COVID-19 is the worst crisis for children in UNICEF’s 75-year history. Without action, the world faces a lost decade for children, leaving the Sustainable
Development Goals an impossible dream.

• In less than two years, 100 million more children have fallen into poverty, a 10 per cent increase since 2019.

• In a best-case scenario, it will take seven to eight years to recover and return to pre-COVID-19 child poverty levels.

• 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.

• Even before the pandemic, around 1 billion children worldwide, and half of all children in developing countries, suffered at least one severe deprivation, without minimum levels of access to education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation or water.

What must happen

• Make our collective future – our children – first in line for investment and last in line for cuts.
• To respond and recover and to reimagine the future for every child, UNICEF continues to call for:
  • Investing in social protection, human capital and spending for an inclusive and resilient recovery
  • Ending the pandemic and reversing the alarming rollback in child health and nutrition – including through leveraging UNICEF’s vital role in COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
  • Building back stronger by ensuring quality education, protection and good mental health for every child
  • Building resilience to better prevent, respond to and protect children from crises – including new approaches to end famines, protect children from  climate change and reimagine disaster spending.