Supply Annual Report 2011

Highlights

In 2011, UNICEF reported that the number of children under five who die every year from preventable causes plummeted from 12.4 million in 1990, to 7.6 million in 2010. This means 4.8 million fewer children die per year, even with an overall global population growth of 30 per cent. This reduction in child mortality reflects development – a part of which includes helping governments, communities and markets provide life-saving supplies to children. UNICEF holds such work core to its mission and over the last decade, during which child mortality rates decreased at an accelerated rate, UNICEF expenditure on supplies for children quadrupled to over $2 billion.

The world knows that over two-thirds of these early child deaths are due to conditions that could be prevented or treated with access to simple, affordable interventions. Leading causes of death are pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and health problems during the first month of life. Over one third of all child deaths are linked to malnutrition. Influencing markets and policies to help ensure access for essential interventions is central to development and humanitarian work.

This year’s Supply Annual Report highlights UNICEF’s work in influencing global and local markets of strategic essential products to help ensure availability, sustainability, quality and affordability – or, as Médecins Sans Frontières puts it, ‘access’. We report on progress made and the challenges ahead. There is great news to report – such as improved pricing that is expected to generate savings and cost avoidances of $735 million for governments, partners and UNICEF between 2011 and 2015 – but more results like these are needed.

UNICEF delivered supplies to over 140 countries in 2011, including to 78 countries facing humanitarian emergencies. During a period of austerity, UNCEF staff did more with less and implemented strategies to attain value for money for donors and governments. This included a wide range of efforts, including preparing for a new accounting and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, supporting the worst famines in the Horn of Africa, increasing transparency on results and performance, and positively influencing global markets.