Protecting

child rights in
a time of crises
UNICEF Annual Report 2021
 Ten-year-old students in the school
courtyard at Brigadeiro Gavião
Peixoto State School, in São Paulo,
Brazil.

© UNICEF/UN0500156/Pastorelli
Protecting children from
the impacts of conflict,
climate change and COVID-19

In 2021, the second full year of the COVID-19 The pandemic has exacerbated risks and cut
pandemic, UNICEF worked tirelessly together with opportunities for children affected by fragility
partners to protect children’s rights in the face of and humanitarian crises, where conflict and
the mounting impact of COVID-19 and other threats climate change impacts have already devastated
including armed conflict and climate change. communities.

COVID-19’s harm to children – largely from unintended UNICEF continued its work to alleviate the impacts
consequences of efforts to manage the pandemic – is of COVID-19, poverty and crises on children while
clear. A record rise in child poverty has left an additional strengthening national systems to reach the most
100 million children facing deprivations in critical areas. marginalized, excluded children and communities
Setbacks to progress in routine immunization increased and to enhance preparedness and resilience in
the number of unvaccinated children by 3.4 million. the face of future shocks. This work was possible
thanks to strong public, private and civil society
Unprecedented disruption to education has partnerships, including across the United Nations
increased learning poverty. And isolation and system, and voluntary funding.
uncertainty are taking a serious toll on children’s
mental health, exacerbating a long-ignored crisis. The interconnected challenges facing the world in
2021 reinforced the urgent need for a reinvigorated
COVID-19 vaccines and new treatments began to blunt multilateralism. To enable the United Nations
the deadly impacts of the virus in 2021, enabling widely system to provide more effective, coordinated
vaccinated societies to tentatively reopen. But unequal support to countries, UNICEF contributed to its
access perpetuated the inequalities the pandemic had vision of a new social contract.
already deepened. Just 1 in 6 people in low-income
countries have been vaccinated with at least one Despite facing multiple crises, today’s young
dose, compared to 3 in 4 in high-income countries. generation is more hopeful and confident that
the world is becoming a better place. In 2021,
Beyond the pandemic, conflicts including in UNICEF’s Changing Childhood project surveyed
Afghanistan, northern Ethiopia, Myanmar and Yemen over 20,000 people across 21 countries and found
unleashed grave violations of children’s rights and that instead of despairing in the face of inequality
displaced children and their families, driving record and the climate crisis, young people are more
humanitarian needs. confident that the world is becoming a better place
compared to those aged 40 and older.
Globally, approximately 1 billion children – nearly half
of the world’s children – live in countries that are at In 2021, UNICEF commemorated its 75th
an ‘extremely high risk’ from the impacts of climate anniversary, recommitting ourselves with a new
change. Its relentless progression fueled natural spirit of urgency to work with partners, supporters
disasters, water scarcity, food insecurity and disease and children and young people to ensure children
outbreaks, threatening children’s health, well-being survive and thrive into healthy, productive
and security – especially those from the poorest, adulthood and to protect the most marginalized and
most disadvantaged communities. vulnerable.

PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM THE IMPACTS OF CONFLICT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND COVID-19 1
 UNICEF’s 2021
Key achievements

Responding to 483 new and ongoing

humanitarian crises in 153 countries in 2021,
compared with 455 in 153 countries in 2020.

In its role as procurement coordinator

for the COVAX Facility, UNICEF led the
procurement and delivery of COVID-19
vaccines. In 2021, COVAX delivered
958 million doses (including donated
doses) to 144 countries.

Reaching 64 per cent of

women with at least four
antenatal care visits in
the 50 focus countries of
the Every Newborn Action
Plan compared to 51 per
cent in 2016, and reaching
65 per cent of women with
postnatal care compared to
48 per cent in 2016.

Providing prevention and care interventions

through joint programming with UNFPA to
7.6 million adolescent girls at risk of child
marriage, up from 2.1 million in 2017.

Advocating for the release of children

in detention, leading to a major policy
breakthrough. Since the beginning of the
pandemic, over 45,000 children across
84 countries have been released from detention.

2 UNICEF Annual Report 2021: Protecting child rights in a time of crises

 Leading positive policy change and action in 92 per cent of intended countries through
global advocacy on vaccines, education, mental health, water, climate, and nutrition and
child protection in humanitarian situations.

Expanding access to safe water and

basic sanitation for 69.9 million people
and basic sanitation for 59.6 million
people from 2018-2021, reaching
ambitious targets.

Helping 48.6 million out-of-school

children access education, including
6.4 million children on the move and
31.7 million in humanitarian settings.

Reaching 154 million children with

life-saving screening for severe
wasting through simplified, community-
level approaches despite pandemic-
related service disruptions, up 9 per cent
from 2020 and treating nearly 5.5 million
children, up 10 per cent from 2020.

Procuring $7.2 billion Providing services to prevent stunting

in supplies and and other forms of malnutrition,
services from nearly reaching nearly 336 million children,
11,150 suppliers. 38 per cent more than in 2020.

UNICEF’S 2021 KEY ACHIEVEMENTS 3

 Renewed ambition toward 2030
UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025

The COVID-19 pandemic struck UNICEF will build upon successful programming
as progress towards most of the adaptations and innovations during the pandemic
that enabled continued service delivery and
Sustainable Development Goals was
support to strengthen national systems amid
already off-track, fueling a global
disruptions including flexible, community-based
crisis that threatens progress for approaches and digital modalities. In 2021, it
children, aggravating deep-rooted became clear that UNICEF-supported investments
poverty, and increasing inequality in systems strengthening before the pandemic
and discrimination. made a critical difference in enabling countries to
regain progress that had stalled.

In 2022, UNICEF is embarking on its next four- To meet the ambitious goals of the Strategic Plan,
year Strategic Plan, providing a global framework UNICEF will draw on its strengths: a vast, broad
for all UNICEF offices, country programmes network of partners across sectors; local presence
and National Committees. UNICEF will focus on in over 190 countries and territories; and deep
systemic changes that are critical to addressing expertise and thought leadership based on field
the underlying causes of children’s mortality, evidence, research and data.
poverty, vulnerability, gender inequality
and exclusion. But UNICEF cannot do it alone. UNICEF will
mobilize other stakeholders to catalyse
Through these systemic changes, transformative sustainable change at scale. Partnerships and
progress can be achieved on vaccine equity, engagement – with the public and private sectors,
education, mental health, and addressing the civil society and community organizations, children
climate crisis, reaching those who have been and youth, and within the United Nations system –
left behind. are essential.

4 UNICEF Annual Report 2021: Protecting child rights in a time of crises

A UNICEF staff member
plays with a girl in a
kindergarten playground in
Verishen village, Armenia.
UNICEF is working with
partners to renovate,
refurbish and equip the
kindergarten with toys and
learning materials.

© UNICEF/UN0574897/Mahari

RENEWED AMBITION TOWARD 2030: UNICEF STRATEGIC PLAN 2022-2025 5

 Partnerships and funding

Flexible, quality funding is and interorganizational arrangements) increased

essential to UNICEF’s ability to by $393 million (up 7 per cent from 2020),
manage complexity and build totaling over $6 billion. The largest government
responsive programmes at the contributions in 2021 came from the United States
country level. of America, Germany, European Commission,
Sweden and Japan.

Across the 2018-2021 Strategic Plan, progress Private sector revenue (from National Committees,
for children was higher in programme areas individual donors, non-governmental organizations
with a larger proportion of regular resources and foundations) increased by 34 per cent since
(flexible, unrestricted funding). Yet overall, UNICEF 2020, to $2.2 billion in 2021.
income trends reflect increasing earmarking and
decreasing funding flexibility and predictability. National Committees for UNICEF contribute
significant results in income and influence.
UNICEF revenue saw a good year in 2021, In 2021, National Committees generated
with 2018-2020 showing an overall increase of $1,758 million, 84 per cent of total private
30 per cent compared to 2014-2017. However, sector revenue and approximately 47 per cent
challenges continued in funding humanitarian appeals of total UNICEF regular resources. National
– despite record-level humanitarian needs – and in Committees reached more than 4.5 million
raising regular resources and other flexible funding children through Child Rights Education,
that are key to the organization’s ability to respond 14 million children through the Child Friendly
quickly, innovate and adapt to children’s evolving Cities platform and over 108 million children
needs, as the COVID-19 response has shown. through engaging with the business sector.

In 2021, total public sector revenue (from For more information on UNICEF’s funding, visit
governments, intergovernmental organizations www.unicef.org/funding.

6 UNICEF Annual Report 2021: Protecting child rights in a time of crises

 A UNICEF health and supply
team member works on the
procurement process of vaccine
cold storage equipment.

© UNICEF/UN0457826/Rami

PARTNERSHIPS AND FUNDING 7

 © UNICEF/UN0541828/Satu

GOAL AREA 1
Every child survives and thrives
COVID-19 has upended progress on every measure of child survival,
In 2020, 5 million health, growth and development.
children under age 5
died - 13,800 children The number of preventable under-five deaths continues to be unacceptably
every day. high. Global coverage of diphtheria tetanus toxoid and pertussis (DTP3)
immunization, stagnant since 2010, is now falling, from 86 per cent in 2019
to 83 per cent in 2020. Despite progress in reducing child stunting since
Nearly 50 million children
2000, wasting persists at alarming rates, and rising rates of overweight
suffer from wasting, the
most life-threatening
will require a reversal in trajectory to achieve the 2030 target.
form of malnutrition.
This figure could increase In 2021 UNICEF adjusted its programming as the world started
by 9 million due to the to move from fighting COVID-19 to living with it. The pandemic
pandemic’s impact on highlighted the dire consequences of weak health systems and the
children’s diets, nutrition
importance of investing in these systems.
services and feeding
practices.
Looking ahead, UNICEF is sharpening its focus on strengthening
primary health care as the cornerstone of resilient health systems and
as the key to universal health care that promote health and well-being
across the life cycle, so that children not only survive, but thrive.
KEY RESULTS

The number of live births delivered In 25 high-burden countries, UNICEF reached nearly 336 million
in health facilities increased to 8.75 million children children with services to prevent stunting
38.9 million, and the proportion with suspected pneumonia and other forms of malnutrition (a 38%
attended by skilled health received antibiotics. increase over 2020), and 67.4 million
personnel increased to 80%in the adolescents with services and support
50 focus countries of the Every to prevent anaemia and other forms of
Newborn Action Plan. malnutrition (a 91% increase from 2020).

8 UNICEF Annual Report 2021: Protecting child rights in a time of crises

 © UNICEF/UN0550014/Dubourthoumieu

GOAL AREA 2
Every child learns
In 2021, the COVD-19 crisis brought education systems
By September 2021, across the world to a halt, with school closures exacerbating
schoolchildren around a global learning crisis. While nearly every country offered
the world had lost an remote learning opportunities for students, their quality
estimated 1.8 trillion and reach varied greatly, and they provided at best partial
hours of in-person substitutes for in-person learning. This generation of school-
learning due to COVID-
aged children now risks losing $17 trillion in lifetime earnings
related school closures,
which will have profound as a result of school closures, far more than the $10 trillion
long-term, unequal social estimated in 2020.
and economic effects.

Over 50 per cent of

10-year-olds in low-
income and middle-
income countries cannot
read and understand a
simple story by the end
of primary school.

KEY RESULTS

48.6 million out-of-school UNICEF-supported skills 42 million children (18.1 million

children accessed education, development programmes in humanitarian settings) received
bringing the total to 149 million since benefited 33 million children learning materials, bringing the
2016. Among them were 6.4 million in 91 countries. total since 2016 to 137 million
children on the move and 31.7 million children.
children in humanitarian settings.

FIVE GOAL AREAS 9

 © UNICEF/UN0421355/Abdul

GOAL AREA 3
Every child is protected from violence
and exploitation
Decades-long progress in children’s protection and well-
In a majority of countries, being have resulted in increases in birth registration and
more than 2 in 3 children reductions in child marriage and female genital mutilation.
are subjected to violent Yet child labour rates have stagnated and are at risk of
discipline by caregivers. increasing. And current projections indicate that impacts
of the COVID-19 pandemic may erode these gains,
jeopardizing progress towards protection-related SDGs.
12 million girls per year are
married before their 18th
birthday and more than 150
million additional girls are at
risk of becoming married in
childhood by 2030.

KEY RESULTS

4.4 million children who had experienced violence 7.6 million adolescent girls across 47 countries received
reached across 129 countries with health, social work child marriage prevention and care interventions through
and justice services, 80% more than in 2017. regional alliances, particularly with the African Union, and the
traction gained by the UNICEF-UNFPA Global Programme to
Community-based mental health and psychosocial End Child Marriage.
support, including targeted awareness campaigns,
A major result in 2021 was the largest-ever release of children
reached over 8.4 million children and adolescents
from detention. Since the beginning of the pandemic, over
in 111 countries (up 170% over 2017) and 3.6 million
45,000 children across 84 countries have been
parents and caregivers in 97 countries.
released. In 2021, child-friendly justice services reached
384,000 children in 81 countries.

10 UNICEF Annual Report 2021: Protecting child rights in a time of crises

 © UNICEF/UNI206458/Wilander

GOAL AREA 4
Every child lives in a safe
and clean environment
Despite significant progress in WASH, the world will struggle
Globally, approximately to achieve SDG 6, leaving the rights of all children and their
1 billion children – nearly half families to safe water and sanitation unfulfilled. As of 2021,
of the world’s children – live 3.6 billion people still lack access to safe sanitation, one quarter
in countries that are at an
do not have safely managed water services, and one third do
‘extremely high risk’ from the
impacts of climate change.
not have a handwashing facility with soap in their homes.

2.3 billion people lack soap and From 2018 to 2021, UNICEF reached 69.9 million people with
water at home, 900 million access to safe drinking water and 59.6 million with basic
children lack soap and water sanitation, against a target of 60 million each – the most
at their school, and 40% of
ambitious target set, and reached, to date.
healthcare facilities are not
equipped to practice hand
hygiene at points of care.

KEY RESULTS

106 countries implemented national community- Through UNICEF humanitarian relief programmes,
based handwashing programmes with UNICEF 33.3 million people gained or regained access
support, exceeding the target of 78. to water services for drinking and hygiene, and
8.4 million to sanitation services.

FIVE GOAL AREAS 11

 © UNICEF/UN0547572/Mawa

GOAL AREA 5
Every child has an equitable
chance in life
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed an estimated 100 million
additional children into multidimensional poverty. The crisis
More than 1 billion children
worldwide now suffer at least
significantly increased the vulnerability of women and
one deprivation in critical girls, putting an additional 10 million girls at risk of child
areas of their rights. marriage, on top of pre-pandemic projections of 100 million
more child brides by 2030.
COVID-19 has exacerbated
barriers facing the world’s
240 million children with
disabilities, who account for
1 in 10 children, based on
new estimates from over 40
countries published by UNICEF
in 2021.

KEY RESULTS

UNICEF supported 78 countries UNICEF supported In 2021, UNICEF reached more than
in building capacity on child poverty cash-transfer programmes 4.8 million children with disabilities
measurement, and 33 countries reached nearly 133 million across 148 countries through
reported that measurement, analysis children in 95 countries, disability-inclusive programming,
or advocacy led to policies and including in fragile contexts including in humanitarian situations,
programmes that reduced child poverty. and humanitarian crises. more than double the 2.2 million
reached in 2020.

12 UNICEF Annual Report 2021: Protecting child rights in a time of crises

 © UNICEF/UN0584703/Filippov

Gender Humanitarian

Globally, 22% of adolescent girls Globally, 426 million children –

aged 15-19 are not in education, nearly 1 in 5 – live in conflict zones
employment or training (NEET) that are becoming more intense
compared to 12% of boys of the and taking heavier toll on civilians,
same age. disproportionally affecting children.

Around 1 in 3 girls aged 15-19 An estimated 35 million (42%) of

today have undergone female the 82.4 million forcibly displaced
genital mutilation (FGM) in people as of mid-2021 were
the 30 countries where it is children below 18 years of age,
concentrated. many unaccompanied or separated
from their families.

Progress in areas such as menstrual health, Amidst the unprecedented global crisis caused by
girls’ learning, child marriage prevention, gender- the COVID-19 pandemic, 235 million people were
responsive social protection, WASH and maternal in need of humanitarian assistance and protection
health illustrate the importance of deliberate gender in 2021 – the highest number in decades, projected
results, with clear indicators and targets, and of to rise to 274 million in 2022. Conflict remained the
gender-targeted resourcing. key driver of humanitarian needs. Disease outbreaks
continued to increase, while climate change and natural
But other areas such as gender-based violence, disasters caused an increasing number of extreme
harmful practices, and girls’ secondary education, weather events and continued to exacerbate existing
remain under-resourced by partners in some cases vulnerabilities, particularly in countries beset by violence.
and plagued by deep-rooted and persistent barriers
to progress, and have been subjected to alarming KEY RESULTS
risks of setbacks owing to the effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
UNICEF responded to 483 new and ongoing
humanitarian crises in 153 countries in 2021,
compared with 455 in 153 countries in 2020.

FIVE GOAL AREAS 13

For every child
Whoever she is.
Wherever he lives.
Every child deserves a childhood.
A future.
A fair chance.
That’s why UNICEF is there.
For each and every child.
Working day in and day out.
In more than 190 countries and territories.
Reaching the hardest to reach.
The furthest from help.
The most excluded.
It’s why we stay to the end.
And never give up.

Published by UNICEF Data in this report are drawn from the most recent
Division of Global Communication and Advocacy available statistics from UNICEF and other United
3 United Nations Plaza Nations agencies, annual reports prepared by
New York, NY 10017, USA UNICEF country offices, and the Annual Report of the
Executive Director of UNICEF, to be presented to the
[email protected] Executive Board in June 2022.
www.unicef.org
Photography credits
© United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Cover: Seven-year-old students hold UNICEF backpacks
May 2022 in front of their classroom in Northern Shan State,
Myanmar. © UNICEF/UN0579231/Htet

Pages 2–3: © UNICEF/UN0499153/Reddy

© UNICEF/UN0377181/Esiebo
© UNICEF/UN0349205/Abdullah
© UNICEF/UN0527556/Sujan
© UNICEF/UN0579494/Mulala
© UNICEF/UN0519424/Upadhayay
© UNICEF/UN0570785/Prasad Ngakhusi
© UNICEF/UNI178413/Pirozzi