Resources

Around the world, the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on young lives. In less than two years, 100 million more children have fallen into poverty, a 10 per cent increase since 2019. The deep disparity in recovery from the pandemic is widening the gap between richer and poorer countries. While richer countries are recovering, poorer countries are saddled with debt and development gains are falling behind. The poverty rate continues to rise in low-income countries and least developed countries. COVID-19 has affected essentially every child in the world. But it has not affected all children equally. 

A survey of UNICEF Country Offices from March and April 2021 report that all countries – not only those with ongoing humanitarian response or that are off-track towards reducing child mortality rates – continue to face some severe service disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and response. This report by UNICEF takes stock of the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on children and the road to responding and recovering by UNICEF. The approaches and lessons mentioned in this report can be useful to any organization working with children in the space of public health.