The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the United Nations agency mandated 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. The Convention on the Rights of the Child guides UNICEF's work. UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development of children are universal development imperatives that are integral to human progress. In 1965, UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its outstanding work for the well-being of children. Today, almost 60 years on, UNICEF is the most influential advocate for children in the world.

UNICEF is on the ground in 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and HIV/AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely through voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

The UNICEF office in Georgia opened in late 1993. Its main focus was rendering humanitarian assistance following the conflicts and social crises during that period. Since then, UNICEF has shifted its emphasis from emergency relief to rehabilitation and development.

UNICEF Georgia, in collaboration with other UN agencies, supports the government of Georgia in carrying out national social reform in the area of child care, health and education and in achieving Millennium Declaration Goals (MDGs) by providing support to:

1. Increased access and quality of maternal and child health and nutrition services (MDG 4),
2. Improved protection for the most vulnerable children and young people from violence, abuse and exploitation (UN Millennium Declaration, Section VI)
3. The strengthening of partnerships at all levels to support the development and implementation of pro-poor social policies (MDG 1). 

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The Basic Cooperation Agreement signed between UNICEF and the government of Georgia on 3 December 1999 provides the basis of the relationship between the government and the organization. The Country Programme Action Plan approved by the UNICEF Executive Board in June 2005 for the period 2006-2010 is implemented in conformity with the Basic Cooperation Agreement.

 The 2006 – 2010 programme of cooperation between the government of Georgia and UNICEF focuses on the following areas:

• Early Childhood Care and Development
• Child Protection, Advocacy
• Social Monitoring for Children’s Rights 

Emergency response in conflict zones is an integral part of each programme component. UNICEF's main partners of include central and local governments, UN agencies and international organizations and donors, as well as NGOs and media outlets.

The programme covers the entire country, though specific attention is given to five priority regions in order to facilitate the integration of services and intersectoral approach. The following regions have been targeted for local strategic planning: Imereti, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Kvemo Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti.

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Since 1998 early neonatal mortality rates and maternal mortality rates show a reversal decline. The main underlying causes are the poor quality of maternal and child health care services as well as low awareness and knowledge of child care and limited access to quality health services. The programme addresses two major aspects: improvement of quality and access of health and nutrition services as well as empowerment of families and caregivers in mother and child care.

The programme has two projects:

• Mother and Child Health Care
• Early Childhood Development

Mother and Child Health Care project focuses on preparation, enforcement and implementation of national laws, policies and standards for integrated management of anti-natal care, perinatal and postnatal services to ensure quality health care for mothers and children. Immunization is an integral part aiming at safe and sustainable national government programme. The nutritional component of the project aims at strengthening the policy development for food fortification. Special focus is made on the achievement and monitoring of universal salt iodization. The project aims at transforming all regional maternity hospitals and district maternal wards into baby-friendly.

Early Childhood Development project focuses on better parenting initiatives at the community level in five selected regions and on integration of early childhood development components through the health and education systems.

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The key concern is related to the absence of a social welfare system and an adequate juvenile justice system. Community based alternatives in support to families at risk are not yet wide spread. Many children are deprived of a family and child friendly environment, while a large number of children with disabilities reside in communities without having access to health care and education. Policy makers, service providers and community leaders lack the capacities needed to effectively address these issues.

The programme component has two projects:

• Child Welfare Reform
• Protection/Inclusion of Socially Disadvantaged Children 

Child Welfare Reform project focuses on developing improved policies and institutional structures for child protection at the national and regional level. It supports the implementation of the Government’s five year Inter-ministerial Plan of Action for Deinstitutionalization and introduces the systems necessary to prevent institutionalization and to provide alternative care models. Technical support is provided for the development of professional standards for the implementation of a continuum of services for child welfare. Resources spent on institutions will be redirected to community-based services, and the child welfare system will be linked to the state programme to provide cash assistance to the disadvantage families with large numbers of children.

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In the five selected regions, lessons learnt and experiences from inclusive education of disabled children in model schools will be used in developing local strategic plan of action for pre-school inclusion and preparedness for primary inclusion. Legal framework on HIV/AIDS will be amended to include special care for affected children and young people and right to non-discrimination.

Social Monitoring for Children’s Rights

Low capacity and low awareness of civil society/independent human rights institutions as well as media limit their participation in monitoring of child rights and in shaping the national agenda for children. Lessons from the previous country programme show that the active role of local authorities is needed for creating local strategies addressing child protection measures and for reaching out to those who are living in remote areas.

The programme component has two projects:

• Child Rights Monitoring and Communication
• Social Planning and Monitoring

Child Rights Monitoring and Communication component aims to increase the capacity of civil society organizations/independent human rights institutions in monitoring of child rights and in implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Social Planning and Monitoring project aims to improve knowledge and skills to monitor and analyze the situation of women and children and to develop local specific policies, strategies and plans. 

Contact Person:

Roeland  Monasch, UNICEF Representative in Georgia

Maya Kurtsikidze, Communication Officer

9 Eristavi str. IV floor, UN House, 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia
Tel: 995 32 23 23 88, 25 11 30, 25 02 81, 25 16 56
Fax: 995 32 25 12 36 
E-mail: tbilisi@unicef.org
www.unicef.org/georgia

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