UNICEF approves a new Cooperation Program with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Actions for the next three years will focus on five areas: health and nutrition, education, child and adolescent protection, social policies, and water, sanitation, and hygiene.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) approved a new cooperation program with the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for the period 2023-2026, to advance the fulfillment of the rights of children and adolescents.

The approval of the cooperation program was completed during the first ordinary session of 2023 of the UNICEF Executive Board, which was held at the headquarters of the United Nations Organization, in New York, between February 7 and 10.

The Country Program, which was prepared with a gender perspective and focused on equity, seeks to contribute so that by 2026 “all children and adolescents in Venezuela, including the most vulnerable, can fully exercise all their rights and develop all their potential in a safe and inclusive society”.

Efforts will focus on five program areas: health and nutrition, education, child and adolescent protection, social policies, and water, sanitation, and hygiene.

In terms of health, it is sought that all children and adolescents have access to universal health and nutrition services, for which technical assistance will be offered to strengthen public policies and the capacities of the institutions in charge of providing basic services will be strengthened.

In education, efforts will be made to ensure that all children, including adolescents, learn and acquire skills for the future, for which reason work will be done for access to quality and relevant education, and to influence the factors that make children not go to school or drop out.

In the area of protection, the aim is to guarantee the comprehensive protection of children’s rights, focusing on issues such as civil registration of all births, and the prevention of all types of violence against children.

Regarding the issues of water, hygiene, and sanitation, the program emphasizes technical support, the promotion of public policies, and training to manage water resources, focusing not only on access to services but also on the reduction of disaster risk, with the participation and leadership of the communities.

In terms of social policies, efforts will be concentrated on reducing inequality, with emphasis on the most vulnerable groups, including indigenous and Afro-descendant populations, girls and women, and people with disabilities.

The cooperation program was conceived under the United Nations Development Cooperation Framework and considers the priorities established in the national plans, as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UNICEF has been present in Venezuela since 1967 when a Basic Cooperation Agreement was signed. In 1991, the first Program for the Country was approved, with the purpose of mobilizing wills, material, financial and human resources to overcome the barriers that exist between girls, boys, adolescents, and their rights.

Media contacts

Marielba Núñez
Communication Officer
UNICEF Venezuela
Tel: +58 424 2690357
Email: menunez@unicef.org

UNICEF approves a new Cooperation Program with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Source: Philippines Legacy PH