UNICEF and the GIIN Join Forces to Integrate Child Outcomes Into Impact Investing

The collaboration brings together UNICEF’s Child‑Lens Investing approach and the GIIN’s tools and guidance, helping investors to measure, manage and optimize their impact on children.

NEW YORK & HELSINKI, March 5, 2026 – UNICEF and the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) have partnered to ensure children’s rights and wellbeing become an integral part of investment decisions. Although children make up one third of the world’s population and represent future workers, innovators and leaders, they are rarely considered in investment decisions.

The collaboration will bring together UNICEF’s Child‑Lens Investing approach and the GIIN’s tools and guidance for impact investors. Its core element will be the creation of a Child-Lens within IRIS+, the GIIN’s set of tools and guidance for impact investors to measure, manage and optimize their impact. This lens will span across all IRIS+ themes, enabling investors to recognize, measure and track the effects of their investments on children, alongside other strategic priorities, contributing to a more sustainable future for all.

“Through Child‑Lens Investing (CLI), UNICEF has pioneered an approach that makes children visible to investors. By partnering with the GIIN, we can now take a significant step forward to ensure the sustainability, scalability and systemic influence of CLI,“ said Cristina Bertolino, Head of UNICEF’s Innovative Finance Hub. “We’re thrilled to work alongside the leader in the field. Together, we can create lasting impact by embedding children at the core of global impact measurement architecture.”

The partnership combines the GIIN’s technical expertise and extensive network of 450+ investors with UNICEF’s deep knowledge in children’s rights and needs, providing an opportunity to channel investment towards the wellbeing of children. The resulting tools and guidance will empower investors to strengthen the conditions and practices required for all children to experience a full childhood.

“At a time of deep uncertainty about our future, investors must consider the needs and well-being of future generations by supporting children today,” said Amit Bouri, CEO and co-founder of the GIIN. “By focusing on how investment capital can lead to positive outcomes for children, we can better align markets with long-term impact. Children are the future of humanity and stewards of our planet; it’s time we recognize them as core stakeholders in global investment decisions. We’re grateful to partner with UNICEF on this important work.”

As the industry standard for impact measurement and management, the GIIN’s IRIS+ is a free, public good that can help investors make more informed decisions and deliver stronger outcomes for people and the planet. Its consistent user base, evidence-backed methodologies, data-driven metric sets and investor guidance make it a powerful platform for advancing CLI and delivering tangible outcomes for children. Additionally, the GIIN will establish dedicated working groups, comprised of technical experts, sector specialists and practitioners, to guide the design, development and validation of the CLI metrics within IRIS+.

For more information on the initiative, please contact [email protected].

About UNICEF: UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works in over 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. The UNICEF Innovative Finance Hub, funded by the Government of Finland, operates to unlock global capital in support of children and the Sustainable Development Goals. Its core initiative is Child‑Lens Investing (CLI).

About the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN): The Global Impact Investing Network, Inc. (GIIN) is the leading industry body for impact investing. Since 2009, the GIIN has worked to increase the scale and effectiveness of impact investing to solve systemic problems facing people and the planet. With approximately 450 members across six continents, the GIIN serves as a hub for innovation, ideas and information to help investors build a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient world. Learn more at thegiin.org.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Milma Kettunen (UNICEF)

Communications Specialist 

E-mail: [email protected]

Lindsay Gardner (GIIN)

Manager, Communications & Public Relations 

Email: [email protected]