Immunization of Children through Vaccination
UNICEF is committed to ensuring that all children have access to receive life-saving vaccines regardless of their background or circumstances
- فارسي، فارسي
- English
The issue faced
While Iran has vast medical infrastructure and expertise, a combination of domestic and international factors (including sanctions) is hampering the organic development of the health care system, with significant adverse consequences for the most vulnerable, who are at risk of being left behind.
Gaps in strengthening the national vaccine cold chain system and difficulties in accessing critical vaccines, such as Rotavirus and the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), could potentially have significant impact on children’s health especially given the levels of internal displacement and migration in Iran. Moreover, the threat of importation of vaccine preventable disease like measles and polio remains a priority and requires high routine vaccine coverage in all areas, including among migrant and refugee children.
The actions taken
Operating in synergy with the national health authorities – and in close collaboration on technical aspects with the respective government entities, UNICEF is marshalling international support to address gaps in the Iranian health system. Specific actions undertaken toward this end include:
- Facilitating the import and introduction of vaccines against Rotavirus and Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV)
- And upgrading cold chain logistics for the transport and storage of vaccines.
Strengthening vaccination uptake via social behavioural change programmes in the most disadvantaged areas to remove or reduce scepticism among community members concerning vaccines.
The partners engaged
UNICEF partners involved in implementation of the programme in this focus area include the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and the World Health Organization.
The impact sought
The indicated UNICEF actions aim to prevent the outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases, and reduce the prevalence of conditions such as pneumonia and diarrhoea, common causes of neonatal and infant mortality. In this way, boosted health outcomes can be achieved by children in Iran, and Iranian society strengthened and made more resilient as a result.
Monitoring and Accountability
In adherence to principles of accountability, UNICEF enriches its programme designs and adaptations through systematic assessment and monitoring of the child’s rights deprivations, operating environment, partnerships and progress towards planned results. The implementation of Harmonised Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT) ensures both financial and programmatic compliance through a combination of micro and macro assessments, spot checks, audits and programmatic visits. Leveraging sophisticated and integrated enterprise platforms and tools, UNICEF maintains a consistent monitoring of its programme implementation assessing quality and coverage, identifying risks and challenges, highlighting best practices and lessons learned, fostering stakeholder participation and engagement and conducting end user monitoring of supplies. Additionally, UNICEF remains committed to its costed evaluation plan which includes external evaluations of its projects, partnerships, and/or strategies primarily aiming to enhance relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of its programmes.
