UNICEF Belgium’s Post

Over 500 million – or close to 8 in 10 - children under 5 have had their births registered in the last 5 years according to a new UNICEF report released today on UNICEF's 78th anniversary. This global progress has largely been driven by countries prioritizing timely registration, leveraging health, social protection, and education systems, expanding services to more locations, digitalizing the process, and eliminating fees. Nevertheless, 2 out of 10 children remain without birth certificates and because of that risk being excluded from education, healthcare, and vaccinations, making them more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Read more about this on the UNICEF Belgium website: 🔹in Dutch 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d5icFuse 🔹in French 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dnHVsfQh

#Senegal: Strengthening #birthregistration to improve access to #education Based on desk research, a 10 day in country mission (December 2023) and presentation of the report (January 2024) to actors, a final report of the work in Senegal was prepared with partners, Ministry of Education, Senegal and UNICEF. This works seeks to strengthen even more the efficiency of the Protocol for detecting and registering pupils without birth certificates, which is already quite effective. In 2023, more than 76,000 pupils from CI to CM2 were registered out of the 152,752 detected as having no #birthcertificate. This was made possible by the "Protocol for detecting and registering pupils without birth certificates" dating from 2020 and widely disseminated since November 2022. Specifically, research was carried out in eight regions of Senegal with 138 stakeholders at both central and decentralised levels. The research proposes potential solutions for integrating the remaining 70,000 pupils who have not yet been regularised, including in daara schools and those not at school. The support expressed in February 2024 by the #CRC Committee (United Nations Human Rights) for Senegal's efforts, as set out in its Concluding Observations on the last periodic reports, reinforces this recommendation. We encourage other countries to consider implementing such a system to address the problem of non-registration of births outside the legal deadlines. Child Identity Protection (CHIP) would like to express our sincere thanks to the many experts who contributed to this research and who gave up their time to take part in discussions that enriched this report. Ann Skelton, Suzanne Aho, Laurence Bordier, Marine Braun, Mia Dambach, Mariama Diallo, Ousmane Gueye, Mamadou Moustapha Thiandoum, Mr Sy Papa Demba, Mr Aliou Ousmane SALL, Mr Ibra Samba Yoro Diop, Republique du Senegal, Massamba DIOUF, Cecilie Modvar, Nicolette Moodie, Sady Ndiaye, Yaka Demba, Aissatou Lo, UNICEF Sénégal. Read the report in 🇫🇷 here: https://lnkd.in/dWHWetGp

Every Child Deserves to Be Counted! 🌍 The latest UNICEF estimates reveal a stark reality: 🟡 150 million children worldwide remain unregistered. 🟡 Over 90 million of these children are in Sub-Saharan Africa. 🟡 Of the 37 million unregistered infants, over 80% live in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Birth registration is more than a formality, it is a passport to protection, education, and opportunity. Without it, children are at greater risk of being invisible to health, education, and welfare systems. Despite steady progress in recent years, the current pace of registration is not enough. To achieve universal birth registration by 2030, progress must be accelerated fivefold. 🚀 What can be done? ✅ Strengthen Civil Registration Systems (CRVS). ✅ Eliminate registration fees for vulnerable communities. ✅ Leverage mobile and digital technologies for on-the-spot registration. ✅ Launch awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of birth registration. Every child deserves to be seen, counted, and protected. The time to act is NOW!!! Let us work together to make sure no child is left behind. 👉 Attached is an excerpt from the UNICEF estimates of birth registration. 🔁 Join the conversation: What more can be done to accelerate birth registration in Sub-Saharan Africa? Share your thoughts below! #BirthRegistration #UNICEF #HumanRights #CRVS #LeaveNoOneBehind #SubSaharanAfrica

#Medialiteracy and awareness raising have been proven efficient only to a very limited extent in terms of #childprotection online. Children's safety should not lie on them, but on regulators and businesses. Companies must design their digital services with #childrights in mind! Yesterday our colleague Fabiola Bas Palomares exchanged Eurochild's recommendations with the European Commission (DG Connect & DG EAC), UNICEF EU and YouTube. Thank you Euractiv for hosting us! Read more about our work on digital: https://buff.ly/4gjKTw2

Transforming children’s protection in West and Central Africa   Last week, we had the pleasure in UNICEF West and Central Africa to welcome child protection colleagues from across West and Central Africa and Headquarters in Dakar for our biannual meeting. Over the week we looked in depth at the work we are doing across contexts including conflict, public health emergencies and climate change. Despite working in one of the most complex contexts in the world in which to work on child protection, colleagues shared innovative and effective ways to engage with children and adolescents, parents and communities to protect them from violence, including gender-based violence and child marriage at scale. With several countries in the region on track to deliver on SDG 16.9 and to realize every child’s right to legal identity, colleagues shared concretely how three evidence-based strategies are game changers: connecting civil registration with health services, bringing services closer to local communities, and using digital tools to provide access to civil registration for communities in remote and hard to reach areas. Provocative discussions on advancing children’s rights, particularly those of girls, in contexts where they are under threat compel us to expand our work with children and civil society organisations as genuine partners and to be transformative in our engagements and partnerships. Seizing the momentum from the recently concluded 1st Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children, and for which 15 out of the 24 countries in this region sent high level government delegations, the network committed to support governments to deliver on the pledges made, capitalizing on our expertise, policy influence and convening and leveraging role. Reflecting on the importance of investing in our own human resources to make a positive and lasting difference in children’s live, we committed to expanding a peer-mentoring and support programme. The meeting concluded with a strengthened commitment to working together, identified focus areas for the coming year and left us energized for the opportunities and challenges ahead. Grateful to be part of this committed and extraordinary network. @Gilles Fagninou Sheema Sen Gupta Gordon Jonathan Lewis @Mariavittoria Ballotta Nadia Noor ;Jean Luc YAMEOGO; Ramatou Toure; Mirkka Mattila; Ibrahim Sesay; Casimira Benge; Lucia Soleti; Young Joo Lee; Hellen Nyangoya; Frank Kashando; Nathalie Daries; Katherine Wepplo; Nicolette Moodie; Lanwiougou Arsene BAGRE; Adele Rutsobe; Jennifer LEGER; Esther Ruiz Entrena; Catherine Mueller; Duvert Kilembe Kimok; Gloria Mathenge; Augustin Thiaw; John James; Anna Maria Levi; Paul Quarles van Ufford; Gillian Mann; David Knaute; Valérie Taton; Francesca Marenghi; Anne Grandjean; Neha Naidu; Josué ANGO; Leonidas Ngayabihema;

Together with UNICEF, we have unveiled new data that underscores a critical imbalance in public spending across Africa. Governments are spending 16 times more on a 15-year-old than on a one-year-old, leaving the youngest, most vulnerable children without the support they need to thrive. 🌍 According to Dominic Richardson, Managing Director of the Learning for Well-being Institute, "Countries need to map and manage the child policy portfolio across the life course, from pregnancy to preschool and beyond. Knowing where the money is going empowers governments to make evidence-informed decisions regarding future spending and the complementarity of multi-sectoral policy efforts for children." It's time for governments to rethink their spending priorities and invest in early childhood to build a strong foundation for future generations. 🚀 🔗https://lnkd.in/e4DZGVjT #EarlyChildhood #Africa #ForEveryChild #WhereEvidencePowersWellBeing

Role of Families and Rights of Children: UNICEF's Focus on Education and Inclusion in Uzbekistan Marking World Children’s Day, UNICEF’s Representative in Uzbekistan, Ms. Regina Castillo, highlights key insights from the latest Situation Analysis of Children and Adolescents in Uzbekistan. The report underscores Uzbekistan’s demographic "bonus" and progress in education, while emphasizing challenges such as disparities in service access and the overrepresentation of children with disabilities in residential care. Ms. Castillo stressed the importance of early childhood programs, data-driven policies, and cross-sectoral collaboration to improve outcomes in health, education, and social protection. Strengthening family environments, supporting girls’ education, and addressing road safety are critical for ensuring no child is left behind. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dWzv4nXM Watch full interview: https://lnkd.in/dDHGTypR #UNICEF #ChildRights #Education #UzbekistanNews #Kunuz

Every child deserves a chance to dream, grow, and thrive. On UNICEF Day, we reaffirm our commitment to child health and well-being, ensuring brighter, healthier futures. Together, let's stand for the rights and care every child deserves. #medarkhospital #UNICEF #UNICEFDay #unicefdaycelebration #unicefdayforchange #UNICEFFOREVERYCHILD #uniceforganisation

Today approximately 25 countries and territories allow some form of voting to adolescents 16-17 years old. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recognizes the child’s right to express his or her views freely in “all matters affecting the child” (...) (article 12) - though does not specifically mention the right to vote. Adolescents have cognitive ability to make informed decisions. Adolescents are passionate about the critical challenges facing them and our societies. Possibly, they are more informed and committed than adults. Critically, they expect prompt and tangible responses, which some countries have not been able to deliver. UNICEF has been active in creating participatory processes for children and adolescents to contribute to take informed decisions on aspects that affect their communities and societies. But only when chilren and adolescents will be allowed to vote, politicians will feel the need to start offering solutions for their problems. Should Children Vote? My opinion: yes, absolutely. For more information, see the UNICEF Innocenti article below.

Announcing Our Second Project for the Year 2024. Yesterday we flag off a Multi Sectoral Project Funded by United Nations OCHA a Consortium of National NGOs led by Center for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative (CATAI) with CASFOD NIGERIA and Future Resilience and Development Foundation as consortium members implementing in Various LGAs across Borno state. The project titled: "Ensuring Multi-Sectoral Approach for Protection of Women and Girls from Gender-Based Violence in Education facilities across 6 LGAS of Borno, NE Nigeria" is an Innovative approach that is first of its kind in the humanitarian response which focus more on Nexus ensuring complementarity between humanitarian, development, and peace building for a more durable solutions to the needs of the affected populations. The Project focuses more on strengthening the protection of children especially the girl child through education, GBV and child protection services to increase their access to safe equitable quality education that increase their protective factors and provides them with platforms to thrive and realise their full potentials, it was a 360 approach that cut across women empowerment through skills building during non formal learning at the communities, Integration of Digital skills learning for both children and their teachers using the UNICEF Nigeria #nigerialearningpassport, disability inclusion through the provision of assistive devices, and renovations of WASH and school infrastructures to be disability inclusive and Gender friendly for the safety, comfort and utilisation of both gender irrespective of disability status. The project has an overarching objective of "Collaborate to expand access to GBV and child protection programs in schools and other learning environments with a focus to collectively prioritize the protection of women and girls." The flag off Ceremony was graced by various stakeholders among which are: The special adviser to the The Governor of Borno State on Education, Representative of the Honorable commissioner Ministry of Education, Permanent commissioner Borno state universal basic education board, The Education secretaries of the 6 Targeted LGAs, the Education in emergencies sector coordinator from UNICEF Nigeria, the child protection Sector Representative, representative, the Executive secretary of the agency for coordination of #Humanitarian affairs and sustainable development, the media and partner staff from the consortium partners. We are positive the project will contribute to our 2024-2027 strategic plan under objective 1: To promote access to formal and non-formal education opportunities, and digital skills training, benefiting youths and vulnerable populations through targeted intervention by community engagement and policy influencing. Ishaku Ibrahim Balami Abubakar Sadiq Mu'azu Benjamin John We are committed, #buildingresilience #LeaveNoOneBehind