UNICEF Supply Annual Report 2023

Supply 360°: An overview of the supply results for children delivered by UNICEF and partners across the globe.

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UNICEF Supply Annual Report 2023 Supply 360° features the vital role of UNICEF’s supply chains in realizing every child’s right to survive and thrive, to learn and to be protected. The achievements reported are a testament to what we can accomplish when we come together with a shared resolve for a better world for every child.

The report focuses on five layers of our work: Emergencies, Immunization, Localization, Sustainability and Digitalization. It also highlights the importance of Innovation, a key driver in UNICEF’s efforts to adapt and respond to the ever-changing needs of the children and communities we serve.

The UNICEF Supply Community and our extensive network of strategic partnerships were at the heart of all our work for children in 2023, underlining the importance and power of collective action.

"Amidst escalating emergencies, the compounding impact of a global polycrisis, and the ongoing need for sustainable development, our commitment to child rights has never been more crucial."

Leila Gharagozloo Pakkala, Director of UNICEF Supply Division
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In 2023, UNICEF procured $5.2 billion worth of supplies and services for children in 162 countries and areas. UNICEF’s total 2023 procurement value represents a 37 per cent increase compared to pre-pandemic procurement (2019). 76 per cent of supplies were procured in collaboration with United Nations agencies and other humanitarian and development partners.

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A girl sits on the edge of a sidewalk besides three water cans, in Khan Younis City, southern the Gaza Strip. A
UNICEF/UNI485705/El Baba A girl sits on the side of the road waiting to fill water cans in Khan Younis City in the Gaza Strip, State of Palestine.
A smiling girl in a schoolroom opening her blue UNICEF backpack. A
UNICEF/UN0820669/Shing "I am happy to be back in school and to meet my friends," says Keziah, 7 years old, who returned to school after a series of cyclones in Vanuatu.
Two UNICEF staff observe the loading of shipments to El Arish, Egypt, close to Gaza, at the Copenhagen International Airport. Two
UNICEF/UNI463041/Mansour Two UNICEF staff observe the loading of several shipments of essential supplies on UNICEF charter flights at the Copenhagen International Airport. These supplies are being airlifted to El Arish, Egypt, close to the Gaza Strip. UNICEF is shipping life-saving supplies such as thermal blankets, water purification tablets, medicines and medical equipment, nutrition, water, hygiene and sanitation and education supplies in response to the unfolding humanitarian emergency.

Emergencies have increased in scale, urgency and complexity. From natural disasters to conflicts and wars, UNICEF responded to more emergencies in 2023 than in any previous year.

UNICEF delivered nearly $890 million in emergency supplies to 81 countries and areas. UNICEF responded to the Syria and Türkiye earthquakes, and conflict and unrest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, the State of Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine, among other crises.

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A baby during breastfeeding. A
UNICEF/UNI464246/Le Lijour Three million children under five years of age are immunized against polio in October 2023 as part of a national vaccination campaign in Guinea.
A healthcare worker prepares a syringe to vaccinate a 9 month-old baby who is held by a woman. A
UNICEF/UNI484146/Haya Burhan Rohulah, 9 months old, is immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases in Badakhshan, Afghanistan.
Health workers on a boat to Fulkakata village in Dhubri district, Assam, India, carrying vaccines in cold boxes Health
UNICEF/UN0804040/Baruah Health workers make a two-hour boat ride to reach Fulkakata village in Dhubri district, Assam, India, carrying vaccines in cold boxes. This is essential to preserve the cold chain, a temperature-controlled supply chain that keeps vaccines at the right temperature from the moment they are manufactured to administration, ensuring their effectiveness and safety.

Every year, UNICEF procures vaccines to reach 45 per cent of the world’s children under 5 years old. In 2023, UNICEF delivered nearly 2.8 billion vaccine doses to 105 countries. This includes delivering more than 2.6 billion doses to 102 countries to support their national vaccination targets and outbreak response.

Alongside global health partners, UNICEF supports government efforts to strengthen immunization systems by investing in the capacity building of health workers, upgrading and expanding cold chain capacity, and introducing electronic management information systems to track progress.

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A UNICEF female staff takes notes besides a pile of boxes. A
UNICEF/UNI419943/Aina Ngozi Chukwu, Nutrition Specialist, inspects RUTF boxes at a warehouse in Sokoto, Nigeria.
A girl tries her new shoes with the help of a UNICEF staff. A
UNICEF/UN0779309/Khan Muskan, 3, puts on new shoes from the winterization kit in Sulool Daramdala village, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
A healthcare staff watches a newborn in a hospital's neonatal department. A
UNICEF/UNI494344/Mulala A modern piping system installed by UNICEF improves access to medical oxygen at the Kingasani Hospital in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, helping reduce infant and neonatal mortality.
A 18-month-old baby eats a sachet of RUTF while on his mother's lap. A
UNICEF/UN0838543/Karimi Mahdi, 18-month-old, eats a sachet of RUTF while sitting on his mother Anar's lap at Daikundi Provincial Hospital in Afghanistan. Mahdi had been admitted to the hospital’s inpatient department for treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). However, after passing his appetite test on the day the picture was taken, he was discharged to go home healthy.

Localization envisions a future where life-saving supplies for children serve as a catalyst for local empowerment and economic growth.UNICEF continues to support governments’ localization drive across regions, ensuring that every child has timely access to life-saving supplies that comply with global standards of quality.

Across regions, UNICEF offices are supporting regional manufacturing and procurement with regional long-term agreements and increased local procurement.

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A canoe in a river transporting four people and a large box with a solar-powered refrigerator. A
UNICEF/UNI535131/Ruiz A solar-powered refrigerator is transported to Puerto San Lorenzo, Bolivia, via the Mamoré River. This village, home to an indigenous community of 60 families – including 75 children under 11 and 30 adolescents – lacks connections to the national road and power grid, making it nearly impossible to keep vaccines safe for more than a few days. The arrival of the solar-powered refrigerator represents a significant milestone for the local healthcare centre, marking a historic shift in their ability to preserve vital health supplies that require cold storage.
A young woman cleans solar panels using a cloth. A
UNICEF/UNI432289/Pouget This girl from the Fulani village in Mauritania is part of a women's cooperative, where UNICEF piloted a solar energy project to help supply water to the market garden. In a country heavily impacted by drought, solar power is an inexhaustible source of energy that helps communities grow fruits, vegetables, and aromatic plants for local consumption as well as for sale in neighboring towns.

Sustainability is a core value at UNICEF. In 2023, UNICEF Supply Division developed its Sustainability Roadmap, which sets out guidance and targeted activities to inform planning around strategic areas of UNICEF’s supply function.

The Roadmap incorporates UNICEF Supply Division’s work to reduce the impact of its internal operations, as well as the social and economic aspects of sustainability, and the people and culture shift over time to inculcate further sustainability thinking into all the work we do.

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A boy wearing headphones sits at a computer desk. A
UNICEF/UNI509132/ A boy studies on his computer at the Digital Learning Centre established by UNICEF in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
 Children wearing blue headphones look at tablets in a UNICEF and ECHO supported e-learning space in Atbara, Sudan. Children
UNICEF/UNI480363/Lok Ying Lau Children continue their education using solar-powered tablets in an e-learning space at the Housing Project Internally Displaced Persons gathering site in Atbara, Sudan.
Two schoolgirls look at a laptop. Two
UNICEF/UN0857100/Viet Hung Mai Thi Cam Ngan and Lam Nha Doan, both 8, enjoy a digital book at their primary school in Soc Trang, Viet Nam.

Digitalized supply chains lead to enhanced transparency and efficiency, to more effective collaboration with partners along the supply chain and more agile, to real-time analytics and scenario planning, and to ensuring quicker and more effective delivery of essential supplies.

Digitalization has been a key component of UNICEF supply work for the past decade. In 2023, 15 out of 34 digitalized projects progressed from initiation or pilot phase to active use. Optimizing supply chains through digitalization reinforces UNICEF’s commitment to deliver on its mandate for every child.

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Use the links to the right to read or download the full report and its annexes.

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Author(s)
UNICEF
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