In Yemen, children’s education devastated after three years of escalating conflict

Publication date: March 27, 2018

Nearly half a million children have dropped out of school since the 2015 escalation of conflict in Yemen, bringing the total number of out-of-school children to 2 million, according to a UNICEF assessment released today. Meanwhile, almost three quarters of public school teachers have not been paid their salaries in over a year, putting the education of an additional 4.5 million children at grave risk.

Eleven-year-old Ontario girl wins annual Pier 1 Imports®/UNICEF/Owlkids Greeting Card Contest

Publication date: March 26, 2018

Eleven-year-old Catherine from Richmond Hill, Ontario, has been named the grand prize winner of the annual Pier 1 Imports/UNICEF/Owlkids Greeting Card Contest. Catherine’s design will become an official UNICEF greeting card sold exclusively at Pier 1 Imports’ stores across Canada during the 2018 holiday season. As the winner, she will receive a $5,000 scholarship, her school will receive $500 for art supplies and the top five finalists will receive an Owlkids prize pack.

New Child Rights and Security Handbook addresses protection of children’s rights within security arrangements

Publication date: March 5, 2018

A multi-stakeholder working group of governments, companies and civil society joined forces today to release the Child Rights and Security Handbook, a companion to the Child Rights and Security Checklist released in March 2017. This companion guide will help governments and companies improve the protection of children’s rights within security arrangements and reduce security-related human rights abuses of children and young people, particularly at and around mining, oil and gas operations sites overseas.