NEW YORK, 4 May 2021,  , – , "Deputy Secretary-General. Honoured guests. Ladies and gentlemen. And a special greeting to the young people who have joined us.       "This event is a chance to think boldly and collectively about how to strengthen food systems in the future. And to hear from young people themselves. They have the biggest stake in the future. We need their ideas…, "Too often, food systems put profit over purpose. This places the most nutritious food, out of reach for many households. Families are forced to turn to heavily marketed, unhealthy alternatives. These may be cheaper and more available. But they also lead to poor nutritional outcomes, threatening children’s development, growth and — in the worst cases — survival itself. "We also need to take into account these systems’ impact on our…, "We need to improve the quality of what children eat, . This includes mandatory standards for children’s food, public policies that promote healthy food, and supply-chain interventions to fortify staple foods for young children., "We need to improve the quality of children’s food environments – where they live, learn, eat, and meet, . This includes ending marketing of unhealthy food that targets children, serving better food in schools, and labelling foods with accurate information that children and families can understand., "We need to improve feeding practices — especially in early childhood, . This includes supporting breastfeeding and helping parents and children alike make better food choices for themselves and for the planet.  "And we need to find ways to, minimize the environmental damage of food systems and reduce their carbon footprin, t. "At every step, we need to, listen to the voices of children and young people — just like you, . You have some of the best and brightest ideas about how we can change food systems for the better. "And so, to all of the young people here today: lend us your ideas, energies and insights. "Help us shape better food systems in every country. And let’s find new ways to deliver good nutrition — and a healthier planet — for every country, every…

As the impacts of climate change intensify with each passing year, more and more young people are joining the movement for positive change. By leading the discussion around climate change, they are also spreading awareness and motivating others to take action. UNICEF partnered with Fridays For Future , an organization founded by Greta Thunberg, to…, Tahsin, Bangladesh, Tahsin Uddin, 22, is a climate activist in Bangladesh – a country where many people are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. He promotes cycling as an eco-friendly vehicle through his youth organization and trains teenagers on mobile journalism, while also planting trees and organizing clean-ups. He urges young people to take part in their…, Russell, Dominica, Russell Raymond, 17, is a reporter from the Caribbean nation of Dominica. When Hurricane Maria made landfall in September 2017, it devastated his country, submerging streets, blowing roofs off homes and schools and forcing his family to seek shelter. Since then, he has used photography to chronicle the impacts of the hurricane on the island he…, Mitzi, Philippines, Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Mitzi Jonelle Tan, an activist from Manila, has been campaigning for climate justice. As the Philippines was hit by two back-to-back hurricanes in 2020, her organization sprang into action – feeding the communities left hungry and asking them about their problems and how they felt after the storm. “This isn’t just…, Nkosi, Zimbabwe, Nkosilathi Nyathi, 17, is a UNICEF climate activist from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. He walks us through changes he has witnessed first-hand as a result of climate change. He feels that although young people can see and feel the effects of climate change, many don’t know what’s happening and he wants to change that. “There’s no other time for acting…

Environmental hazards have been linked to a range of significant health risks for children. UNICEF is elevating action on climate change and environmental degradation for and with young people in its programmes to strengthen primary care, with a focus on prevention. The Healthy Environments for Healthy Children: Global Programme Framework aims to…

Many people associate pneumonia with the elderly, but it is actually the biggest infectious killer of children worldwide. It claims the lives of over 800,000 children under five every year, including over 153,000 newborns, who are particularly vulnerable to infection. That means a child dies from pneumonia every 39 seconds and almost all of these…

Every year on 22 April, people come together for Earth Day to celebrate the planet and environmental protection. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, but the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak means celebrations will look very different from usual.     Scenes from previous years of millions of children and young people marching…

This report presents UNICEF's climate and environmental sustainability strategy. It is anchored around 4 pillars and is the basis for UNICEF external advocacy, programmatic interventions, and internal greening efforts. It details five areas where UNICEF has the potential to programmatically deliver climate related initiatives at scale in the near…

Around 1 in 3 children – up to 800 million globally – has blood lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per decilitre (µg/dL), a level that the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated it requires global and regional interventions. This joint report by UNICEF and Pure Earth notes that lead…

NEW YORK, 30 July 2020 –, Lead poisoning is affecting children on a massive and previously unknown scale, according to a new report launched today by UNICEF and Pure Earth. The report, the first of its kind, says that around 1 in 3 children – up to 800 million globally – have blood lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), the level at which requires…, Monitoring and reporting systems, including building capacity for blood lead level testing., Prevention and control measures, including preventing children’s exposure to high-risk sites and products that contain lead, such as certain ceramics, paints, toys and spices., Management, treatment and remediation, including strengthening health systems so that they are equipped to detect, monitor and treat lead exposure among children; and providing children with enhanced educational interventions and cognitive behavioural therapy to better manage the negative effects of lead exposure., Public awareness and behaviour change, including creating continual public education campaigns about the dangers and sources of lead exposure with direct appeals to parents, schools, community leaders and healthcare workers., Legislation and policy, including developing, implementing and enforcing environmental, health and safety standards for manufacturing and recycling of lead acid batteries and e-waste, and enforcing environmental and air-quality regulations for smelting operations., Global and regional action, including creating global standard units of measure to verify the results of pollution intervention on public health, the environment and local economies; building an international registry of anonymized results of blood lead level studies; and creating international standards and norms around recycling and transportation of used lead acid…, Notes to editors, Blood lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) is the level at which the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated requires intervention, and a level at which the World Health Organization says may be associated with decreased intelligence in children, behavioral problems and learning difficulties.…

UNICEF works to safeguard the right of all children to a safe and clean environment both in times of stability and crisis. Under Goal Area 4 of the UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2018–2021, programming is grouped under five output areas: water supply, sanitation, disaster risk reduction, children in urban settings and environmental sustainability. In each…

The scientific community has sounded the alarm. Climate change is a global emergency and we have little more than a decade to undertake the urgent and unprecedented action required to limit global temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Beyond that time, the risks of deadly drought, flooding, heatwaves, extreme weather and poverty will…