Faith in children’s vaccines has gone up in India, says UNICEF

Subject : International Relations

Section: International Organizations

Concept :

According to the data collected by The Vaccine Confidence Project and published by UNICEF, out of the 55 countries studied, only China, India, and Mexico showed improvement in the popular perception of the importance of vaccines for children.
As per the data, vaccine confidence has been on a decline in countries such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, and Senegal.
The report also noted that the growing threat of vaccine hesitancy was mainly due to factors such as misleading information and declining trust in vaccine efficacy.
Further, UNICEF India has released its global flagship report titled “The State of the World’s Children 2023: For Every Child, Vaccination” which underlines the importance of childhood immunisation.
The report pointed out that about 67 million children missed out on vaccinations between 2019 and 2021 and the vaccination coverage levels decreased in 112 countries.
The decline in vaccine coverage has been mainly attributed to intense demands on health systems, the diversion of immunisation resources to COVID-19 vaccination, health worker shortages and stay-at-home measures.

About UNICEF

UNICEF is a special program of the United Nations (UN) devoted to aiding national efforts to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children.
UNICEF was created in 1946as International Children’s Emergency Fund (ICEF) by UN relief Rehabilitation Administration to help children affected by World War II.
UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations in 1953.
The name was shortened to United Nations Children Fund but it is still referred to as UNICEF.
It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.
UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989.
It strives to establish children’s rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children.
Awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1965 for “promotion of brotherhood among the nations”.
Headquarters: New York City
It works in over 190 countries and territories with 7 regional offices.
UNICEF is governed by an Executive Board consisting of 36 members that are elected to terms of three years by the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council.