UNICEF aims to reduce child poverty and give all children an equitable chance in life. Together with partners, we help level the playing field for disadvantaged children, including those uprooted by war and violence.
UNICEF calls for all Governments to recognize child poverty as a national policy priority and protect children from its most devastating effects. We support countries’ efforts to assess both monetary and multidimensional child poverty – measures of poverty and deprivation that go beyond income – and to address them through policies, programmes and budgets.
UNICEF helps countries strengthen and expand social protection systems that support the well-being of all children, especially those most at risk of discrimination and exclusion. This includes supporting the development and expansion of national cash transfer programmes, and strengthening social protection systems so that all families gain access to health care, education and social welfare, even in the face of humanitarian crises.
UNICEF supports national and local governments to mobilize, allocate and improve the utilization of public financial resources to deliver more equitable and sustainable social services and contribute to better results for children.
UNICEF helps build the capacity of local governments – in both urban and rural contexts – to generate local data, plan and organize services, prepare for emergencies, budget equitably and monitor the impact of interventions on children.
Results for children
In 2018, UNICEF worked in more than 150 countries to: