Some points about writing beyond research and basic writing structure:

Applicants may take the following points into consideration during the writing process of an EU Project Proposal.

Please remember that concise and transparent writing is not as easy as applicants may think of it to be. However, if concise and transparent writing has a way of doing it then it could be used as a template to develop project ideas in line with the requirements of various EU Financial institution.

In order to ensure that applicants are able to write concise project proposals for EU financial they may refer to the SMART method of writing and presenting objectives. SMART refers to:

 

S – Specific – Define a clear way to achieve specific objectives.

M – Measureable – How and when will the objective be achieved.

A – Achievable – Is there a plan / methodology to achieve the goals.

R – Realistic – Is it realistic to achieve the goals that are set to be achieved

T – Timely – Can the goal be achieved within a reasonable amount of time.

 

Other than concise writing a significant challenge for applicants is use language that will convince donors that the project will have the intended impact that it should on the ground. Most donors in EU financial institutions will focus on the impact that projects will have on individual communities. However, most applicants may have some challenges in understanding and thus presenting to the donors the impact that the project may have on communities. Impact can be understood in three different ways.

 

Impact on research

– excellence, mobility and training of researchers.

Impact on economy                                                                             

– European competitiveness, creation of jobs.

Societal impact

– Public policy and society.

 

When writing and explaining impact there is also a need to take another important point into consideration the link between impact and timing. Impact also takes into consideration the potential changes that takes place as a result of the project. The changes can be written and explained to donors in EU financial institutions from the following perspectives:

 

• Short term changes in – knowledge, skills, aspirations, attitudes, awareness
• Medium term changes in – behaviour, practices, procedures, values, decision making
• Long term changes in – policies, legislation, economy, society, technology, environment.

 

By – Aniruddh Rajendran

 

While writing any project proposal the applicant for the project must take two components of the written project proposal into account. They are (1) Research (2) Writing. Writing for Project Proposals to the EU is no different.

1. Research:

Ultimately, writing is a summary of information or the process of coming up with new content/ideas based on existing primary / secondary sources. Therefore, even before beginning the process of writing any project proposal an applicant must do in-depth research on various facets of the project, even if the information is in the eyes of the applicant insignificant for the donor or the needs of the project beneficiary. Applicants should remember that the donors in the EU financial institutions will not just provide money without knowing how the money provided by them will be utilized by the applicants. Therefore, they must take time to conduct thorough research on all aspects connected to their proposed project. Details such as the broad idea and scope of the proposed project, precise location of the project (if there will be a special subsidiary office to monitor the project please mention it to the donor), how the project will benefit the community, how much money is needed, what the money will be used for, monitoring use of funds are all information that a donor will look for. In the absence of such information, donors based out of EU intuitions may reject funding for the project altogether.

Also, applicants must note that the European Union doesn’t have one single financial institution to fund projects. Therefore, please visit the website of multiple EU financial institutions and try to find out whether your project ideas suits the needs of the respective financial institution in the EU. It is also advisable to visit the financial institution’s website so that the research and writing are tailored to the needs of the financial institution. For example, FET in the EU is involved in funding emerging technologies related projects. Sometimes such institutions may also have formed. In that case, applicants must fill up all the details sought for in the form and send them to the respective institutions.

2. Writing:

When writing a project proposal applicants must ensure that all the information must be in an orderly fashion. Please ensure that there are proper titles under which points are explained. The applicants must ensure that the researched information must be incorporated during the writing process in a suitable fashion. Applicants must be able to sell their project idea within the opening paragraph of the written proposal to ensure that donors know the gist of the idea. The donors must know the source of information for them to trust that the funds will be used for the intended purpose and that the project is beneficial for the intended community. In addition, the applicant must remember that the donors will seek the details of the organizational structure and the organization so that they have an understanding of the entity that is receiving the money. This must be incorporated in the written proposal alongside other research material such as the broad idea and scope of the proposed project, the precise location of the project, and other details. Applicants must be specific when writing the proposal. Please avoid providing details that are irrelevant to the project and seeking funding for it. E.g. To help laborers build a water tank I will create a fund to pay the laborers. The issue with this sentence is that those laborers may not be a part of the organization.

Finally, applicants must remember that researched and written material is supposed to be presented to the donors to seek funding for the project from donors. Applicants must ensure that the following is not done. Writing:

– Vague and unfocused sentences in which donors have clarity on what the project is about

– Dense academic prose in which everything important is a conclusion. The conclusion should only be a summary of findings from the research and written material.

– Long sentences, small fonts, and crowded margins. Doing this means that it becomes an eyesore for the donors to focus on the written material.

Clarity, transparency, and a concise description of projects are what EU financial institutions expect from applicants. Please note that in the absence of these factors projects may be rejected by EU financial bodies.

For Information on how to write project proposals to EU financial institutions refer to:

1. https://ied.eu/blog/6-steps-to-a-successful-eu-proposal/.
2. https://www.med.uio.no/klinmed/forskning/sentre/seraf/aktuelt/aktuelle-saker/2017/presentasjoner-nfr2017/chilidis.pdf.
3. http://rr-co.eu/horizon2020/writing-competitive-project-proposals/.
4. http://www.ceriss.eu/files/proposal-writing_final_kiev_GWcom.pdf.
5. https://www.umc.edu.dz/images/h2020%20BOOK.pdf.

Written By Aniruddh Rajendran

 

 

 

 

Turkish Goverment continues to grab opponents abroad

Orhan Inandi, a Turkish-born Kyrgyz citizen who used to head a network of Gulen-linked schools in Kyrgyzstan, went missing on June 1.

The disappearance of a Turkish teacher in Kyrgyzstan, on June 1, was a reminder that the long arm of Turkey’s secret services continues to reach and abduct scores of the country’s citizens abroad.

The kidnappings and forced renditions over the last five years have mostly targeted suspected supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the Muslim preacher whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for a failed coup against him in 2016.

Turkey has boasted that its secret service masterminded some of the cloak and dagger operations, with the justice minister saying 107 “traitors” had been captured abroad by 2019.

A report earlier this year by Freedom House maintained Erdogan has pursued his “perceived enemies in at least 31 different countries.”[1]

Orhan Inandi, a Turkish-born Kyrgyz citizen who used to head a network of Gulen-linked schools in Kyrgyzstan, went missing on June 1. His car was found near his home with the door open, tyres flat and with the teacher’s phone and jacket still inside.

While around a thousand members of Kyrgyz security forces searched for him, his wife claimed he was being held inside the Turkish consulate in Bishkek. However, even as hundreds of protestors gathered in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, their country’s president  Sadyr Japarov was visiting Erdogan in Ankara  on Wednesday and agreeing that the Gulen movement “poses a national security threat to both countries”.

Erdogan Says Turkish Agents Abducted Educational Leader In Kyrgyzstan For Alleged Coup Ties

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkish intelligence agents abducted a Turkish-Kyrgyz educator whose disappearance from Bishkek last month triggered protests and concern about the man’s safety.

Orhan Inandi, the head of Sapat educational network in Kyrgyzstan, disappeared in the Kyrgyz capital late on May 31 under mysterious circumstances.

His car was found in downtown Bishkek early the next day with the doors wide open and valuable items still inside. His wife suggested he was being held at the Turkish Embassy.

The Turkish government accuses Inandi of links to the Gulen movement, which it considers a terrorist organization responsible for a failed 2016 coup attempt.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said the country’s MIT intelligence agency had captured Inandi and brought him to Turkey.

 

“As a result of genuine and patient work, MIT has brought a top Central Asian leader of FETO, Orhan Inandi, to our country to face justice,” Erdogan said, referring to the Gulen movement.
He added that to date more than 100 people with alleged links to the Gulen movement had been abducted from countries around the world and brought to Turkey.[2]

Situation with abduction of Orhan Inandi disgraceful for special service of Kyrgyzstan, MPs say

AKIPRESS.COM – “It is disgrace for our special services that allowed other special service to do what they want in our country,” MP Dastan Bekeshev said in comments about kidnapping of Sapat education network President Orhan Inandi, national of Kyrgyzstan, by Turkish national intelligence.

“This demonstrates the level of our special service. We don’t have counter-intelligence,” he said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should react to the situation, the lawmaker stated.

“Probably, it will be quiet in Kyrgyzstan despite such violations, but the international community will see where and who we are and who directs us. Nobody will conduct any special operation and bring him back. I am convinced our country won’t insist on his return,” MP Bekeshev suggested.

Vice Speaker Aida Kasymalieva said this is a blatant and sad story for Kyrgyzstan and relgations with Turkey.

“This is the issue of sovereignty of the country, dignity of the country. This concerns every citizen. Not all can understand how such thing could happen and slam the authorities. Of course, people think they were cheated as Orhan Inandi was abducted and brought to Turkey,” the Vice Speaker said.

“As parliamentarians we will demand investigation, involvement of international experts and organizations. The Foreign Ministry should not keep silent. Orhan Inandi is national of Kyrgyzstan. The state should bear responsibility for each citizen of Kyrgyzstan,” Vice Speaker Kasymalieva stressed.[3]

[1] https://thearabweekly.com/erdogans-long-arm-continues-grab-opponents-abroad

[2] https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-turkey-erdogan-turkey-gulen-inandi/31342458.html

[3] https://akipress.com/news:660211:Situation_with_abduction_of_Orhan_Inandi_disgraceful_for_special_service_of_Kyrgyzstan,_MPs_say/

The Constitutional Court (AYM) unanimously gave a verdict that HDP member Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu’s rights were violated.

Gergerlioğlu was stripped of his parliamentary seat in March following his two-and-a-half-year sentence over social media posts.

 

The court ruled that Gergerlioğlu’s “freedom of expression” and “right to engage in political activity” were violated. The court also decided that 30 thousand Turkish Lira is to be paid to Gergerlioğlu as compensation.

 

Announcing the grand decision, his son Salih Gergerlioğlu said, “The Constitutional Court has given a decision of ‘violation of rights’ against my father. He is being released, my father is being released”.

Anayasa Mahkemesi, babam hakkında ‘hak ihlali’ kararı verdi. Tahliye oluyor babam tahliye oluyorrr

— Salih Gergerlioğlu (@salihro) July 1, 2021

 

A notice will be sent to the Criminal Court of Kocaeli where Gergerlioğlu’s initial sentence was ruled. Gergerlioğlu, who has been in prison for 106 days, is expected to be released following the receipt of the notice. As with Enis Berberoğlu’s case, the way for his return to the parliament has been cleared.

Adalet Nöbeti’nin 106. günü. Babam, 90 gündür hukuksuzca hapsediliyor. AYM kararına son bir gün. Hukuksuzluğu sonlandırın. @AYMBASKANLIGI

— Salih Gergerlioğlu (@salihro) June 30, 2021

 

Gergerlioglu became a target for the Turkish government after repeatedly speaking out against human rights violations and torture claims in the country and strip searches of female inmates in prisons.

 

Human rights defender Gergerlioğlu was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” for a post he made on social media, and this sentence was upheld by the 16th Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals. Following the decision read in the General Assembly of the Assembly, HDP deputy Gergerlioğlu was relieved of his parliamentary seat.

While Gergerlioğlu is expected to be released from prison after the decision of the Constitutional Court, the ruling will be sent to the Parliament to begin the process of restoring his parliamentary seat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Humans need to treat each other with mercy and ensure that peace is encouraged in societies to solve the problems of racism and ethnicity. If people come up with common values so that each member knows what to expect of each other or have some shared principles by which to resolve differences without resolving to violence, this world would be a better place, racism and ethnicity wouldn’t exist among human beings. Societies should have values that binds them together, encourage the spirit of friendship and brother hood among people to make this world free from racism and ethnicity.

Tolerance and dialogue can also help in solving the problems that arise due to racism and ethnicity. Societies need to have peaceful exchange of ideas for them to come up with positive solutions that can resolve differences without violence. Tolerance safeguards against persecutions and evils that are necessarily associated with ethnicity and racism. Hate and curse should be discouraged and peace and harmony among people in societies be encouraged.

Power hungry people should not be made leaders as they sometimes make decisions that negatively impact others in societies thereby encouraging racism and ethnicity. Rather people who are relatively grounded, reasonably self-aware and do not take things or themselves too seriously or don’t change in a bad way are the ones with the best chance of leading successfully. Power hungry people get carried away with their desires and do not consider other people’s views. They do not like to be criticized and are of the perception that they are always right. This cause disunion among people and encourages greediness. Greedy people destroy societies.
Recognizing human dignity in people plays a very big role in curbing racism and ethnicity. This makes people to respect and honor each other’s values. Respect for human rights can help people to understand each other in societies. Human rights bring people together because they are inherent to human beings of all nationalities, sex, ethnic groups, and races. These human rights are interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

People should also be sensitized on racism and ethnicity and encourage victims to be reporting issues of racism to authorities or to speak up. If people in societies are aware of how to deal with racism, they stand a better chance in addressing the issues when encountered.

A bad expected behavior cannot be changed or fixed by hating or announcing it an enemy. Hate bears hate. Moving from on this path the damages of racism and ethnocentrism ca be more and more by having a distance and calling “the others”. Because the racist and ethnocentrist also call “the others”. Instead of having a distance, need to build bridges to avoid the disunity and prevent the problems which can be caused among the relations.

When people live in harmony, recognize the contributions that each person make to societies, appreciate each other’s contributions towards issues that affect societies and recognize that we are all on this planet together and that we stand to gain more when we work together rather than against each other. Racism and ethnicity can be avoided if love for humanity is practiced. Societies would be united regardless of race end ethnic groups and wars and conflicts would be avoided. We should all try to follow the golden rule that encourage us to do onto others as we would want them to do onto us as the saying goes “if you live in glass house, do not throw stones at others”.

by Prof Dr. Ibrahim Kurt

published at
Societies Need New Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity: Societies in Harmony (Religious Context)
June 2021 · International Journal Ihya Ulum al-Din 23(1):79-88
DOI: · 10.21580/ihya.23.1.7765
License· CC BY-SA 4.0
to have the full article please click the link

 

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 to end poverty, reduce inequality and build more peaceful, prosperous societies by 2030. Also known as the Global Goals, the SDGs are a call to action to create a world where no one is left behind.

Following our coverage of Goal Area 1 and Goal Area 2 reports, we are now highlighting the major talking points of the Goal Area 3 report:

Goal Area 3 aims to ensure that every girl and boy is protected from violence and exploitation. Two years into the implementation of the UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2018–2021, Goal Area 3 had progress rates of over 90 percent for two of the three result areas. Progress was slowest in the result area on access to justice, specifically on legal aid and birth registration.  UNICEF worked in over 150 countries in 2019 in its efforts to protect children against violence.

Every child is protected from violence and exploitation

In 2019, UNICEF fought to safeguard children from abuse and exploitation in more than 150 countries. With health and social work, 17% more children faced violence.

Strengthening child protection systems to reduce violence against children

Some figures from this chapter:

• 3 million Mothers, fathers, and caregivers reached through parenting programs in 79 countries (+10%)
• 7 million children who have experienced violence reached by services in 115 countries (+17%)

Accelerating national progress to reduce all forms of violence

In 2019, UNICEF stepped up efforts in 141 countries to scale up evidence-based violence prevention programs and institutionalize response services for child victims of violence, a 5% increase over the countries reporting in 2018.

Strengthening information management systems

Integrated Information Management Systems are a vital component of upgrading child safety systems, according to UNICEF. Case management, incident monitoring, and program monitoring are three types of data that UNICEF and partners maintain.

Child protection in humanitarian action

In 74 humanitarian crises, UNICEF offered protection to millions of children impacted by armed conflict, natural disasters, and public health emergencies. UNICEF sparked a global conversation around mental health and psychosocial well-being.

Some highlights:

• 7 million children are provided with community-based mental health and psychosocial support in 60 countries.
• 75 million children on the move received protective services in 61 countries.
• 3 million women and children reached with gender-based violence interventions in 46 countries.

Delivery of protection services to reduce harmful practices

Despite a dramatic decrease in recent years, the general rate of child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) remains high. Progress must be considerably increased to eradicate harmful behaviors by 2030 (SDG 5.3).

-Child marriage

UNICEF and partners helped 58 countries from all over the world adopt rights-based programs to eliminate child marriage. While both boys and girls marry as children, girls marry at a rate six times greater than boys. UNICEF-supported programming reached approximately 5.7 million teenage females with preventative and care interventions.

-Female Genital Mutilation

UNICEF has made significant contributions to the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM) in 21 countries where FGM programs are being conducted. UNICEF is striving to improve interventions such as the establishment of girls’ and women’s agencies, community surveillance, and opportunities for young people to promote the abolition of FGM in their countries and communities.

Promoting access to justice for children

128 countries reported progress on implementing interventions to improve children’s access to justice. This is a 44 percent increase over previous years. Strengthening justice systems for children contributes to ending violence against children and harmful practices.

– Improving birth registration

UNICEF helped 80 countries upgrade their civil registration and vital statistics systems, with Eastern and Southern Africa accounting for more than half (51%) of the total. In comparison to the previous year, the number of children reached in 2019 increased significantly.

The Outlook

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are experiencing the world’s worst global health disaster in modern history. Children and women would suffer severe and long-term consequences as a result of the pandemic’s devastating socioeconomic effects, including their care, protection, and well-being. Goal Area 3 programming must be agile, adaptable, innovative, scalable, and adaptive as we move forward, according to UNICEF.

This coverage by the Broken Chalk foundation is an excerpt from UNICEF’s official report site. For further details and the full report please visit the page

Education and human rights are both important tools for the advancement of mankind. However, both education and human rights are interlinked. Education brings awareness among people, educated people do not accept atrocities on them or others, and education leads to questioning political elites and demands that society and political class take specific care to serve their needs. Therefore, there is a need to understand Current Issues in Education and Human Rights. An understanding is required given that today education is required more than at any point in time.

 

In my opinion, one very big issue connected to education and human rights is the digital divide. The World Economic Forum in its report has stated that “Fewer than 1 in 5 people in the least developed countries are connected (Broom, 2020)” to the internet or have access to online mediums. The impact of the low-level penetration of the internet is being felt in the developing world, especially during the Pandemic. UNICEF has reported that “Two-thirds of the world’s school-age children – or 1.3 billion children aged 3 to 17 years old – do not have internet connection in their homes” (Thompson, 2020). The equivalent number for the age group 15 to 24 years is “759 million or 63 percent unconnected at home” (Thompson, 2020). The consequence is the denial of the right to education a human right under the UDHR because of the inability to travel to school like in normal times due to pandemic prevention measures.

 

The next issue is the ever-present structural barriers to education that will only be exacerbated by the pandemic. These barriers have only been exacerbated by the Pandemic. The World Bank predicts that “COVID-related school closures risk pushing an additional 72 million primary school-aged children into learning poverty—meaning that they are unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10″ (The World Bank, 2020). Moreover, due to the pandemic, World Bank also predicts that it could increase the “percentage of primary-school-age children in low- and middle-income countries living in learning poverty to 63 percent from 53 percent, and it puts this generation of students at risk of losing about $10 trillion in future life-time earnings (The World Bank, 2021)”. These are again human rights issues because they are in one sense a denial of the right to employment and education of human beings due to the pandemic. These statistics also show that states need to do more to combat the issue of learning poverty.

Finally, there will also have to be a focus on social ills that can create barriers to education and exacerbate human rights situations in fragile countries. Earlier, this year UNICEF reported that “10 million additional girls at risk of child marriage due to COVID-19” (Wylie, 2021). There are many other issues like child marriage that have to be dealt with if there is any possibility of children’s education not being compromised and ensuring the long-term prosperity of people.

 

Sources

1. Broom, (2020). Coronavirus has exposed the digital divide like never before, Retrieved from Click the Link

2. Thompson, (2020). Two-thirds of the world’s school-age children have no internet access at home, a new UNICEF-ITU report says. Retrieved from: Click the Link

3. Pandemic Threatens to Push 72 Million More Children into Learning Poverty—World Bank outlines a New Vision to ensure that every child learns, everywhere, (2020). Retrieved from: Click the Link

4. Wylie, (2021). 10 million additional girls at risk of child marriage due to COVID-19. Retrieved from: Click the Link

 

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 to end poverty, reduce inequality and build more peaceful, prosperous societies by 2030. Also known as the Global Goals, the SDGs are a call to action to create a world where no one is left behind.

Following our coverage of the Goal Area 1 report, we are now highlighting the major talking points of the Goal Area 2 report:

The Annual Results Report for Education published by UNICEF highlights major trends and issues in the field of education. The Strategic Plan’s midterm evaluation, which took place in 2019, revealed that all three results areas in Goal Area 2 had made progress. It did, however, emphasize the need to quicken the pace of advancement and raise the bar on ambition.

Every child learns

According to World Bank figures, 53 percent of children in low- and middle-income countries are “learning poor”. UNICEF report highlights that 420 million children will fail to attain basic skills in childhood by 2030. Many of the children trying to learn are doing so in education systems that face multiple challenges, including conflict, disease outbreaks, and the growing impact of climate change. The number of children whose lives have been disrupted by conflict and crisis surged to a record high in 2017 and has remained at that level throughout 2018 and 2019.

-Equitable access to education

UNICEF works to reach the most vulnerable children through educational initiatives at all levels. Countries have been assisted in making inclusive and early education a priority in their sector strategies.

-Inclusive education

Inclusive education helps children with disabilities to learn in a mainstream classroom context. It also helps all children work towards achieving their potential.

-Accessible Digital Textbooks for All

UNICEF provided technical support and guidance for the ‘Accessible Digital Textbooks for All’ initiative in Kenya, Paraguay, Rwanda, Uganda, and Uruguay.

-Reaching the most disadvantaged

UNICEF Côte d’Ivoire experimented with an innovative construction approach that used recycled plastic waste bricks. There are presently 26 fully functional classes operating around the country. This alternative method is quicker than standard approaches, lowering the time it takes to build a classroom.

-Education in emergencies

In 2018, more than half of the 20 countries with the lowest levels of learning faced humanitarian crises. In crisis-affected countries, 128 million primary and secondary school-aged children are out of school. Following the crisis in Venezuela, UNICEF provided humanitarian assistance to millions of children both within the nation and those migrating throughout Latin America.

Improving learning outcomes

When learning outcomes are highlighted and evaluated, several encouraging programs have shown tremendous gains for children. Learning assessments must provide information on how to enhance teaching and learning to parents, teachers, and policymakers.

Highlights from the chapter:

– 12.4 million children received learning materials.

– 60,561 school management committees received training.

– 48% of countries have effective education systems for learning outcomes.

– 36% of countries have gender-responsive teaching and learning systems.

Skills development

There is an urgent need to expand, rethink and transform education and learning systems. All children and adolescents, especially those who are marginalized and in conflict and emergency settings.

-Gender equality in skills development

In many countries, progress in educational achievement among girls and young women is not translating into employability. This is because of barriers to skills development opportunities, such as restrictive gender norms. UNICEF is supporting gender-responsive programs and innovations that help bridge secondary education with the world of work.

The Outlook

Even before the pandemic, the world was falling behind on its goal of providing universal access to high-quality education and learning by 2030. UNICEF plans to expand on the growing body of information about the efficacy of various ways to changing education systems to improve learning outcomes. The full effects of the crisis will be enormous, and it will linger for many years in ways that are still unknown. The new Education Strategy establishes UNICEF’s position in regards to the work that needs to be done in Goal Area 2 for the organization to contribute more to the SDGs. It is based on the belief that the most important purpose of education is for every kid to learn.

This coverage by the Broken Chalk foundation is an excerpt from UNICEF’s official report site. For further details and the full report please visit the page

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 to end poverty, reduce inequality and build more peaceful, prosperous societies by 2030. Also known as the Global Goals, the SDGs are a call to action to create a world where no one is left behind.

Each year UNICEF produces Global Annual Results Reports (GARRs) in advance of the Annual Session of the UNICEF Executive Board in June.

This report details UNICEF’s and its partners’ contributions to Goal Area 1 in 2019, as well as the impact of these achievements on children and their communities.

As Broken Chalk editorial group, we skimmed through the report and summarized it for our readers.

Here are some highlights from the Goal Area 1 Report:

Every child survives and thrives

UNICEF is focusing on solving the major obstacles that have slowed progress in children’s survival, growth, and development. In 2019, worldwide program spending in Goal Area 1 totaled $2.15 billion across 152 countries. UNICEF also works with teenagers to ensure that they receive services in the areas of health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, and other issues. The organization works in a variety of fields.

Health

UNICEF’s health programming is informed by human rights approaches and principles. In 2019, health programs were implemented in 119 countries with the help of 1,079 technical staff.

UNICEF put a specific emphasis on increasing the quality of care at the time of birth in 2019. It is hastening global efforts to improve neonatal care for small and sick newborns.

Highlights from the chapter:

– UNICEF-supported programs resulted in 27.4 million live births in health facilities.

– More than 6 million women received two or more doses of the tetanus toxoid vaccine.

– UNICEF assisted 31 countries to improve the quality of maternal and newborn care in areas where neonatal and maternal mortality are high.

– In high-burden nations, 3,008 healthcare facilities have increased access to WASH to improve the quality of maternity and neonatal care.

Nutrition

UNICEF prioritizes interventions to prevent all forms of malnutrition. Well-nourished children are more likely to survive and thrive. Early detection and treatment of children with life-threatening wasting are critical to saving lives, says UNICEF.

Highlights from the chapter:

• UNICEF supports the provision of nutrition services to school-aged children and adolescents to improve nutrition knowledge and skills, promoting healthy eating habits, and providing vitamin and nutrient supplementation when necessary.
• UNICEF prioritizes the early detection and treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). About 5 million children with SAM were reached with treatment and care in 2019. Of the children admitted for treatment, 88 percent fully recovered in 2019 compared with 82 percent in 2018.

HIV and AIDS

The global coverage for antiretroviral treatment among pregnant women living with HIV has nearly doubled. This translates to 150,000 new infections in children in 2019, far short of the end 2020 target of <20,000 per year.

Highlights from the chapter:

• Treatment is life-saving for the 1.8 million children living with HIV, and just over half have access to treatment. Treatment coverage has stalled in the last four years and far from the global target of 95%. Mortality has declined due to the prevention of mother-to-child transmission efforts.
• In 2018, an estimated 1.6 million adolescents (10–19 years old) were living with HIV, up 4% from 2010.
• The number of new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women (15–24) is still three times greater than the global target established for 2020.

Early Childhood Development

In 2019, there was a considerable increase in recognition and repeated commitments across sectors, including governments, UN agencies, CSOs, and corporations, to improve collaboration and investment in Early Childhood Development (ECD).

Highlights from the chapter:

• With established government ownership and a costed action plan, 45 nations are on pace to scale up multisectoral ECD packages.
• With a national strategy or action plan in place, 83 countries have created an enabling policy environment for ECD.
• The ECD in the Emergency program provided play, stimulation, and early learning opportunities to 61,000 children affected by humanitarian situations.

The Outlook

The world is currently not on track to meet sustainable development goals. UNICEF will aim to ensure that children’s right to survive and thrive services are protected. The agency will look for opportunities to harness new technology and innovations to reach children and families most at risk during the ensuing economic downturn due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The world needs to take bold steps to create a world that helps children survive and get the best start in life.

This coverage by the Broken Chalk foundation is an excerpt from UNICEF’s official report site. For further details and the full report please visit the site