UNICEF [to 6 February 2016]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_89711.html
Selected Press Releases

.
New statistical report on female genital mutilation shows harmful practice is a global concern – UNICEF
NEW YORK, 5 February 2016 – At least 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation in 30 countries, according to a new statistical report published ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

Eliminate Female Genital Mutilation by 2030, say UNFPA and UNICEF
NEW YORK, 5 February 2016 – “FGM is a violent practice, scarring girls for life — endangering their health, depriving them of their rights, and denying them the chance to reach their full potential.

On articles in the Israeli press related to children and violence
NEW YORK, 5 February, 2016 – With regard to recent articles in the Israeli press quoting UNICEF National Committees about abuse and violence committed against and by children, our National Committees are legally independent non-governmental organizations.

As Zika spreads, UNICEF works to help keep communities safe
NEW YORK/PANAMA/GENEVA, 2 February 2016 – With the Zika virus now a public health emergency affecting more than 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNICEF is working with governments to mobilize communities to protect themselves from infection.

More children and women seek safety in Europe: UNICEF
GENEVA, 2 February 2016 – For the first time since the start of the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe, there are more children and women on the move than adult males, says UNICEF.

US$1.4 billion needed to get every Syrian child back in school, say aid agencies
AMMAN, Jordan, 2 February 2016 – The future of a generation of Syrian children and youth is in jeopardy unless donors meeting in London this week prioritise the funding needed to get them back to school, say aid agencies leading the response to the brutal conflict ravaging the country.

UNICEF Innovation Fund to invest in open source technology start-ups
NEW YORK, 1 February 2016 – UNICEF is inviting technology start-ups developing solutions with the potential to improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children to apply for funding from its recently launched Innovation Fund.

Pneumonia kills half a million children under five in sub-Saharan Africa, UNICEF says as it launches campaign to curb the disease
NEW YORK/ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 31 January 2016 – UNICEF and global partners launched a campaign today urging African leaders to increase funding for pneumonia interventions and adopt policy changes to strengthen its treatment at the community level. More than 490,000 children under-five died from the disease last year in sub-Saharan Africa…

… Pneumonia kills nearly 1 million children under the age of five around the world, causing more deaths than HIV/AIDS, diarrhea and malaria combined. Progress in the fight against the disease has been slow compared to progress in other leading diseases. Childhood pneumonia deaths have fallen by just 50 per cent compared to an 85 per cent decline in measles deaths, and 60 per cent in deaths from malaria, AIDS and tetanus in the last 15 years. Funding has also remained low: For every global health dollar spent in 2011, only 2 cents went to pneumonia.

The campaign, Every Breath Counts, seeks to raise awareness among leaders, donors and policy makers of the need for increased funding and more adequate policies for pneumonia interventions. Such measures would help:
:: Prevent pneumonia by immunizing children, reducing household air pollution and improving hygiene practices;

:: Protect new born babies from pneumonia though exclusive breastfeeding;

:: Facilitate community access to effective and timely diagnosis and treatment with amoxicillin as well as oxygen for severe cases.

Every Breath Counts was launched during the African Union Summit at the General Assembly of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA)…