“Responding to COVID-19”, UNICEF Annual Report 2020

The UNICEF released its 2020 Annual Report called “Responding to COVID-19”. As stated in the report, the COVID 19 “wiped out hard-won development gains for children and pushed more families into poverty”.

Firstly, this report points out how COVID-19 affected children in 2020. Even if children are less vulnerable to the virus than adults, school closures, increased vulnerability to abuse, the mental health strains of parents and families, distance from friends, and loss of access to vital health care and protection services have hurt children deeply. The report highlights that children were not affected equally, with children from poor countries communities and those already disadvantaged by discrimination, social exclusion, fragility and conflict more affected. The report provides some significant figures:

• 142 million additional children were estimated to fall into monetary poverty by the end of 2020 and lack access to social protection.
• At least 1 in 3 schoolchildren has been unable to access remote learning while their schools were closed, and 1.6 billion children and young people have been affected by school closures
• Approximately 80 million children under age 1 may miss out on life-saving vaccines in at least 68 countries
• Approximately 80 million children under age 1 may miss out on life-saving vaccines in at least 68 countries

To fight those figures, UNICEF established five goals areas:

• Every child survives and thrives, focusing on health and nutrition, providing antibiotics, supporting health facilities, treating malnutrition…
• Every child learns: focusing and education, supporting distance learning for migrant, displaced, refugee and returnee children, providing learning materials…
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation, through prevention, psychological support, social services
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, safeguarding the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child by working to reduce child poverty and end discrimination.

The pandemic made UNICEF change its strategy and choose to focus on winning support for children and young people. Communication and advocacy became even more critical in the face of the global pandemic, with digital channels widely used and advocacy playing a key role in securing the rights of children in the COVID-19 environment. This new strategy included the development of partnerships as well 146 government partners along with intergovernmental organizations and inter-organizational arrangements contributed a record $5.5 billion in resources for children globally. Innovation was also part of the new strategy with the launch of UNICEF’s first Global Innovation Strategy at the beginning of 2020. The Strategy aims to position innovation as a key tool to achieve widespread and lasting change for children.

By Morgane Bizien

Pictures taken from the report: https://www.unicef.org/media/100946/file/UNICEF%20Annual%20Report%202020.pdf