Tag: UNICEF

  • Saba Qamar urges everyone to support women, children in Sindh

    Saba Qamar urges everyone to support women, children in Sindh

    Actress Saba Qamar was recently appointed UNICEF’s first national ambassador for child rights in Pakistan on October 11 2024.

    On her Instagram Qamar shared a message with her followers with a video of her visit to Sujawal, and wrote: “As a national ambassador, I recently spent time with children and women in Sindh, listening to their stories, sharing smiles and seeing both their strength and struggles. It was an eye-opening experience. While there is so much beauty in their spirit, they still need so much more, basic necessities and support that many of us take for granted. I’m reaching out to you because together, we can make a difference. I need your help, your ideas and your voice to bring hope to these communities. Let’s work together to create real change for them.”

    While speaking to Independent Urdu, Saba said, “I have been in Karachi for three days now, and I visited a place where I met young girls, children, and women. I was happy to see that UNICEF has done a lot of work there, providing proper medicine and education. However, I still feel that these children need clean water and a safe environment. For this, I need the support of my nation and my people. When we work together, we can bring about change.”

    The Pagal Khaana actress narrated an incident: “I met a girl named Anam who told me she was about to get married, there was a fire in her eyes, and I was so impressed by how UNICEF is raising awareness and educating these children. They are providing education centers, medicine, and teaching about good touch and bad touch, among other things.”

    However, Qamar acknowledged that many more areas in Pakistan need support and change.

    “I am happy to see how many girls are coming forward. Each girl represents a society, a family. When we educate one child, imagine how much change we can bring to society. I have seen a group of girls who had confidence, a fire in their eyes, and a desire to bring about change. They understood the difference between right and wrong, good and bad touch, and even spoke English. I was impressed that such positive change could happen in a small area like Sujawal,” the Baaghi star added.

  • Saba Qamar joins UNICEF as Pakistan’s first national ambassador for child rights

    Saba Qamar joins UNICEF as Pakistan’s first national ambassador for child rights

    Actress Saba Qamar has been appointed UNICEF’s first national ambassador for child rights in Pakistan.

    The announcement was made on the International Day of the Girl Child, on October 11 2024.

    Saba said, “I am honored to join UNICEF and support their mission to ensure every child’s rights.”

    Abdullah A. Fadil, who is serving as the Representative for UNICEF in Pakistan, tweeted: “Delighted to announce that Saba Qamar will join the UNICEF family as the first National Ambassador for Child Rights. Together we can make an even bigger difference in the lives of all children in . Welcome onboard @s_qamarzaman Thank you for sharing your powerful voice.”

    While talking to Independent Urdu, Qamar said, “I have been in Karachi for three days now, and I visited a place where I met young girls, children, and women. I was happy to see that UNICEF has done a lot of work there, providing proper medicine and education. However, I still feel that these children need clean water and a safe environment. For this, I need the support of my nation and my people. When we work together, we can bring about change.”

    The Serial Killer actress emphasized the importance of using her voice and platform for positive change, stating, “I believe we, especially as actors, are blessed people. Allah has given us everything, fame, name, and most importantly, a voice that people look up to. They want to see us and hear from us. If we talk about these issues and want to bring about change, they will support us.”

    Saba also highlighted the urgent need to change the mindset surrounding child marriage, particularly in regions like Sujawal (Sindh).

    “At this stage, children need love, security, and a sense of identity. If you marry off a child at this age, what will happen to her future? After a year or two, these girls become pregnant, and they face various complications during pregnancy that only they understand”, Qamar added.

    Saba also said, “I met a girl named Anam who told me she was about to get married, there was a fire in her eyes, and I was so impressed by how UNICEF is raising awareness and educating these children. They are providing education centers, medicine, and teaching about good touch and bad touch, among other things.”

    However, Saba acknowledged that many more areas in Pakistan need support and change saying, “I am happy to see how many girls are coming forward. Each girl represents a society, a family. When we educate one child, imagine how much change we can bring to society. I have seen a group of girls who had confidence, a fire in their eyes, and a desire to bring about change. They understood the difference between right and wrong, good and bad touch, and even spoke English. I was impressed that such positive change could happen in a small area like Sujawal.”
    In Pakistan, child marriage is a major problem, with around 19 million girls married before the age of 18. Many of these girls faces serious health risk due to early pregnancies.

    Across the border, Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor has also been appointed as UNICEF India National Ambassador for Child Rights on May 4, 2024.

    Here is the tweet shared by Abdullah A. Fadil:

    Here is the post shared by Saba Qamar:

  • Non-formal education will be provided to out-of-school children in Sindh, says Sindh education minister

    Non-formal education will be provided to out-of-school children in Sindh, says Sindh education minister

    Sindh Minister for Education and Mines & Minerals, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, announced on Wednesday that out-of-school children in the province will be provided a facility to complete their studies through a non-formal education strategy. Geo reported on Wednesday.

    A non-formal education authority will be established, which will work with the collaboration of UNICEF and through public-private partnerships. 

    The remarks came during a meeting on Wednesday in Karachi with Education Secretary Sindh Zahid Ali Abbasi and other officials.

    Education minister explained that through a non-formal strategy, a child who is out of school will complete his/her education up to eighth grade within four years. He also said that almost two million children in Sindh will be able to get benefit from the facility.

    He also stated that Sindh is the only province that will take initiatives for out-of-school children in the form of non-formal education.

    He stated that non-formal education centres will be established in areas where the number of out-of-school children is high.

  • UN goodwill ambassador scorecard: How many spoke up for Palestine?

    UN goodwill ambassador scorecard: How many spoke up for Palestine?

    Since October 7 when Netanyahu declared war on Gaza and commenced bombardment that many experts are calling a genocide, social media users have expressed outrage against celebrities remaining silent about the atrocities, especially those who work with UNICEF. The UN body provides protection and aid for children from marginalised communities in countries like Syria and Vietnam.

    But as the genocide of Gaza goes on, several people have noticed how prominent big names have remained silent.

    Social media feels it’s absolutely necessary to point out that any person with a massive platform and influence has a responsibility to condemn a genocide or at least ask for a ceasefire. If you’re the goodwill ambassador of an organisation that is advocating for the rights of children, then the onus lies on you to speak out when it matters.

    We have a list of big names who are working with UNICEF, and what was their stance on the death toll in Gaza.

    Selena Gomez

    Selena, the most followed person on Instagram, sparked outrage when she posted a vague statement on her social media accounts, writing that she was against the murder of little children, and was taking a break because of the violence. She also added that “an Instagram post doesn’t change anything,” leading many to criticise the actress for being a hypocrite for using her 430 million followers to promote products, but not to stop a genocide.

    Later, Selena announced she was deleting her account because of the backlash, causing further outrage. She then signed the petition calling for a ceasefire, and donated to charities in both Israel and Palestine. Social media was still not happy because the CEO of Rare Beauty, Selena’s beauty brand, has publicly expressed his Zionist ties.

    Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry

    Orlando released a neutral statement on October 14 on his Instagram account expressing his grief on the innocent lives lost both in Israel and Palestine, calling for an end to the war. Then the celebrity couple signed the open letter calling President Biden to bring all hostages home and ending the Hamas.

    David Beckham

    The former football star and UNICEF ambassador released a statement on his Instagram stories expressing his grief on lives lost on both sides and called for the violence to stop.

    Priyanka Chopra

    Priyanka was among the several South Asian celebrities who signed the petition calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and had also not attended the Diwali party held by Kamala Harris at the White House.

    Alyssa Milano

    The actress released a statement criticising the calls for ‘no ceasefire’ at the Israeli march held in Washington, and called for a radical peace movement that helps the innocent children of Palestine.

    Amitabh Bachchan

    The Bollywood giant was previously seen taking a selfie with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a 2018 event. He has not released a statement about the death toll of children and women killed in Gaza.

    Leo Messi

    The Argentinian football player is a UNICEF ambassador and has made no public statement about the children killed in Gaza.

    Millie Bobby Brown

    ‘Stranger Things’ star Millie Bobby Brown has not commented anything about the lives lost in Gaza,

    Serena Williams

    Famous tennis star Serena Williams has said nothing on the innocents killed in Gaza.

    Liam Neeson

    The actor has not said anything on the mass atrocities committed in Gaza.

    Jackie Chan

    The prominent Asian actor has said nothing about the civilian lives lost in Gaza.

  • Red alert: WHO, UNICEF say largest decline in childhood vaccinations in almost 30 years

    Red alert: WHO, UNICEF say largest decline in childhood vaccinations in almost 30 years

    The largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years has been recorded in official data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

    According to WHO, 18 million children did not receive a single vaccine in 2021, which is the largest decline in 29 years, due to Covid-related disruptions, emergencies and misinformation. Around 25 million children around the world missed out on routine vaccinations in 2021, which is two million more than those who missed out in 2020 and six million more than in 2019, highlighting the growing number of children at risk from devastating but preventable diseases. The percentage of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) – a marker for immunisation coverage within and across countries – fell 5 percentage points between 2019 and 2021 to 81 per cent.

    The decline was due to many factors including an increased number of children living in conflict and fragile settings, increased misinformation and Covid-related issues such as service and supply chain disruptions.

    However, Pakistan returned to pre-pandemic levels of vaccination coverage due to high-level government commitment and significant catch-up immunisation efforts. WHO and UNICEF applauded Pakistan’s efforts to achieve this in the midst of a pandemic, when healthcare systems and health workers were under significant strain.

    “This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunisation in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.

    “While a pandemic hangover was expected last year as a result of Covid-19 disruptions and lockdowns, what we are seeing now is a continued decline. Covid-19 is not an excuse. We need immunisation catch-ups for the missing millions or we will inevitably witness more outbreaks, more sick children and greater pressure on already strained health systems,” added Russell.

  • At least 1 million Afghan children at risk of starvation, warns UNICEF director

    At least 1 million Afghan children at risk of starvation, warns UNICEF director

    At least one million children in Afghanistan will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year and could die without proper treatment, warned United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Please help us,” she said.

    According to a report by CNBC, Fore implored the international community and wealthy nations to help avert further suffering after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

    “Nearly 10 million girls and boys depend on humanitarian assistance just to survive,” she said at a UN ministerial-level meeting on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan.

    Fore also emphasised UNICEF’s ability to operate in Afghanistan. She said, “UNICEF has been on the ground in Afghanistan for more than 70 years. We know what needs to be done for children. And we can get it done.”

    According to Fore, during the last week of August, UNICEF provided 4,000 severely malnourished children under five with life-saving therapeutic treatment.

    “Please help us. There has never been a more urgent time to stand with the children of Afghanistan and the people who serve them,” she said.

  • KP Assembly to set daycare centre for parliamentarians

    KP Assembly to set daycare centre for parliamentarians

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly has become the first legislature in the country for setting up a baby feeding and daycare centre to facilitate women parliamentarians, reports Dawn.

    Members of the Women Parliamentary Assembly, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), and health and planning and development departments were present when Speaker Mushtaq Ghani inaugurated the daycare centre.

    Ghani said that as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, women were being empowered by ensuring their presence in the legislating process.

    The Speaker appreciated the opening of the daycare facility stating that the female parliamentarians would not have to leave their infants at home for attending assembly sessions or committees’ meetings.

  • Mahira Khan, Babar Azam, Maya Ali among others condemn Israeli brutality in Palestine

    With Jerusalem under attack, people across the world are raising their voice against human rights violations by Israeli police against the people of Palestine. As per reports, at least 24 people were killed including 9 children in the recent air raids on Gaza.

    Tensions escalated in Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza throughout the month of Ramzan, amid growing anger about potential forced expulsions of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, on land claimed by illegal Jewish settler, Al Jazeera has reported.

    Several Pakistani celebrities including Mahira Khan, Ahsan Khan, Maya Ali, Feroze Khan and Amir Khan have condemned the Israeli brutality in Palestine and called for the world to take action.

    “Call it out. Call it what it is. Terrorism,” said Mahira Khan, adding Palestinian Lives Matter.

    “The world is standing by and witnessing a massacre in the whole month of Ramzan in Jerusalem,” said Ahsan. “Allah will not forgive us if [we] remain silent.”

    https://twitter.com/Ahsankhanuk/status/1391849619282440200

    Internationally acclaimed boxing champion Amir Khan also stood in solidarity with the people of Palestine by putting up the flag of Palestine in his home in the United Kindgom (UK).

    Praying for the people of Palestine, captain of the Pakistan cricket team Babar Azam said: “We just have to be human to stand up for humanity.”

    Feroze Khan, Sami Khan and Muhammad Amir expressed their support by using trending hashtags to give more traction to the cause.

    Neelum Muneer, Naimal Khawar, Ali Rehman Khan and Faysal Quraishi were also among those who condemned the violence in Palestine.

    “Where is the justice?,” questioned Sheheryar Munawar.

    Earlier, Asim Azhar, Shahid Afridi and Farhan Saeed also called out Israel for their atrocities against the people of Palestine.

    Meanwhile, the Government of Pakistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan have also condemned the incident and have “reiterated their support for the Palestinian people.”

  • Teachers should receive vaccine priority: UNICEF

    Teachers should receive vaccine priority: UNICEF

    The head of the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, has said that teachers should be among those given priority access to the COVID-19 vaccines.

    “The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on children’s education around the globe. Vaccinating teachers is a critical step towards putting it back on track,” Unicef chief Henrietta Fore said in a statement.

    Teachers should be “prioritised to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, once frontline health personnel and high-risk populations are vaccinated,” she said.

    “This will help protect teachers from the virus, allow them to teach in person and ultimately keep schools open.”

    According to UNICEF, at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic at the end of April, “school closures disturbed the learning of almost 90% of students worldwide.”

    Assuming that schools are not the main driver of community transmission, Unicef said in its statement that unfortunately, classes currently remain closed for “nearly one in five schoolchildren globally — or 320 million children.”

    We must “do everything in our power to safeguard the future of the next generation. This begins by safeguarding those responsible for opening that future up for them,” Fore said.

    “The consequences of extended, missed or impaired education are steep, especially for the most marginalized. The longer children remain out of school, the less likely they are to return, and the more difficult it is for their parents to resume work,” she said.

  • Five million births in nine months in Pakistan since pandemic started

    Five million births in nine months in Pakistan since pandemic started

    Ahead of Mother’s Day, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for the world’s governments to maintain life-saving services for pregnant women and newborns that are under increasing threat from strained health services and supply chains as a result of coronavirus’ outbreak.

    The UN agency estimates that 116 million babies have been born since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Pakistan grouped among the countries that have the highest numbers of forecast births.

    It said that new mothers and their babies are facing systems in crisis, including overwhelmed health centres; supply and equipment shortages; and a lack of skilled birth attendants, including midwives.

    “Millions of mothers all over the world embarked on a journey of parenthood in the world as it was,” Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF executive director, said in a statement.

    “They now must prepare to bring a life into the world, as it has become – a world where expecting mothers are afraid to go to health centres for fear of getting infected, or missing out on emergency care due to strained health services and lockdowns”.

    Mother’s Day, which will be celebrated on Sunday, is recognised by more than 128 countries.

    In her remarks, the UNICEF Chief warned: “This is a particularly poignant Mother’s Day, as many families have been forced apart during the coronavirus pandemic…It is hard to imagine how much the pandemic has recast motherhood”.

    In the nine months span dating from when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the countries with the highest numbers of forecast births are expected to be India (20.1 million), China (13.5 million), Nigeria (6.4 million), Pakistan (5 million) and Indonesia (4 million). Most of these nations had high neonatal mortality rates even before the global health crisis.

    And wealthier countries are also being seriously impacted, as trust and supplies run low. The sixth highest country for expected births, the United States, is projected to see in excess of 3.3 million babies born between 11 March and 16 December.

    In New York City, authorities are looking into alternative birthing centres as many women are worried about delivering their babies in hospitals, due to the risk of infection.

    UNICEF warns that although evidence suggests that pregnant mothers are not at greater risk of serious illness due to COVID-19 than other groups, countries still need to ensure they have access to antenatal, delivery and postnatal services.

    Likewise, sick newborns need emergency services and new mothers require breastfeeding support, as well as medicines, vaccines and nutrition to keep their babies healthy.

    While it is not yet known whether the coronavirus can be transmitted from a mother to her unborn baby, UNICEF recommends that all pregnant women protect themselves from the virus, closely monitor themselves for COVID-19 indications and seek medical advice if they have concerns or experience symptoms.

    They are advised to also practice physical distancing, use online health services and seek early medical care if they live in at-risk areas and have fever, cough or difficulty breathing.

    And they should speak to their midwife or doctor about the safest place to give birth along with making a birth plan to reduce anxiety.

    Mothers with COVID-19 should wear a mask when feeding their baby, wash hands before and after touching the child, routinely clean and disinfect surfaces and continue to hold their newborn.

    Henrietta H. Fore said, ” We are living in time for unity, a time to bring everyone together in solidarity”.

    “We can help save lives by making sure that every pregnant mother receives the support she needs to give birth safely in the months to come”, the UNICEF chief added.