UNICEF - Page 8

Vaccination Centres Inaugurated in Peshawar, Mardan

PESHAWAR: Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah on 14 August 2024 inaugurated the country’s first 24/7 Vaccination Centres at Maulvi Ameer Shah Memorial Hospital in Peshawar and the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Mardan. A handout said the inauguration ceremony was attended by Medical Superintendent Dr Akram Shah, District Health Officer Dr Idrees, UNICEF representatives, and other relevant officials in…

The Right Start in Life: Global Levels and Trends In Birth Registration 2024 Update

Globally, millions of children still lack birth registration, which is essential for legal identity and access to rights like education, healthcare, and protection from exploitation. Despite progress in recent years, challenges such as poverty, lack of awareness, and systemic gaps continue to hinder universal registration. Efforts to simplify processes and…

Criminalizing Child Domestic Labour in Pakistan

Human rights, child rights and civil society activists, along with legal experts…

Situation Analysis of Child Online Protection in Pakistan

The report titled “Situation Analysis of Child Online Protection in Pakistan” provides…

NCSW, Unicef Launch Campaign Against Child Marriage

ISLAMABAD: The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) on 29 July hosted the launch of the ‘Bolo (Speak Out) Child Marriage Communication Campaign’ with its consortium partners Unicef, UNFPA, and UN Women. This event, which aimed at raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 across the country,…

Over 68,000 children under five died due to air pollution in 2021: report

ISLAMABAD: As many as 68,100 children under the age of five years died in Pakistan in 2021 due to high exposure to air pollution. This figure was revealed in a report titled `Latest State of Global Air 2024`, released in partnership with Unicef. It stated that air pollution was the…

Improving energy resilience in Pakistan can avert 175,000 child and adult deaths

A new UNICEF study finds that investing in resilient energy would also add US$ 2.3 billion to Pakistan’s economy, bring a triple return on investment and boost education. ISLAMABAD/ NEW YORK, 31 May 2024 – A new UNICEF study shows that powering more health facilities with resilient energy in Pakistan could…

Unicef to launch child rights protection programme

KARACHI: The Sindh government and Unicef on 16 May 2024 agreed to launch a child protection programme to reduce child rights violations and harmful traditional practices. A statement issued from CM House said that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Unicef Country Representative Abdullah A. Fadil in their meeting…

Child marriages: LHC Judgement

THE recent judgement of the Lahore High Court in ‘Azka Wahid vs Province of Punjab’ has declared the arbitrary distinction in the legally prescribed minimum age of marriage in the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 18 years for men and 16 years for women as unconstitutional. Decades of lobbying…

Fistula and child marriages

Seema’s battle with fistula unveils the tragedy of early marriage, urging society to confront the intertwined dangers of child marriage and women’s health crises. Seema, a resident of Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan, received the title, ‘Woman of the Year’, not for her achievements, but for a fate imposed upon her…

Unicef Pakistan launches National Gender Strategy

ISLAMABAD: Unicef Pakistan on 30 April, 20204 launched its National Gender Strategy (2024-2027) to bring about lasting and transformative change for millions of girls between 10-19 years. Unicef said that if the strategy was implemented effectively from urban to rural areas, it could drive change, address inequalities and improve the…

Minister calls for addressing education challenges

ISLAMABAD: Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on 23rd April 2024 said challenges of education could not be addressed until the provinces and the federation worked in unison. He highlighted the importance of ensuring that all stakeholders were on the same page and owned the direction taken by the federal…

Japanese grant of $3.62m to fight polio in Pakistan

The Japanese government has announced $3.62 million grant to procure essential oral polio vaccines as part of its continued support for polio eradication efforts in Pakistan. Pakistan will use the funds to procure more than 21m doses of vaccines to support polio campaigns in 2024. According to a statement issued…

Unicef Seeks Urgent Funding for Pakistan

According to report published by Daily Dawn, Unicef is urgently appealing for $135.6 million from global donors to meet the pressing humanitarian needs of over 5.5 million individuals in Pakistan, with a focus on assisting 3.4 million children. The call for funding, outlined in a new Unicef report, aims to…