The number of children without access to social protection is increasing year-on-year, leaving them at risk of poverty, hunger and discrimination, according to a new report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF today. More than a billion reasons: The urgent need to build universal social protection for children warns that an additional 50 million children aged 0-15 missed out on a critical social protection provision – specifically, child benefits (paid in cash or tax credits) – between 2016 and 2020, driving up the total to 1.46 billion children under 15 globally. “Ultimately, strengthened efforts to ensure adequate investment in universal social protection for children, ideally through universal child benefits to support families at all times, is the ethical and rational choice, and the one that paves the way to sustainable development and social justice,” said Shahra Razavi, Director of the Social Protection Department at the ILO. According to the report, child and family benefit coverage rates fell or stagnated in every region in the world between 2016 and 2020, leaving no country on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving substantial social protection coverage by 2030. Failure to provide children with adequate social protection leaves them vulnerable to poverty, disease, missed education, and poor nutrition, and increases their risk of child marriage and child labour. Globally, children are twice as likely as adults to live in extreme poverty – those struggling to survive on less than US$1.90 (PPP*) a day – approximately 356 million children. A billion children also live in multidimensional poverty – meaning without access to education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, or water. Children living in multidimensional poverty increased by 15 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic, reversing previous progress in reducing child poverty and highlighting the urgent need for social protection. Moreover, the pandemic highlighted that social protection is a critical response in times of crisis. Nearly every government in the world either rapidly adapted existing schemes or introduced new social protection programmes to support children and families, but most fell short of making permanent reforms to protect against future shocks, according to the report.   “As families face increasing economic hardship, food insecurity, conflict, and climate-related disasters, universal child benefits can be a lifeline,” said Natalia Winder-Rossi, UNICEF Director of Social Policy and Social Protection. “There is an urgent need to strengthen, expand and invest in child-friendly and shock-responsive social protection systems. This is essential to protect children from living in poverty and increase resilience particularly among the poorest households.” The report emphasizes that all countries, irrespective of their level of development, have a choice: whether to pursue a “high-road” strategy of investment in reinforcing social protection systems, or a “low-road” strategy that misses out on necessary investments and will leave millions of children behind. To reverse the negative trend, the ILO and UNICEF urge policymakers to take decisive steps to attain universal social protection for all children, including: Investing in child benefits which offer a proven and cost-effective way to combat child poverty and ensure children thrive. Providing a comprehensive range of child benefits through national social protection systems that also connect families to crucial health and social services, such as free or affordable high-quality childcare. Building social protection systems that are rights-based, gender-responsive, inclusive, and shock responsive to address inequities and deliver better results for girls and women, migrant children, and children in child labour for example. Securing sustainable financing for social protection systems by mobilizing domestic resources and increasing budget allocation for children. Strengthening social protection for parents and caregivers by guaranteeing access to decent work and adequate benefits, including unemployment, sickness, maternity, disability, and pensions.  

“Children in Ukraine have experienced a year of horror,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Millions of children are going to sleep cold and scared and waking up hoping for an end to this brutal war. Children have been killed and injured, and many have lost parents and siblings, their homes, schools and playgrounds. No child should ever have to bear that kind of suffering.” An economic crisis, with a vast number of families reporting a significant loss of income, along with an energy crisis triggered by the war have been devastating to the well-being of children and families. A recent UNICEF survey saw 80 per cent of respondents noting a deterioration of their economic situation, while UNICEF analysis suggests the percentage of children living in poverty has almost doubled from 43 per cent to 82 per cent. The situation is especially acute for the 5.9 million people who are currently displaced within Ukraine. The war is also having a devasting impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children. An estimated 1.5 million children are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues, with potential long-term effects and implications. Children and families’ access to basic services have been devastated. More than 1,000 health facilities are reported to have been damaged or destroyed by shelling and airstrikes, with such attacks killing and causing serious injuries to patients – including children – as well as to medical personnel, and restricting access to care. Thousands of children fleeing conflict across the country are missing vital vaccines to protect them from polio, measles, diphtheria and other life-threatening diseases. Since February 24 2022, UNICEF, thanks to the support of the international community, has provided learning supplies to 770,000 children, engaged 1.4 million children in formal and non-formal education, provided mental health and psychosocial support to 2.9 million children and caregivers, provided gender-based violence response services to 352,000 women and children, provided access to safe water for 4.6 million people, provided healthcare services to 4.9 million people, and provided multi-purpose cash assistance to 1.4 million people inside Ukraine and 47,494 households in neighbouring countries. “Children need an end to this war and sustained peace to regain their childhoods, return to normalcy and begin to heal and recover,” said Russell. “Until that happens, it is absolutely critical that children’s mental health and psychosocial needs are prioritized. This should include age-appropriate actions to provide nurturing care, build resilience, and especially for older children and adolescents, give them opportunities to voice their concerns.” Further compounding this issue, the war has disrupted education for more than five million children, denying children sense of structure, safety, normality and hope the classroom provides.  Limited access to schools come after two years of lost learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 8 years of education disruption for children living in eastern Ukraine. UNICEF continues to call for principled, safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, an end to attacks on children and the infrastructure they rely on, including schools, hospitals and water and sanitation systems; the avoidance of use of schools in this conflict; and to stop the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, directly responsible for killing and maiming hundreds of children. Above all, UNICEF continues to advocate for an end to hostilities. In December 2022, UNICEF launched its annual Humanitarian Action for Children Appeal. UNICEF requires US$1.1 billion to address the immediate and longer-term needs of 9.4 million people, including 4 million children, both inside and outside Ukraine  who remain deeply impacted by the war in Ukraine. Funding will enable UNICEF to provide, sustain and expand critical services in health, nutrition, child protection, gender-based violence, water and sanitation, and social protection alongside government relief and recovery efforts. It will ensure timely preparedness for additional internal displacements and refugee movements.

Rome – The benchmark index of international food commodity prices declined in January for the tenth consecutive month, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 131.2 points in January, 0.8 percent lower than the previous month and 17.9 percent below its peak reached in March 2022. The index tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities. The price indices for vegetable oils, dairy and sugar drove the January decline, while those for cereals and meat remained largely stable.

In January, the FAO Cereal Price Index was essentially unchanged (up a mere 0.1 percent) from December and stood 4.8 percent above its level of one year earlier. International wheat prices declined by 2.5 percent as production in Australia and the Russian Federation outpaced expectations. World maize prices rose marginally due to strong demand for exports from Brazil and concerns over dry conditions in Argentina. International rice prices, however, jumped by 6.2 percent from December, influenced by tighter availabilities, strong local demand in some Asian exporting countries and exchange rate movements.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index declined by 2.9 percent in January. World prices of palm and soy oils dropped amid subdued global import demand, while those of sunflowerseed and rapeseed oils declined due to ample export availabilities.

The FAO Dairy Price Index averaged 1.4 percent lower than in December, with prices trending down for butter and milk powders on lighter demand from leading importers and increased supplies from New Zealand. World cheese prices rose slightly, driven by a recovery in food services and retail sales in Western Europe following the New Year holiday, as well as currency movements.

The FAO Meat Price Index moved fractionally in January (edging down just 0.1 percent from December), as ample export availabilities weighed on poultry, pig and bovine meat prices , while ovine export prices rose due to stronger import demand.

The FAO Sugar Price Index dropped by 1.1 percent from December. Strong harvest progress in Thailand and favourable weather conditions in Brazil outweighed the impact on prices due to concerns over lower crop yields in India, higher gasoline prices in Brazil, which support demand for ethanol, as well as the Brazilian real’s appreciation against the United States dollar.

More details and data available here.
Cereal supply still seen tightening in 2022/23

In its new Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, also released Friday, FAO raised its forecast for world cereal production in 2022; however, global cereal supplies are still forecast to tighten in 2022/23.

Global cereal output in 2022 is now forecast at 2 765 million tonnes, or 1.7 percent below the 2021 outturn. Upward revisions for Australia and the Russian Federation now point to a record global output for wheat in 2022, while total coarse grains production is expected to decline by 3.3 percent from the previous year. The forecast for world rice production was revised downward as lower-than-expected output in China more than offset upward revisions for Bangladesh and several other countries. As a result, global rice output is now predicted to decline by 2.6 percent from its all-time high in 2021.

Looking ahead to 2023, early indications point to likely area expansions for winter wheat cropping in the northern hemisphere, especially in the United States of America, driven mostly by elevated wheat prices. However, high fertilizer costs may affect application rates with adverse implications for yields.

Low domestic prices could result in a small cutback in wheat plantings in the Russian Federation, the world’s largest exporter, while severe war-induced impacts in Ukraine are estimated to reduce winter wheat area plantings by 40 percent. Record plantings are forecast in India, spurred by high market and support prices, and relatively high plantings are projected in Pakistan as standing water from the 2022 floods is causing less hindrance than initially anticipated.

In the southern hemisphere countries, most of the 2023 coarse grain crops have been sown. Brazil may post record maize plantings, while those in Argentina could decrease due to low soil moisture levels. Weather conditions augur well for maize yield prospects in South Africa.

World cereal utilization in 2022/23 is now forecast to drop by 0.7 percent from the previous year, to amount to 2 779 million tonnes, with the total utilization of maize predicted to decline, while wheat use increases and rice utilization changes little year-on-year.

The forecast for world cereal stocks is pegged at 844 million tonnes at the end of the marketing year, pushing down the world stock-to-use ratio for 2022/2 to 29.5 percent.

In its new brief, FAO predicts international trade in cereals in 2022/23 to decline by 1.7 percent from the previous year’s record level to 474 million tonnes.

More details and data available here.

More on this topic FAO Food Price Index
FAO's most recent Cereal Supply and Demand Brief
Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS)
AMIS: Market Monitor
FAO Markets and Trade

In recent years, Armenia faced multiple shocks that revealed an acute need to enhance the adaptability and response mechanisms of the social protection system to meet the needs of vulnerable populations during and after crises. In partnership with USAID, WFP launched the “Integrated Response to Increased Food Prices in Armenia” project that aims to improve and strengthen shock-responsive policies and promote social assistance tools for food-insecure populations over the next 15 months. “USAID is proud to work with the World Food Programme to support the government of Armenia in its efforts to respond to the needs of citizens, especially vulnerable populations, in the face of unforeseen challenges. We are pleased that at least 3,000 people will directly benefit from this program,” said USAID/Armenia Mission Director John Allelo. Also, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the WFP will develop and enforce shock-responsive social protection policy protocols, procedures, and resources. WFP will further operationalize food cards as cash-based transfer tools for meeting rapid food needs caused by shocks and crises to three thousand food-insecure persons in three regions. “We have experienced shock after shock in Armenia, and we aim to support the Armenian Government to have social systems in place that can adapt and provide the right assistance at the right time to people in need. “WFP welcomes USAID’s generous support to facilitate that the government of Armenia have all the necessary social protection tools and mechanisms and help people during and in the aftermath of shocks,” said Nanna Skau, WFP Deputy Director and Officer in Charge. WFP values the crucial role of improving the shock-responsive social protection system in Armenia, considering that the country is prone to various types of shocks. By enhancing social protection systems WFP can reach more people who are at risk, and therefore a multi-stakeholder approach is required to address the consequences of the shocks and ensure a timely and effective response to hundreds of people across Armenia.