Programs and investments supported by UNICEF and partners — in many cases, for decades — have significantly contributed to several major advances for children and their futures. And for every dollar invested in solutions for children, the socioeconomic benefits are tenfold.
10 wins that UNICEF and partners helped make possible
1. More children are surviving today than ever before.
Close to 8 million more children in the world survive to see their fifth birthday than in 1990 — a 60 percent decline in annual under-five child mortality.
UNICEF and partners have contributed to this remarkable achievement through proven, sustainable solutions for improving maternal and child health care services and strengthening disease prevention — and delivering those solutions at scale.
A quarter of all births happen in UNICEF-supported health centers. And since UNICEF and partners introduced the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding has doubled; as a result, an estimated 900 million infants around the world have enjoyed the survival, growth and development benefits of exclusive breastfeeding in infancy.
2. Vaccines have saved 154 million lives in the last 50 years.
As the world’s largest vaccine supplier, UNICEF procures and distributes enough vaccines annually to immunize 45 percent of the world’s children. In 2023, UNICEF supplied 2.8 billion vaccine doses to 105 countries, up from just over 2 billion to 102 countries in 2020. Through widespread immunizations, polio is on the brink of eradication.
Related: Moving Toward the Finish Line in the Polio Fight
3. Safe water is available to over 2.1 billion more people compared to 20 years ago.
Consistent access to a sufficient supply of safe water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene is the foundation for child survival, healthier lives, stronger economies and more sustainable societies. With support from UNICEF and partners, more than a quarter of the world’s population gained access to safe and clean drinking water in the past two decades.
UNICEF-supported programs help ensure access to safe water for 35 million people around the world every year. UNICEF also leads coordinated emergency response efforts related to safe water access in roughly 85 percent of countries affected by crises. In 2023, over 42 million people in 73 countries were reached with emergency water services, helping to prevent outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
To help build community resilience to climate shocks, UNICEF has also supported the installation of more than 8,900 solar-powered water systems in 56 countries — an important climate adaption measure that also reduces the use of fossil fuels.
4. The number of children with stunted growth due to malnutrition has declined by 40 percent since 2000.
For more than two decades, UNICEF has been the world’s largest procurer of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), procuring up to 80 percent of global demand, ensuring children suffering from severe malnutrition can be treated successfully.
In 2023 alone, UNICEF and partners reached 210.2 million children with RUTF and other nutrition interventions — including 9.3 million children with lifesaving treatment for severe wasting.
5. Over 68 million child marriages have been averted in the last 25 years, giving girls their childhoods back.
In the late 1990s, 1 in 4 young women aged 20 to 24 were married as children. Today, it’s 1 in 5. UNICEF has played an important role in global efforts to end child marriage, supporting 35 countries in implementing action plans, and working at the community level and across the health, education and other sectors to increase knowledge and change attitudes around the practice.
In 2023, UNICEF reached 11 million adolescent girls with prevention and care interventions empowering them to delay marriage and choose their own futures.
Related: Ending Child Marriage
6. Fewer kids are out of school.
The world stands on the cusp of realizing primary education as a basic right of every child. A world where more children learn is a world that is healthier, more prosperous and more resilient.
In the early 1950s, roughly half of all primary school-aged children were out of school. Now it’s less than 10 percent. And every year, 23 million more girls are completing secondary school compared to a decade ago.
UNICEF works with governments in more than 100 countries to plan, finance and implement quality primary education at scale, providing opportunities for children to develop foundational skills, including digital skills. These efforts include making digital learning more widely accessible as a public good, and helping countries develop more resilient education systems and reverse learning losses.
Since 2021, UNICEF has supported over 25 million out-of-school children with access to education in a classroom, 30 million children with access to education through digital platforms, and nearly 60 million children with individual learning materials.
7. The world is on track to eliminate open defecation by 2030.
In the last two decades, 2.5 billion people have gained access to safely managed sanitation, while the number of people practicing open defecation has also declined by two-thirds — from 1.3 billion in 2000 to 419 million in 2022 — putting the world on track to eliminate the practice entirely.
Ending open defecation drastically lowers the risks of diseases and malnutrition among children in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Child deaths from diarrhea — a leading killer of young children — have already decreased by 60 percent.
UNICEF plays a pivotal role in this area as a leader in sanitation programs in over 100 countries, driving national policies, scaling sustainable solutions and transforming how sanitation is delivered. In 2023, UNICEF reached 4.8 million people with basic climate-resilient sanitation services across 33 countries. Still others have benefited from direct sanitation support provided to schools and health centers.
8. Birth registration rates are way up.
Today, 77 percent of children under 5 are registered, up from 60 percent in the early 2000s — a major leap towards ensuring every child has a legal identity and can access health, education and other essential services.
UNICEF has been a key global player in birth registration for over 35 years, working with governments to simplify and digitize civil registration systems, remove legal and financial barriers and reach the most remote communities – all to ensure every child is counted.
Countries that prioritize birth registration see rapid progress. In Côte d’Ivoire, birth registration prevalence rose steadily from 65 percent in 2012 to 96 percent by 2021, proving that change at scale is possible.
Related: UNICEF and Child Protection: Birth Registration as First Line of Defense of Children’s Rights
9. A future free from HIV seems possible, one baby at a time.
An estimated 1.9 million deaths and 4 million HIV infections have been averted among pregnant women and children in the past 25 years.
These gains were possible in part because UNICEF pushed for groundbreaking interventions that stopped HIV before it could be passed from mother to child. Learn more.
10. In times of crisis and emergency, UNICEF is there — helping to save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization.
From war zones to natural disasters, UNICEF is at the forefront of coordinated humanitarian emergency response. In 2023, UNICEF responded to 412 new or ongoing crises in 107 countries.
Related: UNICEF’s Supply Powerhouse: Delivering for the World’s Children Since 1962
Already embedded in communities before crises hit, UNICEF pre-positions supplies, deploys emergency teams and delivers aid within 72 hours. UNICEF has the scale, reach, and expertise required to help meet immediate needs while preventing the next disaster from becoming a catastrophe.
UNICEF-supported programs in mental health and psychosocial support and humanitarian cash assistance help children and families build resilience and better cope with adversity.
Right now, the lives of the most vulnerable children hang in the balance as conflicts and crises jeopardize the care and protection that they deserve. Dependable, uninterrupted and effective foreign aid is critical to the well-being of millions of children. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support ongoing U.S. investments in foreign assistance.
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