These are just some of the issues UNICEF UK is working on right now. You can also learn more about our campaigning work on child rights issues, and our work with the UK Parliament.

 
 
  • A 9-month old malnourished baby eats a ready-to-use therapeutic food © UNICEF/NYHQ2010-0632/Olivier Asselin

    International aid International aid is helping to fulfil the rights of millions of children worldwide. In 1970, the richest countries in the world committed to giving 0.7 percent of their Gross National Income (GNI) to overseas aid. Today, only five countries are meeting this target, and the UK Government has committed to reach the target by 2013.

  • Rose looks through the back window of her house © UNICEF UK/2010/Caroline Irby

    UK child poverty Today, 2.3 million children live in poverty in the UK. Without urgent action, the number of children living in poverty in the UK will increase as more families struggle to cope with the recession. 

  • Two children at a UNICEF UK Rights Respecting School © UNICEF UK/2008/Dianne Male

    Making child rights part of UK law UNICEF UK believes that making the Convention part of UK law would give powerful protection to children, ensuring that all children living in the UK, no matter who they are or where they’re from, have their rights realised.  

  • UNICEF's immunisation work © UNICEF

    UNICEF's work on immunisation UNICEF is the world's largest distributor of vaccines to the developing world, supplying vaccines for more than a third of the world's children. In 2010 we bought over 2.5 billion vaccines worth £470 million.  

  • A four-year-old boy holds a bare sorghum stalk in a field © UNICEF/NYHQ2002-0297/Pirozzi

    Climate change Children in developing countries are among the hardest hit by climate change, despite being the least responsible for it. UNICEF works to put it right, helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change now. 

  • Boys play in safe water being pumped through a hose © UNICEF/NYHQ2009-1894/Estey

    Water and sanitation Thousands of children die every day because of inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services and poor hygiene practices. UNICEF works to improve water and sanitation in schools and communities. 

  • Girls play in Pakistan UNICEF Pakistan/2011/Warrick Page

    UNICEF and sport Sport is important to UNICEF because it's so vital to the health and happiness of children. We work with governments and partners across the world to use sports to improve children’s lives and strengthen communities. 

  • Charles, 13, and his younger sister Kaseo © UNICEF UK/Uganda09/Sue Parkhill

    UNICEF's work on HIV and AIDS Every day, 1,000 children are infected with HIV, most through mother-to-child transmission. UNICEF works with communities and governments around the world to prevent new infections among young people and eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. 

  • Eddie Izzard meets Howa and her child at Dadaab camp on the Kenya-Somalia border. It's just one of the places where UNICEF provides highly-nutritious foods to treat malnutrition in young children. © UNICEF UK/Siegfried Modola/Kenya 2011

    Child hunger and stunting Stunting is what happens to a child’s brain and body when they don’t get the right nutrients in their first 1,000 days of life.  

  • Every year, hundreds of thousands of children are caught in conflicts around the world. Many are recruited as soldiers, which is a war crime. © UNICEF/NYHQ2006-0727/Bruno Brioni

    Children in conflict Right now, millions of children around the world are caught up in conflicts in which they are not merely bystanders, but targets.