Vaccines will first go to health workers and at-risk adult populations
Our COVAX Partners
Why UNICEF?
The global agreement known as the COVAX Facility is led by CEPI, GAVI, UNICEF and WHO. UNICEF, in collaboration with the PAHO Revolving Fund, has been entrusted to lead vaccine delivery in more than 180 countries, representing 80% of the world’s population.
- UNICEF has spent 75 years building an unprecedented global-health support system
- UNICEF runs the largest humanitarian supply warehouse in the world
- UNICEF currently immunizes 45% of the world’s children every year
- UNICEF is the only organization with the infrastructure, experience and expertise already in place to make it happen as fast as possible.
- 900 million testing kits
- 165 million treatments
- Programs to build vaccine confidence
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Donate to UNICEF's COVID-19 Response
Help support equitable vaccine distribution, testing, and treatments, and restart programs for children around the world.
To inquire about a major gift, please contact Werner Orellana at 917-720-1321 or at worellana@unicefusa.org.
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Advocate
Ask the U.S. government help end the pandemic around the world.
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Attend a virtual event
Hear from UNICEF experts and guests on UNICEF’s global efforts to end the pandemic.
Vaccines are only part of the job.
It will also take diagnostics, treatment and an effort to re-strengthen overburdened health systems. That's why UNICEF is also delivering 500 million COVID tests and 245 million COVID treatments so countries can easily detect and treat the virus—and slow its spread while waiting for the full vaccine rollout.
UNICEF and partners are helping provide equitable access to:
COVID-19's Toll on Children
And what UNICEF is doing about it
Children Unvaccinated
THE PROBLEM: Routine vaccinations against diseases like measles and polio save an estimated 2-3 million lives every year. But in countries like Uganda, where this child is pictured, COVID-19 has interrupted many of these vaccination campaigns—and now, approximately 80 million additional children under the age of one are at risk of contracting preventable diseases.
UNICEF’S SOLUTION: UNICEF is accelerating routine vaccines to at-risk areas and will begin “catch-up campaigns” for children under the age of five. They are also working to re-strengthen health systems that were burdened by the COVID-19 outbreak. Learn More...
Students
Out of School
THE PROBLEM: At the peak of the pandemic, Arif (pictured) and 1.6 billion children like him were out of school, missing out on months of socialization and learning that are key to their development. Currently, 168 million schoolchildren are still out of school, and 1 in 3 has been unable to access remote learning while their schools are closed.
UNICEF’S SOLUTION: UNICEF has drastically scaled up remote learning so children can continue their education no matter where they are. In 2020, UNICEF reached 274 million children with educational resources like digital platforms, television, radio and take-home printed packages. UNICEF continues to work with other government organizations to develop a plan to reopen schools. Learn More...
Malnutrition Rising
THE PROBLEM: COVID-19 has disrupted food systems, upended nutrition services, and threatened food security for vulnerable children and their families.As of November 2020, an additional 6 million children under age 5 may have suffered from wasting or acute malnutrition in 2020,and 140 million more children are projected to be living below the poverty line.
UNICEF’S SOLUTION: In addition to re-establishing key health and nutrition services, UNICEF is rushing Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food packets to the most vulnerable children, which can bring a child like Jenty (pictured) back from the brink of starvation in just weeks. Learn More...
Mental Health Issues
THE PROBLEM: The pandemic has elevated levels of anxiety, stress, loneliness for families across the world. Even worse, it’s increased instances of abuse, gender-based violence and neglect—and as of November 2020, more than two thirds of mental health services had been disrupted.
UNICEF’S SOLUTION: UNICEF is taking a multi-tiered response to the mental health crisis, including providing social service workers like UNICEF Child Protection Officer Jihad Tala (pictured, right) and child-friendly spaces for children in need, investing in gender-sensitive support through schools and communities and prioritizing prevention and response to gender-based violence in humanitarian actions. Learn More...
Safe Water Needed
THE PROBLEM: In the least developed countries, three quarters of people, more than two-thirds of schools and a quarter of health care facilities lack the basic hygiene services needed to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. On average, 700 children under five die every day from diseases caused by the lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
UNICEF’S SOLUTION: UNICEF is investing in climate- resilient WASH services in homes, schools, hospitals and public spaces and fostering community-led training initiatives to change hygiene behavior at the local level. In places like Cambodia, this can make a lasting difference. Learn More...
Join the Campaign to End the Pandemic
UNICEF USA is incredibly grateful to our partners helping to end the pandemic.
UNICEF USA is incredibly grateful to our partners and supporters helping to end the pandemic.
Latter-day Saint Charities
Latter-day Saint Charities has made a $20 million grant to support UNICEF’s global work with the ACT Accelerator. Since 2013, Latter-day Saint Charities has supported UNICEF’s programs with a focus on immunizations, the education and development needs of refugees and emergency response. To learn more about our partnership, please click here.
United Nations Foundation
In its first year, the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund was able to mobilize $242 million+ from 662,000+ donors to help support WHO and partners’ efforts to prevent, detect and respond to COVID-19 around the world. The Fund helped speed flexible funds where they were needed most—as quickly as possible.
Visa Foundation
In 2020, Visa Foundation committed a total of $1 million to UNICEF's emergency response to COVID-19 in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on Brazil.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works with UNICEF across a variety of COVID-19 efforts, and the foundation’s support of the ACT-A/COVAX initiative was critical to UNICEF’s global response. Additional support includes funding for Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) and support for Afghanistan’s COVID-19 response through existing polio infrastructure.
Discovery Communications, Inc.
For every new purchase of a discovery+ subscription, Discovery will donate $1 to UNICEF USA—up to a guaranteed donation of $1M—to support UNICEF's ACT-A and COVAX efforts. These efforts will help deliver 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to global frontline workers and vulnerable populations in 2021. Learn more.
Colgate-Palmolive
In 2020, Colgate-Palmolive generously supported UNICEF's COVID-19 response in 15 countries with critical donations of soap and PPE totaling over $1.2M.
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