Racism and discrimination against children based on their ethnicity, language, and religion are rife in countries across the world, according to a new UNICEF report published ahead of World Children’s Day. Rights denied: The impact of discrimination on children shows the extent to which racism and discrimination impact children’s education, health, access to a registered birth, and to a fair and equal justice system, and highlights widespread disparities among minority and ethnic groups. “Systemic racism and discrimination put children at risk of deprivation and exclusion that can last a lifetime,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “This hurts us all. Protecting the rights of every child – whoever they are, wherever they come from – is the surest way to build a more peaceful, prosperous, and just world for everyone.” Among the new findings, the report shows that children from marginalized ethnic, language, and religious groups in an analysis of 22 countries lag far behind their peers in reading skills. On average, students aged 7-14 from the most advantaged group are more than twice as likely to have foundational reading skills than those from the least advantaged group. An analysis of data on the rate of children registered at birth – a prerequisite for access to basic rights – found significant disparities among children of different religious and ethnic groups. For example, in Lao PDR, 59 per cent of children under 5 in the minority Mon-Khmer ethnic group have their births registered, compared to 80 per cent among the Lao-Tai ethnic group. Discrimination and exclusion deepen intergenerational deprivation and poverty, and result in poorer health, nutrition, and learning outcomes for children, higher likelihood of incarceration, higher rates of pregnancy among adolescent girls, and lower employment rates and earnings in adulthood. While COVID-19 exposed deep injustices and discrimination across the world, and the impacts of climate change and conflict continue to reveal inequities in many countries, the report highlights how discrimination and exclusion have long persisted for millions of children from ethnic and minority groups, including access to immunization, water and sanitation services, and a fair justice system. For example, in disciplinary policies in the United States, Black children are almost four times more likely to receive out-of-school suspensions than white children, and more than twice as likely to face school-related arrests, the report notes. The report also highlights how children and young people are feeling the burden of discrimination in their everyday lives. A new U-Report poll generating more than 407,000 responses found that almost two thirds feel discrimination is common in their environments, while almost half feel discrimination had impacted their lives or that of someone they know in a significant manner. “On World Children’s Day and every day, every child has the right to be included, to be protected, and to have an equal chance to reach their full potential,” said Russell. “All of us have the power to fight discrimination against children – in our countries, our communities, our schools, our homes, and our own hearts. We need to use that power.” 

UNICEF and Parenting School NGO launched Armenia’s first free online positive parenting course today, developed in 2022 with the funding of the United States Government and in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The course will enroll about 10.000 parents from across Armenia until end of the year. “Parents and caregivers are the chief architects of the next generation. Like no one else, they shape the experiences that build their children’s brains and set them on a path towards healthy development and adolescence. At the same time, parenting is too big a job for parents and caregivers to do alone. Through this course and other programmes, UNICEF strives to be a trusted partners for parents and caregivers in Armenia and support them in their most precious task of all – raising their children,” said Christine Weigand, UNICEF Representative in Armenia. “Parenting is one of the best roles you can take on in life. As a parent, you cannot completely disregard a myriad of new worries, stresses and concerns that this role brings, so it’s important to balance your parenting experience via this course and other tools. Today, parents of adolescents are faced with new issues related to technological developments, consumption of fast food, as well as trying to manage diverging views, allowing your child to grow independent, while at the same time continuing to nurture your emotional connection with them,” shared Mrs Tatevik Stepanyan, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. Through this course, partners aim to raise the awareness of parents and caregivers about conscious parenting and its various aspects, while also building their capacity in positive parenting, building trust with children, ensuring a conducive environment for children’s healthy development and wellbeing, while trying to minimize or avoid negative psychological and emotional pressures on children. “While parents place importance in conscious and positive approaches to parenting on daily basis, they don’t always have access to experienced psychologists and parenting experts that can help guide and support them with additional information and reassurance, as well as practical tips that they can use in their relationships with their children. Our new platform is accessible, easy to use and provides parents with videos and other user-friendly materials, unpacking all positive and negative consequences of each behavior. Our objective with this course is to support parents to enjoy parenthood, feel happy and fulfilled as parents and raise happy children,” shared Anna Velitsyan, Founding Director of Parenting School NGO. The course was developed by three expert psychologists from Parenting School NGO – Lusine Aghabekyan, Armine Vardanyan, and Tatevik Abrahamyan, and is available online at: aybuben.parenting.am microsite. Coursework includes six different topics, including effective communication with children, positive disciplining, how to motivate children, how to spend quality time or deal with age-related transitional issues that may arise. Each topic is presented through defined learning objectives and expected outcomes, a number of resources from videos to practical exercises. Once everything is completed, participants will also be provided with a topic-based summary sheet as a material for a quick refresh in the future. UNICEF will continue providing necessary support to caregivers through evidence-based articles on parenting and much more on www.Babycef.am, established with the support of the Ministry of Health.

LONDON/NEW YORK, 25 October, 2022 – 559 million children are currently exposed to high heatwave frequency*, according to new research from UNICEF. Further, 624 million children are exposed to one of three other high heat measures - high heatwave duration, high heatwave severity or extreme high temperatures. During a year in which heatwaves in both the southern and northern hemispheres broke records, The Coldest Year Of The Rest Of Their Lives: Protecting Children From The Escalating Impacts Of Heatwaves highlights the already extensive impact of heatwaves on children and reveals that, even at lower levels of global heating, in just three decades, more regular heatwaves are unavoidable for children everywhere. The report estimates that by 2050, all of the world’s 2.02 billion children are expected to be exposed to high heatwave frequency, regardless of whether the world achieves a ‘low greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 1.7 degrees of warming in 2050 or a ‘very high greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 2.4 degrees of warming in 2050. Produced in collaboration with The Data Collaborative for Children and launched in partnership with UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Vanessa Nakate and Africa-based Rise Up Movement, these findings underscore the urgent need to adapt the services children rely on as unavoidable impacts of global heating unfold. It also makes a case for continued mitigation, to prevent the worst impacts of the other high heat measures, including longer and hotter heatwaves and higher extreme temperatures. “The mercury is rising and so are the impacts on children,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said. “Already, 1 in 3 children live in countries that face extreme high temperatures and almost 1 in 4 children are exposed to high heatwave frequency, and it is only going to get worse. More children will be impacted by longer, hotter and more frequent heatwaves over the next thirty years, threatening their health and wellbeing. How devastating these changes will be depends on the actions we take now. At a minimum, governments must urgently limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius and double adaptation funding by 2025. This is the only way to save children’s lives and futures – and the future of the planet.” Heatwaves are especially damaging to children, as they are less able to regulate their body temperature compared to adults. The more heatwaves children are exposed to, the greater the chance of health problems including chronic respiratory conditions, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases. Babies and young children are at the greatest risk of heat-related mortality. Heatwaves can also affect children’s environments, their safety, nutrition and access to water, and their education and future livelihood. The report found high heatwave duration currently impacts 538 million, or 23 per cent of, children globally. This will rise to 1.6 billion children in 2050 at 1.7 degrees warming, and 1.9 billion children at 2.4 degrees warming, emphasising the importance of urgent and dramatic emissions mitigation and adaptation measures to contain global heating and protect lives. Millions more children will be exposed to high heatwave severity and extreme high temperatures depending on the degree of global heating reached. Children in northern regions, especially Europe, will face the most dramatic increases in high severity heatwaves and, by 2050, nearly half of all children in Africa and Asia will face sustained exposure to extreme high temperatures. Currently 23 countries fall into the highest category for child exposure to extreme high temperatures. This will rise to 33 countries by 2050 under the low emissions scenario and 36 countries under the very high emissions scenario. Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Sudan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan are among the countries likely to remain in the highest category in both scenarios.   “The climate shocks of 2022 provided a strong wakeup call about the increasing danger hurtling towards us,” said Vanessa Nakate, climate activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. “Heatwaves are a clear example. As hot as this year has been in almost every corner of the world, it will likely be the coldest year of the rest of our lives. The dial is being turned up on our planet and yet our world leaders haven’t begun to sweat. The only option is for us to continue to turn up the heat - on them - to correct the course we are on. World leaders must do this at COP27 for children everywhere, but especially the most vulnerable children in the most affected places. Unless they take action, and soon, this report makes it clear that heatwaves will become even harsher than they are already destined to be.” UNICEF is calling on governments to: PROTECT children from climate devastation by adapting social services. Every country must adapt critical social services - water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, education, nutrition, social protection and child protection – to protect children and young people. For example, food systems must be strengthened to withstand hazards and ensure continued access to healthy diets. Increased investments must be made in the early prevention, detection and treatment of severe malnutrition in children, mothers and vulnerable populations. At COP27, children and their rights must be prioritized in decisions on adaptation. PREPARE children to live in a climate-changed world. Every country must provide children and young people with climate change education, disaster risk reduction education, green skills training and opportunities to meaningfully participate and influence climate policy making. COP27 must see countries strengthen the focus on children's climate education and empowerment in the ACE action plan, adopt it, and implement previous commitments to build youth capacity. PRIORITIZE children and young people in climate finance and resources. Developed countries must deliver on their COP26 agreement to double adaptation funding to $40bn per year by 2025 at a minimum, as a step to delivering at least $300bn per year for adaptation by 2030. Adaptation funding must make up half of all climate finance. COP27 must unlock progress on loss and damage, placing the resilience of children and their communities at the center of discussions on action and support.  PREVENT a climate catastrophe by drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and keep 1.5 degrees Celsius alive. Emissions are projected to rise by 14% this decade, putting us on a path to catastrophic global heating. All governments must revisit their national climate plans and policies to increase ambition and action. They must cut emissions by at least 45% by 2030 to keep heating to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

GENEVA/NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, 28 OCTOBER 2022 - Governments must invest strategically in building safe drinking water systems by not only increasing funding, but also strengthening capacities to plan, coordinate, and regulate service provision, if the world is to achieve universal access to safe drinking water and mitigate the effects of climate change, say WHO, UNICEF, and the World Bank in a report released today. The State of the World’s Drinking Water report notes that over 2 billion people have gained access to safe drinking water in the past two decades.  This progress, while positive, is fragile and inequitable with one-quarter of the world’s population left behind.  Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts and floods, which exacerbate water insecurity, disrupt supplies and devastate communities.  Meanwhile rapid urbanization is increasing the strain on cities’ capacity to deliver water to the millions of people living in in-formal communities and slums. “Providing greater access to safe drinking water has saved many lives, most of them children. But climate change is eating into those achievements,” said Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health. “We have to accelerate our efforts to ensure every person has reliable access to safe drinking water something that is a human right, not a luxury.” The report provides a comprehensive review of the links between water, health, and development, with actionable recommendations for governments and partners, illustrated by examples of how countries are contributing to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of reaching safely managed drinking water for all by 2030.  “Investing in water and sanitation is critical to health, economic growth and the environment. Healthier children become healthier adults who then contribute more to the economy and society”, said Saroj Kumar Jha, Director, Global Director, World Bank Group's Water Global Practice. “This principle is at the core of the World Bank’s Human Capital Project. Governments and private sector must take critical action now to accelerate inclusive and sustainable water supply and sanitation services in both urban and rural areas.” To provide universal access to safe drinking water by 2030, governments and partners must dramatically increase political commitment to drinking water and quadruple investments.  The report provides comprehensive recommendations to enact sustainable improvements that addresses infrastructure, governance, finance, capacity development, data and information, and innovation, even with limited budgets.  Overarching recommendations include:  Strengthen existing institutions by filling gaps, facilitating coordination, establishing a regulatory environment supported by legislation and standards for service quality, and ensuring enforcement. Increase funding from all sources dramatically, with water service providers improving efficiency and performance, and governments providing a stable and transparent administrative, regulatory and policy environment. Build capacity within the water sector by developing a capable and motivated workforce through a range of capacity-development approaches based on innovation and collaboration. Ensure relevant data and information are available to better understand inequalities in drinking water services and make evidence-based decisions. Encourage innovation and experimentation through supportive government policy and regulation, accompanied by rigorous monitoring and evaluation. “No child should be faced with the choice of drinking dirty water – a leading killer of children – or making dangerous journeys to collect water and missing out on school,” said Aidan Cronin, UNICEF Interim Director of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Climate, Environment, Energy, and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED). “Accessible and reliable safe drinking water is fundamental to ensuring children are healthy, educated, and thriving.” Armenia: According to the Education Management Information System in 2021-2022 academic year, over 4000 school-students (1%) and 600 teachers (1.6%) in 70 schools (5%) don’t have access to water (both drinking/portable or for handwashing) and almost 3600 school-students (0.9%) and 500 teachers (1.3%) in at least 50 schools neither have access to sanitation nor water across Armenia. In September 2022, UNICEF initiated an assessment of the situation of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in the public pre-primary and general educational institutions of Armenia. Based on the desk-review and the generated evidence, together with partners, UNICEF will identify solutions for filling in the existing gaps tailored to different school and pre-school environments, including professional design and costing of WASH facility models and recommendations for upgrading national standards and plans.