programme (MCBP) in Pekua Upazila, Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh. The pilot was funded by the European Union, and it ran from January 2023 to June 2024. It simulated the national MCBP, which combines cash transfers with health and nutrition services to support pregnant women and young children below the age of four.The goal of the Pekua simulation was to generate evidence on implementation aspects, including fidelity of implementation, as well as challenges and enablers that hindered or supported programme implementation.Based on focus group discussions and key informant interviews, the study examined the following specific areas: (i) relevance and adequacy of the cash transfer and services; (ii) coordination among programme implementing partners and other stakeholders; (iii) programme monitoring and timeliness; and (iv) enablers and bottlenecks for implementation of the various programme components, including linkages to local health services.The research on the Pekua MCBP simulation provides valuable lessons and recommendations that can guide the scale up of the national MCBP programme. The results can also support the implementation of other cash-plus social protection programmes in analogous contexts.
