UNICEF News
News from UNICEF, Press releases, News notes, Media advisories, Statements

• Equity in child survival: An opportunity to do things better << Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  The theme of this year's flagship 'Progress for Children' report, 'Achieving the MDGs with Equity,' makes reference to the gap in opportunity between the haves and the have-nots around the world. It is a gap that, in some cases, has widened over the past two decades.

• Arbeli's story: Finding shelter in Pakistan's makeshift camps << Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  SUKKUR, Pakistan, 9 September 2010 – Arbeli, 8, sat with the other children on a hammock bed under some shade cloths. She was watching Dr. Nasreem Khaskheli – one of three members of a UNICEF-supported mobile health team – treat patients in her temporary camp clinic.

• On day two, delegates also address country programmes and equity << Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  NEW YORK, USA, 9 September 2010 – Meeting at UN headquarters yesterday, the UNICEF Executive Board approved the extension of a global partnership with Rotary International that has helped the world move dramatically closer to eradicating the scourge of polio.

• UNICEF and partners fight deadly, but preventable, cholera outbreak in Cameroon << Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  NEW YORK, USA, 8 September 2010 – Cameroon is currently experiencing one of its most severe outbreaks of cholera in decades. The epidemic began in May 2010, following the country's rainy season, and is most prevalent in the country's Extreme North province. To date, there are some 5,560 reported cases of cholera and 385 deaths, according to the Government of Cameroon.

• In Pakistan's makeshift camps, mobile health clinics save lives << Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  SUKKUR, Pakistan, 8 September 2010 – Seemingly oblivious to the constant stream of trucks, gasoline fumes and dust being kicked up by the traffic roaring past this tiny makeshift camp on the outskirts of Sukkar, Dr. Nasreem Khaskheli listened intently to her patients' descriptions of their ailments. She nodded empathically and, after a thorough consultation, dispensed the required medications.

• Ghanaian children benefit from UNICEF IWASH project << Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  TAMALE, Ghana, 8 September 2010 – They say it takes a village to raise a child. But children themselves are equally capable of important work, as UNICEF Ghana's new handwashing project, known as 'IWASH,' is proving.

• Cash transfer programme helps the poorest families in Malawi survive << Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  MCHINJE DISTRICT, Malawi,7 September 2010 - For two years, Rozina Chimbalani has struggled to feed, clothe and school the four grandchildren left in her care after her daughter died. Across Malawi, this has been a painfully common story, as for more than two decades HIV has shattered families and left more than a million children orphaned.

• Strides still needed in girls' education, says women's rights expert << Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  NEW YORK, 7 September 2010 – Education is a key component of United Nations Millennium Development Goal 3: to promote gender equality and empowerment of women. According to UNICEF's flagship 'Progress for Children' report 2010 – subtitled 'Achieving the MDGs with Equity' – most countries have reached or are close to reaching the MDG target for gender parity in primary education.

• Executive Board session opens with a focus on progress and equity << Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  NEW YORK, USA, 7 September 2010 – The UNICEF Executive Board opened its second regular session of 2010 today with a focus on narrowing disparities in child survival and development within and among developing nations.

• 'Progress for Children' report sheds new light on achieving Millennium Development Goals << Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  NEW YORK, USA, 7 September 2010 – Addressing the needs of the poorest of the poor is the key to meeting ambitious development goals and reducing global injustice, according to a UNICEF's latest 'Progress for Children' report. The report was released today, during the first day of a UNICEF Executive Board session at United Nations headquarters in New York.

• In Panama, Casa Esperanza helps children become students and leaders << Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  PANAMA CITY, Panama,7 September 2010 – Look beyond Panama's famous canal, and you'll find a world where an estimated 55,000 children under 18 are working in the streets, on farms, in fisheries and in coffee plantations.

• Field Diary: A firsthand look at the devastating floods in Pakistan's Punjab province << Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 3 September 2010 – I accompanied UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake on his recent visit to flood-affected areas of Pakistan.

• New UNICEF report calls for reducing disparities among children in Viet Nam << Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  HA NOI, Viet Nam, 3 September 2010 – According to key findings presented in a UNICEF report entitled 'An Analysis of the Situation of Children in Viet Nam 2010,' Viet Nam has made tremendous progress for its children in a remarkably short period of time, with unprecedented reduction in under-five mortality rates and poverty.

• UNICEF Peru helps communities counter gang violence << Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  NEW YORK, USA, 3 September 2010 – Young people in a pilot violence prevention programme launched by UNICEF Peru are speaking out on violence, education and health in their communities.

• On International Youth Day in Madagascar, film screening gives young people a forum << Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, 2 September 2010 – A film set in Madagascar's arid south is helping young people develop life skills by sparking a debate on what it means to succeed in life.

• UNICEF and World Food Programme chiefs visit Pakistan's flood-stricken Punjab province << Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  GUJRAT, Pakistan, 2 September 2010 – In a show of support for the victims of flooding in Pakistan, UNICEF and World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Directors Anthony Lake and Josette Sheeran visited the agencies' humanitarian operations in the Muzzafargarh district of Punjab, one of the worst-affected provinces of the country.

• UNICEF and IKEA partner for healthier babies in Jharkand state, India << Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  KHUNTI, India, 2 September 2010 – Bilkani Sangha shakes her head in amazement when she recalls how she first fed her newborn baby. She remembers dipping a cloth into warm goat's milk mixed with honey and jungle herbs, then slowly dripping the concoction into her tiny child's mouth.

• Life skills courses brighten the future for Syrian Arab Republic's refugees << Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  DAMASCUS, Syrian Arab Republic, 1 September 2010 – Ibrahim, a refugee from Iraq, admits that he hasn't been this nervous since his arrival in Syria. His eyes flicker around a large room in the heart the Jaramana refugee suburb, which is filled to capacity with other young refugees.

• UNICEF UK Ambassador Martin Bell says children are the worst victims of acute crisis in Yemen << Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  AL-MAZRAQ, Yemen, 31 August 2010 – UNICEF UK Ambassador for Humanitarian Emergencies Martin Bell witnessed the horrifying impact of conflict on children when he visited northern Yemen recently. Fighting between government and rebel forces has raged in the region for several years, displacing thousands of families.

• Emerging leaders: Timor-Leste inaugurates young parliamentarians << Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  DILI, Timor-Leste, 1 September 2010 – As the day breaks in Dare 'suco,' or village, a jovial Rogue Santiago Braga De Araujo, 15, cannot wait to make the 30-minute bumpy road trip down the hill to the capital of Timor-Leste, Dili.

• Field diary: More efforts needed to help Somali families survive and thrive << Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  BOSSASO and GAROWE, Somalia, 1 September 2010 – As soon as I arrived in Bossaso, the main port town located in northeast Somalia, the scorching heat, strong wind and barren plains brought back the memory of my past experience in Somalia.

• UNICEF Executive Director visits Pakistan's flood-stricken Charsadda district << Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  CHARSADDA DISTRICT, Pakistan, 31 August 2010 – UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake's two-day visit to Pakistan, which wraps up today, has reflected the unprecedented scale of emergency the country faces, with more than 17 million people affected by floods caused due to exceptionally heavy monsoon rains.

• Christine's story: Escaping poverty through education in post-earthquake Haiti << Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 31 August 2010 – Christine, 14, lives in a camp for displaced people near the international airport here in the Haitian capital. "The only thing I know is that I know nothing," says this energetic girl, who cites Socrates as her motivation for going to school.

• 'Beyond School Books' Pakistan floods and education << Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  NEW YORK, USA, 30 August 2010 – Pakistan has experienced some of the worst monsoon-related floods in history, devastating large parts of the country, wiping out towns and villages, and displacing entire communities. Millions of children have been affected, losing their homes, loved ones, and schools, leaving them vulnerable to disease and abuse.

• As Executive Director visits, UNICEF works to deliver safe water to flood-affected families in Pakistan << Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  NEW YORK, USA, 30 August 2010 – Massive flooding continues to devastate Pakistan. Nearly 18 million people have been affected and about a fifth of the country remains underwater. The number of people killed has increased to almost 1,600 since the beginning of the flooding just over one month ago.

• Media initiative brings Zambian youth to the front-line of climate crisis << Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  LUSAKA, Zambia, 27 August 2010 – When Daniel Sichinga, 16, recently gathered a group of young Zambian Climate Ambassadors to record a radio talk show, he asked one guest, 17-year-old Tendai Nyirenda, about a burning issue in her community: climate change.

• In Singapore, Inaugural Youth Olympic Games provide competition and inspiration << Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  SINGAPORE, 27 August 2010 – As the first-ever Youth Olympic Games comes to a close, a young female athlete quietly traces the outline of her hand on a piece of paper and writes, "I have a right to be educated and to play any sports I like."

• Recovery continues six months after massive quake << Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  TALCAHUANO, Chile, 27 August 2010 – Jessica, 12, used to live in Santa Clara, a neighbourhood in Chile's coastal city of Talcahuano. But her home was destroyed during a massive earthquake six months ago and her family was subsequently displaced.

• Improved sanitation catches on in rural Ghana one latrine at a time << Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  TAMALE, Ghana, 26 August 2010 – Peering through the doorway of the Chief's hut in the village of Chirifoyili, into a courtyard littered with earthenware and ceramic cooking pots, it seems nothing has changed in this village for centuries.

• Child-friendly schools make a progressive leap in Cambodia << Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  STUNG TRENG PROVINCE, Cambodia, 25 August 2010 – Long Kan Buthom, 11, performs a traditional Khmer dance with ease. Her radiant smile, expressive hand movements and precise choreography come from long hours of practice.

• New programme empowers Bangladeshi families to make more informed health choices << Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  BANDARBAN, Bangladesh, 25 August 2010 – Chaity Tripura, 22, is the very picture of serenity as she stands outside her two-room home, cradling her one-month-old daughter in the warm afternoon air.

• With UNICEF and European Union support, young women lead the charge against cutting << Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  IMDIBIR, Ethiopia, 24 August 2010 – When she was seven years old, Maeza Garedew, now 14, was blindfolded and her hands and legs tied behind her back. She was laid on a board and then taken outside to the garden.

• In a programme expanding across India, UNICEF and IKEA provide life-saving supplements << Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  PAKAULI, India, 24 August 2010 – With promises of "sweet, sweet," health worker Rita Kumari eases a teaspoon of liquid into two-year-old Kajal's mouth. "There now, little one, you will be safe and feel better," said Ms. Kumari. The toddler swallows the last drops of the diluted zinc tablet, a supplement that will help her fight a potentially deadly case of diarrhoea.

• In Pakistan's Punjab province, millions are devastated and thousands living in camps << Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  MUZAFFARGARH DISTRICT, Pakistan, 30 August 2010 – UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake arrived in Pakistan today to tour flood-hit areas and see UNICEF operations to assist the millions of people affected by the flood emergency. Tomorrow, Mr. Lake and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Josette Sheeran, will visit flooded areas in Multan Division, Punjab province.

• Field diary: In Pakistan, a doctor fights back flood waters to save his family << Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 23 August 2010 – "Wake up and help me get the children!" my wife was screaming. "We have to leave the house immediately."

• For Vu Nguyen Ha Anh, new UNICEF ambassador in Viet Nam, appointment is a 'life-long dream' << Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  HA NOI, Viet Nam, 23 August 2010 – Internationally renowned model Vu Nguyen Ha Anh has joined the ranks of over 270 national UNICEF ambassadors, increasing public awareness of the rights of children and women.

• UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia visits relief camps in Pakistan << Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  SUKKUR, Pakistan, 20 August 2010 – The extent of the misery and devastation caused by Pakistan's recent flooding is unprecedented, said UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia Daniel Toole after visiting the area this week. The country is facing its worst disaster in more than 30 years.

• Field diary: Five days in Pakistan flood zone << Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 15-19 August 2010 – This week UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia Daniel Toole has been visiting the provinces worst-affected by flooding in Pakistan. Here are his latest updates on the relief effort.

• National plan for the promotion of water and sanitation under way in Mali << Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  SOUFOUROULAYE, Mali, 19 August 2010 – At the Soufouroulaye Primary School in Mali, a derelict water pump stands dry in the dusty playground, quenching no one's thirst.

• In remote Afghan mountains, Youth Information and Contact Centre empowers youth << Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  DAIKUNDI PROVINCE, Afghanistan, 19 August 2010 - Kamela, 15, lives in the Shahristan district of Afghanistan's Daikundi province – a remote mountain area of the country's central region. In an unprecedented journey, she recently travelled eight hours on foot and by car to reach Nili, the provincial capital, to participate in an innovative training session for young people.

• Alongside Syrian health workers, UNICEF battles varied causes of malnutrition << Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  AL-HASAKEH, Syrian Arab Republic, 18 August 2010 – Syria's Al-Hasakah governorate is just minutes away from Mosul, one of Iraq's most violent cities. Yet one of the biggest challenges facing children here is an alarming rise in malnutrition perpetuated by a constant drought.

• Urgent scale-up of interventions are urgently needed in flood-affected Pakistan << Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  CHARSADDAH DISTRICT, Pakistan, 18 August 2010 – Flood waters have left behind a trail of destruction affecting some 20 million people in Pakistan, according to government estimates. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in the country's north-west, the floods have affected millions, with women and children representing the vast majority.

• Health workers build a network of support for new mothers in Uzbekistan << Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  GULISTAN, Uzbekistan, 18 August 2010 – Two-month-old Abdulaziz is sleeping quietly in the arms of his mother, Dildora Rakhmankulova.

• Scale of flood crisis in Pakistan unimaginable << Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  PESHAWAR, Pakistan, 17 August 2010 – UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia Daniel Toole visited Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province this week to survey the devastation caused by the country's severe flooding.

• UNICEF-supported child-friendly schools re-invent education in rural Ghana << Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  TARIKPAA, Ghana, 17 August 2010 – Elizabeth, 12, is fighting to achieve a dream that was once also her father's – completing an education.

• In flood-devastated Pakistan, 3.5 million children are at risk of disease << Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  KARACHI, Pakistan, 17 August 2010 – More than 3 million children are at high risk of deadly water-borne diseases in Pakistan, making them the most vulnerable victims of one of the worst natural disasters in history.

• In Côte d'Ivoire, mothers start a club to invest in the future of girls' education << Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  ABOBO, Côte d'Ivoire, 16 August 2010 – Habibata Ouattara was 17 years old when she was removed from school and forced to marry a man her family had chosen for her. Today, as the Secretary-General of a local School Girl Mothers' Club – known by the acronym CMEF – Ms. Ouattara strives to ensure that girls in her community stay in school and complete their education.

• Education reaches girls at a child-friendly school in rural Egypt << Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  CAIRO, Egypt, 16 August 2010 – Yusriya, 13, wears her teacher-made crown with pride. A confident smile spreads across her face as she begins her class presentation on sanitation.

• Youth radio programme teaches production and life skills << Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  SARAVANH PROVINCE, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 16 August 2010 – This month, UNICEF's interactive online community platform, Voices of Youth (VoY), and the International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) to explore an empowering youth radio project in Laos.

• In rural India, improved sanitation and iron supplements help girls stay in school << Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT >>
  LALGANJ, India, 13 August 2010 – Rina, 16, has copper-painted toenails and a matching floral 'kurta,' or blouse. A pendant of the local tribal goddess Sarna hangs from her neck.

More Top News