NEW YORK, 19 November 2020, – UNICEF warned in a new report today of significant and growing consequences for children as the COVID-19 pandemic lurches toward a second year. Released ahead of World Children’s Day, Averting a Lost COVID Generation is the first UNICEF report to comprehensively outline the dire and growing consequences for children as the pandemic drags on. It…, learn, , including by closing the digital divide. Guarantee access to, nutrition, and, health services, and make, vaccines, affordable and available to every child. Support and protect the mental health of children and young people and bring an end to abuse, gender-based violence and neglect in childhood. Increase access to, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, and address, environmental degradation and climate change., Reverse the rise in, child poverty, and ensure an inclusive recovery for all. Redouble efforts to protect and support children and their families living through, conflict, disaster and displacement., “This World Children’s Day, we are asking governments, partners and the private sector to listen to children and prioritize their needs,” Fore said. “As we all reimagine the future and look ahead toward a post-pandemic world, children must come first.”, In Nepal,, to mark World Children’s Day on 20 November, and highlight the issues around children’s and young people’s wellbeing, UNICEF Nepal will host a virtual children’s parliamentary session and a virtual festival of visions and voices of young people. In addition, UNICEF Nepal is launching a mental health campaign ‘Ma Chhu Ni’ to help to build an allyship among young people.         Of particular…, report will go live at 00.01 GMT 19 November here: https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/six-point-plan-protect-children For the UNICEF survey on disruptions to child services due to COVID-19 across 148 countries from 17 August to 17 September, click here . The data used for the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among children and adolescents under…

NEW YORK/ GENEVA/ ATLANTA, 12 November 2020, – Measles surged worldwide in 2019 reaching highest number of reported cases in 23 years.,  , Highlighted in a publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles cases worldwide increased to 869,770 in 2019, the highest number reported since 1996 with increases in all WHO regions. Global measles deaths climbed nearly 50 percent since 2016, claiming an estimated…, Global response to COVID-19 pandemic must not exacerbate the measles crisis, Although reported cases of measles are lower in 2020, necessary efforts to control COVID-19 have resulted in disruptions in vaccination and crippled efforts to prevent and minimize measles outbreaks. As of November, more than 94 million people were at risk of missing vaccines due to paused measles campaigns in 26 countries.  Many of these…, Causes of failure to control measles are many and must be addressed, Global immunization partners are engaging leaders and public health professionals in affected and at-risk countries to ensure that measles vaccines are available and safely delivered, and that caregivers understand the life-saving benefit of the vaccine.  On 6 November 2020, WHO and UNICEF issued an emergency call to action for measles and polio…, Quotes from Our Partners, “These alarming figures should act as a warning that, with the COVID-19 pandemic occupying health systems across the world, we cannot afford to take our eye off the ball when it comes to other deadly diseases. Measles is entirely preventable; in a time in which we have a powerful, safe and cost-effective vaccine nobody should still be dying of…

NEW YORK/GENEVA/KATHMANDU, 9 October 2020, – Almost 2 million babies are stillborn every year – or 1 every 16 seconds – according to the first ever joint stillbirth estimates released by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The vast majority of stillbirths, 84 per cent…, The report is available here:, http://uni.cf/stillbirthreport This image shows a woman unpacking baby clothes and blankets in her home in Lusaka. She has just returned following the stillbirth of her baby. She believes her baby was stillborn due to complications related to her diabetes and HIV-positive status. UNICEF/UNI59991/Nesbitt A woman unpacks baby clothes and blankets in…

NEW YORK/LONDON /KATHMANDU, 23 September 2020 –, The number of children living in multidimensional poverty has soared to approximately 1.2 billion due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new UNICEF and Save the Children analysis published today. This is a 15 per cent increase in the number of children living in deprivation in low- and middle-income countries, or an additional 150 million…

NEW YORK/GENEVA, /KATHMANDU, ,, 11, September 2020, – The number of global under-five deaths dropped to its lowest point on record in 2019 – down to 5.2 million from 12.5 million in 1990, according to new mortality estimates released by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the World Bank Group. Since…, For the UNICEF survey on disruptions due to COVID-19,, click here, ., Main report landing page: https://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in-child-mortality/ Datasets: https://data.unicef.org/resources/dataset/child-mortality/ Narrative page https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/under-five-mortality/

KATHMANDU, 10 September 2020 –, On World Suicide Prevention Day, UNICEF calls on government and development partners, civil society, communities and families, to contribute to the prevention, therapy, treatment, and rehabilitation services for children and young people and ensure that mental health becomes part of mainstream health care services in Nepal. For many families in…, Please note: You can seek the support of psychosocial counselors if you feel excessive stress through a toll-free number 1660 010 2005 (8 am to 6 pm) or from other service providers. For mental health services including treatment options please contact the Kanti Children’s Hospital or call 9808522410., This image shows a mother's placing a comforting hand on her child's leg UNICEF Nepal/2019/LPNgakhusi

NEW YORK/COPENHAGEN/KATHMANDU, 4 September 2020, – UNICEF is leading efforts to procure and supply COVID-19 vaccines in what could possibly be the world’s largest and fastest ever procurement and supply of vaccines, as part of the global vaccine plan of the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX Facility) led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. With several vaccine candidates showing promise…

NEW YORK/KATHMANDU, 2, 8, August 2020 , – At least a third of the world’s schoolchildren – 463 million children globally – were unable to access remote learning when COVID-19 shuttered their schools, according to a new UNICEF report released today as countries across the world grapple with their ‘back-to-school’ plans. “For at least 463 million children whose schools closed due to COVID…, Region,  , Minimum proportion of schoolchildren unable to access remote learning (%),  , Minimum number of schoolchildren unable to access remote learning,   East and Southern Africa  49%  67 million  West and Central Africa  48%  54 million  East Asia and the Pacific  20%  80 million  Middle East and North Africa  40%  37 million  South Asia  38%  147 million  Eastern Europe and Central Asia  34%  25 million  Latin America and the Caribbean  9%  13 million , Global,  , 31%,  , 463 million,     Schoolchildren from the poorest households and those living in rural areas are by far the most likely to miss out during closures, the report says. Globally, 72 per cent of schoolchildren unable to access remote learning live in their countries’ poorest households. In upper-middle-income countries, schoolchildren from the poorest households…, Notes to editors:,   The analysis uses findings from the UNESCO-UNICEF-World Bank Survey on National Education Responses to COVID-19 School Closures joint survey.   The number of children potentially reached by broadcast media or internet solutions are based on the availability of related assets (TV, radio and internet) at home, not their actual use by children.…

KATHMANDU, 28 JULY 2020, – An additional 3.9 million children in South Asia under the age of five could suffer from wasting – and therefore become dangerously undernourished – in 2020 as a result of the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF warned today. According to an analysis published in The Lancet , 6.7  million children globally could suffer from…, Safeguarding access to nutritious, safe and affordable diets, as a cornerstone of the response to COVID-19 by protecting food producers, processors and retailers; discouraging trade bans; and designating food markets as essential services; , Investing decisively in support for maternal and child nutrition, by protecting breastfeeding, preventing the inappropriate marketing of infant formula, and securing children and women’s access to nutritious and diverse foods;, Re-activating and scaling up services for the early detection and treatment of child wasting, while expanding other life-protecting nutrition services;, Maintaining the provision of nutritious and safe school meals, by reaching vulnerable children through home delivery, take-home rations, cash or vouchers when schools are closed; and, Expanding social protection to safeguard access to nutritious diets, and essential services among the poorest and most affected households, including access to fortified foods. “We are encouraged by the efforts being taken across South Asia to resume nutrition services”, said Jean Gough. “It is essential that we combine efforts across health and social protection to prevent more children from becoming wasted, and…

Kathmandu, 10 July 2020, – Rakuten Viber, one of the world’s leading messaging apps for free and secure communication, and UNICEF, United Nations agency working for child rights in Nepal, have collaborated to launch U-Report Nepal chatbot on Viber. U-Report Nepal is a community participation tool empowering young people to be active advocates for positive change in their…