The grants will help advance children’s rights
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, IKEA Foundation is boosting its commitment to children with six new grants to UNICEF, amounting to $31.5 million (€24.9 million).
Reportedly, the new grants will focus on reaching the most marginalised and disadvantaged children living in poor communities and in strengthening UNICEF’s response in emergency and conflict situations.
Five of the IKEA Foundation grants will support UNICEF programmes in Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan, and Rwanda. The new grants will focus on early childhood development, child protection, education, and helping adolescents to improve their lives and strengthen their communities. A sixth grant will enable UNICEF to develop information management tools to strengthen emergency response and monitoring.
“UNICEF’s partnership with IKEA Foundation has helped advance the rights and improve the lives of children growing up in some of the world’s most difficult places. We are grateful to the Foundation and look forward to continuing our work together to reach the children we have not yet reached, and to put equity and children’s rights at the centre of an agenda of action for all children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.
Per Heggenes, CEO, IKEA Foundation said, “We are very proud of our longstanding partnership with UNICEF, helping to develop new approaches leading to improved lives for millions of vulnerable children around the world. These new grants will ensure this work continues, helping even more young adolescents, children and families enjoy their basic rights.”
EH News Bureau