Global Annual Results Report 2025
Programme results supported by contributions received from partners.
The UNICEF 2025 Global Annual Results Reports (GARR) highlight results for children and adolescents that have been achieved during the fourth year of implementation of its Strategic Plan, 2022-2025. The GARRs present progress and milestones across each of the five Goal Areas, as well as the cross-cutting area of gender equality, mental health and humanitarian action. The reports describe how UNICEF, together with partners, applied transformative change strategies and approaches to deliver results at scale for children, upholding their rights, and with a focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized girls and boys.
Implementation of the Strategic Plan is taking place at a crucial time when the human rights of children are under threat. The compounding nature of recent global challenges – including public health emergencies, conflicts, natural disasters and socio-economic challenges – has affected children worldwide. Despite these challenges, this is also a time of great opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of children, not only over the next few years, but to 2030 and beyond.
Leveraging thematic resources for results
UNICEF has several funding modalities that work together to achieve lasting impact. This report highlights the achievements made possible by contributions to UNICEF, notably of softly earmarked global thematic funding received from partners.
Thematic funding is one of the best ways to achieve impact for children and it gives partners an opportunity to achieve large-scale results in the UNICEF Strategic Plan. Thematic funds are unique in that they are spent across the four years of the Strategic Plan, supporting UNICEF to achieve its long-term targets and contribute to specific SDGs. They are used strategically to strengthen the social service systems on which children rely and enable a timely response to humanitarian crises.
The flexibility of thematic funding also enables UNICEF to work across the United Nations system ‘together as one’, to achieve common results that support even greater efficiency and impact. By contributing to the UNICEF mandate to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs, and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential, thematic resources facilitate longer-term planning and sustainability. They also yield a higher return on investment for results for children compared to tightly earmarked contributions, as lower indirect costs enable more funding to go towards programming.
Goal area 1 (Health): Every child, including adolescents, survives and thrives, with access to nutritious diets, quality primary health care, nurturing practices and essential supplies
Every child, including adolescents, survives and thrives, with access to nutritious diets, quality primary health care, nurturing practices and essential supplies. In 2025, UNICEF continued to support countries to strengthen primary health care, expand equitable access to life-saving services, including immunization, HIV and malnutrition interventions, maintain critical services in development and humanitarian contexts, and build resilient systems that enable children and adolescents to survive, thrive, and reach their full potential.
Goal area 1 (Nutrition): Every child, including adolescents, survives and thrives, with access to nutritious diets, quality primary health care, nurturing practices and essential supplies
UNICEF implemented child nutrition and development programmes in 122 countries across three results areas: (1) nutrition in early childhood; (2) nutrition of school-age children, adolescents and women; and (3) early detection and treatment of malnutrition. UNICEF also played a crucial role in global advocacy, thought leadership and knowledge generation to end child food poverty and tackle the triple burden of malnutrition.
Goal area 2: Every child, including adolescents, learns and acquires skills for the future
UNICEF continued to support children and adolescents across the learning continuum, from early childhood education and school readiness to foundational learning, secondary education, skills development and pathways to employment. Throughout the Strategic Plan period, UNICEF worked to expand equitable access to learning opportunities while strengthening the systems that enable learning, participation and skills development at scale. Cross-cutting priorities included education in emergencies, digital transformation and the responsible use of AI, gender equality, inclusion, mental health and psychosocial support, environmental sustainability, and adolescent engagement.
Goal area 3: Every child, including adolescents, is protected from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and harmful practices
UNICEF worked to scale up sustainable, high-impact, evidence-based solutions to prevent and respond to violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and harmful practices in 156 countries around the world. Along with multi-sector partners, UNICEF achieved significant results though conflict, normative pushback against child rights and shrinking development and humanitarian financing continued to place significant strain on child protection systems. Every child in every context has the right to be protected from all forms of violence. This right is embedded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Goal area 4: Every child, including adolescents, has access to safe and equitable water, sanitation and hygiene services and supplies, and lives in a safe and sustainable climate and environment
UNICEF advanced integrated action on safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate resilience and environmental sustainability to help every child live in a safe and resilient environment. Working with governments, communities and partners, UNICEF expanded access to essential WASH services, strengthened national systems, and accelerated climate-resilient solutions that protect children from growing environmental and climate-related risks.
Goal area 5: Every child, including adolescents, has access to inclusive social protection and lives free from poverty
UNICEF worked with governments and partners to strengthen evidence on child poverty, protect investment in essential services and build inclusive social protection systems that can respond to the needs of children and families, including during crises. The Goal Area 5 report takes stock of this work. It presents the progress made, the challenges that remain and the partnerships and investments needed to ensure that every child has access to inclusive social protection and the opportunity to live free from poverty.
Gender equality
In the fourth year of its Gender Action Plan, 2022-2025 (GAP), UNICEF intensified efforts to scale up investments in resources, leadership, capacity and accountability to deliver tangible results for girls and women while ensuring an equal future for all girls and boys.
This report highlights how UNICEF is driving gender equality across core programme areas – health and nutrition, education, child protection, WASH and social protection – while placing a strong focus on adolescent girls as catalysts for change and innovation.
Humanitarian action
2025 saw the lives of millions of children being shaped by violence, lack of food, famine, intensifying climate shocks and disruption of essential services. Challenges to humanitarian access and disregard for international humanitarian law hampered efforts to meet children’s growing needs. The year was also marked by significant funding cuts for humanitarian assistance – along with fast-paced reform in the humanitarian system (the Humanitarian Reset) and the United Nations (the UN80 Initiative) system. In this context, UNICEF continued to deliver on its mandate to uphold children’s rights, fulfill our Core Commitments for Children in humanitarian action and inter-agency accountabilities and on our promise to stay and deliver. Together with partners, UNICEF responded to 414 humanitarian crises in 101 countries, reaching millions of children with life-saving, gender-sensitive and disability-inclusive interventions.
Mental health
Promoting and protecting the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of children, adolescents, and their caregivers remains fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a direct contribution to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
