The Challenge, Millions of children and mothers across the world lack access to essential health services. High costs and long distances to health facilities prevent families in many rural communities from receiving care. Others may face barriers due to conflict or insecurity. Community health programmes are essential for bringing critical services to the…, UNICEF’s response, UNICEF strengthens community health systems and provides promotive and preventive care to remote communities around the world. We support and train community health workers to provide essential services, prevent the spread of diseases and respond to humanitarian crises. As a key partner in the Community Health Roadmap – a global collaboration to…, UNICEF’s community health programmes in brief, We focus on strengthening community health systems and integrating community health workers in formal health systems. We engage community health workers to provide children with quality promotive and preventive care, as well as curative services against life-threatening diseases like malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea. We support community health…, Resources, Community Health Planning and Costing Tool This handbook helps managers develop effective, sustainable and comprehensive community health services. Community Health Roadmap Learn more about this global collaboration to scale primary care at the community level. Strengthening Primary Health Care through Community Health Workers: Investment Case and…, More from UNICEF

This publication is part of a package of evidence and tools that includes: a systematic review of Communication for Development (C4D) interventions to address violence against children (VAC), an evidence review of randomized controlled trials, technical guidance for C4D programmes addressing VAC, and training materials related to the Guidance.…

The challenge, In recent decades, the world has made significant strides improving health outcomes for children and adolescents. But inequities among and within countries persist. Especially in low- and middle-income countries, millions of children do not have access to quality health care and services. In some places, health facilities are too far or expensive…, Resources, The UNICEF Health Systems Strengthening Approach Learn more about our vision for, and approach to, health systems that reliably serve children, adolescents and women of reproductive age. A Vision for Primary Health Care in the 21 st Century UNICEF and the World Health Organization explore how the international community can achieve universal…, UNICEF’s response, To help children survive and thrive, health systems need sufficient funding to be sustainable, resilient and inclusive. Strengthening health systems is critical to the supply and delivery of quality, affordable primary health care and to the achievement of universal health coverage. It expands access to the most vulnerable children, and integrates…

PANAMA, 6 August 2019 - UNICEF welcomes the decision of the Government of Colombia to grant Colombian nationality to more than 24,000 children born to Venezuelan parents who have been in the country since August 2015. This decision is an essential guarantor of children’s rights and will help to mitigate the risks associated with statelessness. The…

The Challenge, Death and injury due to road traffic accidents and drowning are on the rise worldwide. Today, more people die from road traffic injuries than from HIV and AIDS , tuberculosis or diarrhoeal diseases. For children and young people between the ages of 5 and 29, road traffic injuries represent the leading cause of death. Drowning is another top killer…, UNICEF’s response, Preventing road traffic fatalities and drowning demands concerted efforts across sectors, including health, education and child protection. Communication initiatives that educate children, families and communities about risks are also imperative.   UNICEF works with Governments and partners worldwide to support, develop and monitor integrated…, Resources, United Nations Road Safety Collaboration Learn more about this consultative mechanism among UN agencies and other international partners for facilitating international cooperation on road safety. World Health Organization’s Global Report on Drowning, 2014 This report highlights drowning prevention strategies and makes recommendations for concrete…, More from UNICEF

The Challenge, To reach their full potential, children need high-quality health care and services – especially in life’s early moments. The time between pregnancy and age 3, when the brain is most susceptible to environmental influences, is critical for a child’s growth and development . All children – including those with disabilities and developmental delays,…, UNICEF’s response, In 2018, UNICEF co-led the creation of the Nurturing Care Framework for Early Childhood Development . This framework outlines relevant policies, interventions and strategies needed across sectors – including health, nutrition, education and child protection – to strengthen early childhood development and monitor progress towards associated goals.…, Resources, Nurturing Care Framework for Early Childhood Development Learn why nurturing care is vital for the healthy growth and development of all children. Operationalizing Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development: The Role of the Health Sector alongside Other Sectors and Actors This guidance elaborates on the multiple opportunities to advance…, More from UNICEF

The Ebola virus is relentless and devastating. UNICEF and partners are continuing to ramp up their response

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is an important agreement by countries who have promised to protect children’s rights.  The Convention on the Rights of the Child explains who children are, all their rights, and the responsibilities of governments. All the rights are connected, they are all equally important and they cannot…

NEW YORK, 2 August 2019 – “This was another devastating week for children living through conflict and instability in the Middle East and North Africa, with killings and other violent acts committed against them daily. “Since Saturday, violence has taken a grisly toll on the region’s young people: two schools and a hospital came under attack in…

The Challenge, Each year, non-communicable diseases claim 41 million lives: That’s about 70 per cent of all global deaths. While non-communicable diseases tend to manifest in adulthood, many have their origins in behaviours adopted during childhood and adolescence. Risk factors for these diseases are often preventable: Appropriate health interventions before,…, UNICEF’s response, UNICEF works with Governments and partners to help reduce the risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). As a member of the United Nations Interagency Task Force on NCDs , we strive to integrate NCD prevention in our maternal, newborn and child health programmes. Our work on non-communicable diseases extends beyond the health…, Resources, UNICEF Programme Guidance for Early-Life Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases  ( Full version ) ( Summary ) This technical document explains how UNICEF incorporates non-communicable-disease (NCD) prevention into programming, focusing on reducing NCD risk factors for mothers, children and adolescents.  Silent Suffocation in Africa: Air Pollution…, More from UNICEF