UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN
EMERGENCY FUND
CHAIR : Lavisha Solanki
CO-CHAIR : Divyam Raj Shukla
Topic: Improvement Education Policy in Covid-19 Pandemic.
CHAIR- Lavisha Solanki
Dear future leaders,
With immense joy and pleasure, we hereby invite you to partake in this event and experience
the best of debating. I am Lavisha from India. I believe it's an absolute honour to be
appointed as a Chair of this prestigious conference . I am an Education Activist, Researcher
and a Student of Political Science from University of Delhi.
I have been doing MUNs since my school days and I believe that it will help you to realize
that no one is too small to make a change and no voice can never go unheard, as long as its
intention is to construct a solution. You should know that a delegate in any MUN conference
is similar to that one ‘stone’, which is thrown into a stagnant pond of water and it brings
about a ripple of change. Furthermore, I encourage all the delegates to develop a general
understanding for the assigned country, with its foreign policy and its stand regarding the
agenda topic. I present you this background guide for a better understanding of the topic and
to make your preparation easier. It will help you in structuring your debate and laying the
foundation of your documentation.
VICE CHAIR - Divyam Raj Shukla
Dear achiever,
“Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.” We wish you a gigantic satisfaction
with delight and invite you to participate in this occasion and experience the most amazing
debates. I am Divyam from India. I am privileged to be appointed as a Vice- Chairperson of
this prestigious conference. I am a Student of Banking and Finance from University of
Lucknow.
I started my MUN journey from my second year of college and I am glad that I made this
decision. Model United Nations are a launch pad for our dynamic youth to shape the world in
the way they want. MUNs not only help you to think critically but also dig-up the courage to
enhance your public speaking skills. Every single delegate with a different perspective to the
agenda is an asset in reaching the ultimate solution. You are an agent of change no matter
where you come from, no matter how old you are, ultimately all that matters is your heart and
your zeal to make the change happen.
Finally, we as the moderation panel are at your disposal if you have any doubts regarding the
agenda or presented guide, if you have any constraints regarding the agenda feel free to
contact us. Looking forward to meeting you all and enriching and exhilarating debate.
All the best.
Happy researching!!
Lavisha and Divyam
Introduction
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) agreed to the formation of United Nations
International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in 1946 through resolution 57. The
major objective after inception was to help children across Europe who had been left helpless
after the Second World War. The main purpose of the fund was to help in building shelter,
provide food, enhance security for children and reduce the rising child mortality, particularly
in times of crisis as after the Second World War. Maurice Pate, the first Executive Director of
UNICEF agreed to take his position on condition that all children regardless of their
nationality or creed would be assisted by this fund. Ever since, this has always been the
primary goal of UNICEF. However, in 1950 the attempt to close the fund, the UNICEF
leadership together with Member States requested the continuation of the fund and
expanded its scope.
Hence, in 1953, the General Assembly resolved to change it from an Emergency Fund to a
permanent Specialized Agency of sections 57 and 63 of the Charter of the United Nations.
The mandate of UNICEF was shifted from providing temporary relief to ensuring long-term
sustainable development goals. Moreover, help countries be able to provide for their own
children in future. Hence, its mission has been extended to Africa and Asia that were not
previously under its mandate. It was noticed that children could not be viewed in isolation
but as an important aspect within the society; children were found to be the most vulnerable
in the society. For example, in cases of wars, children formed part of the refugees, homeless
and died of vulnerable diseases. UNICEF thus, realized the importance of improving the
livelihood through enhanced development projects.
Mandate
Membership UNICEF has both internal and external governance structures. Externally,
UNICEF reports to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC). As an integral Specialized Agency of the UN, its work is reviewed annually by 4
ECOSOC.
All financial reports and accounts, and the report of the Board of Auditors, are submitted to
the General Assembly and then subsequently reviewed by the Advisory Committee on
Administrative and Budgetary Questions and by the Fifth Committee. The internal
governance comprises the Executive Board, which is the official governance body of UNICEF
and is responsible for providing support to, as well as supervising all activities of, UNICEF in
accordance with the overall policy guidance of the GA and ECOSOC. With different field
offices in more than 190 countries, UNICEF is based on the principle of promoting the vital
interests of children, since children are considered as the most vulnerable in the society and
hence need a collective protection.This is also highlighted in the Convention of the Rights of
the Child (CRC) of 1989 that is the mostly approved convention in the world.
Implementation of mechanisms that influence the accomplishment of such a principle has
awakened the need to consider children with high regard.
This includes fostering a partnership with other UN organizations like United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in capacity building initiatives.
Together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), UNICEF has achieved ground-breaking results in curing diseases such
as Polio and Yaws and also through administration of vaccines for six commonly known
childhood killer diseases. Therefore, UNICEF is an organization that strives to represent
marginalized children with efficiency, sustainability and dignity. It is the only internationally
ratified body in the world advocating and representing child rights, so it holds a unique niche
globally and provides a forum for international collaboration.
Topic Overview
These worldwide closures are affecting over 91% of the universes’ pupil populace. A number
of different international locations have applied localized closures affecting an enormous
variety of further learners. UNESCO is supporting international locations of their efforts to
mitigate the quick impact of faculty closures, particularly for extra weak and deprived
communities, and to facilitate the coherence of training for all via distant studying. The
UNESCO report estimates that the Covid pandemic will adversely have an effect on over 290
million college students throughout 22 international locations. The UNESCO estimates that
round 32 crores college students are affected in India, incorporating these in faculties and
faculties. More than 617 million children and adolescents are not achieving minimum
proficiency levels (MPLs) in reading and mathematics, according to new estimates from the
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). This is the equivalent of three times the population of
Brazil being unable to read or undertake basic mathematics with proficiency. The new data
signal a tremendous waste of human potential that could threaten progress towards the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Girls are missing out on education because they can’t access online and distance learning.
Member organisations are aware that only 12% of households in the poorest countries have
internet access at home, and access to mobile internet is 26% lower for women and girls than
for their male peers. On top of this, girls are the first to be pulled out of school, put to work
and care for younger siblings when families face economic hardship. As a result, member
organisations are concerned that girls don’t have time for school work and may not return
once schools reopen.
● Girls face a higher risk of violence and harmful practices. With schools closed, member
organisations report increased sexual and gender-based violence, early pregnancies, unsafe
abortions and child marriages. This comes just as support services including sexual and
reproductive health and child protection programmes are reduced or under strain, limiting
girls’ ability to report what is happening to them. Girls facing these experiences are less likely
to return to schools once they reopen.
● Girls are harder to reach when schools are closed. Restrictions on travel and strict curfews
mean that many member organisations are now physically unable to reach the girls and
communities that they support, especially those in rural areas. Programmes such as girls
clubs and support networks have been stopped, meaning girls can’t seek support or access
the services they need. Several NGOs are working tirelessly to respond to these numerous
challenges faced by girls globally. However, tremendous work remains to be done, and
international agencies as well as member states are more than welcome to take example on
what has already been accomplished by these NGOs, such as (but not limited to):
● Helping girls continue their education. Several organisations have shifted towards online
education, with some even offering girls data support so that they can continue learning and
revise for exams. Offline support includes the provision of USB keys,radios and printed
resources for girls to access lessons at home. For example, the Africa Girls Empowerment
Network in Nigeria has launched a STEM Girls online talk show to empower girls and
advance gender equality in education. Action Chrétienne pour le Développement Intégral de
l’Enfance et de la Jeune Fille(ACTIEF) in Togo has begun a mentoring system to support
girls.
● Offering emergency support. NGOs similar to Girls Not Brides have provided girls and
their families with food, menstrual hygiene products and other emergency items to alleviate
the immediate effects of the crisis. For example, the Centre de Solidaritédes Jeunes pour la
Formation et le Développement (CSJ FOOD) in Chad trained girls to deliver a health
awareness programme using social media, with the participation of thousands of girls. The
Society for Improvement of Rural People (SIRP) in Nigeria Trained girls to prepare reusable
sanitary pads, noting that menstrual poverty accounts for more than 60% of school
drop-outs in the country.
● Preventing harmful practices. The organisation that were able to do so have sought to raise
awareness of child protection through diverse media, including print, radio,television, social
media, podcasts and direct community outreach such as loudspeakers. They have also used
online alternatives, such as the Girls Out Loudplatform, Bluetooth mobile-to-mobile
messaging, WhatsApp, Zoom and government helplines to help girls report abuse, get
counselling and share their stories. Despite the challenges, many have continued to run girls’
clubs and support circles, and have community champions to refer girls at risk to support
services. For example, SIRP in Nigeria set up and virtually trained its End Child Marriage
Brigade to identify any girlunder 18 at risk of child marriage. Muslim Family Counselling
Services in Ghanashared information on harmful traditional practices through mobile van
services.
● Planning for the future. Some NGOs have carried out assessments to understand the
impacts of COVID-19 on girls. They are developing follow-up plans with families to ensure
girls return to schools once lockdowns are lifted, and launching awareness campaigns that
encourage families to continue supporting education. For example, theYouth Anti-FGM
Network in Kenya used constant online feedback mechanisms tohelp identify emerging
challenges and address FGM and child marriage in new ways.
Current Condition
About 258 million children and youth are out of school, according to UIS data for the school
year ending in 2018. The total includes 59 million children of primary school age, 62 million
of lower secondary school age and 138 million of upper secondary age.As countries strive to
achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030, the UIS is providing the data
and analysis needed to reach the children and youth who remain excluded from education.
Through its website, publications and data visualizations, the UIS aims to strengthen the
availability of detailed internationally-comparable data on out-of-school children and youth,
to make it possible to better identify who they are, where they live and the barriers they
face.In addition to its regular survey operations, the UIS works directly with countries to
help them produce data on out-of-school children and youth, as well as interpret and use
such data for policy-making. As part of these efforts, the UIS contributes to the development
of methodologies needed to produce data for monitoring the targets of the SDG 4 –
Education 2030 agenda.Despite the steady rise in literacy rates over the past 50 years, there
are still 773 million illiterate adults around the world, most of whom are women. These
numbers produced by the UIS are a stark reminder of the work ahead to meet
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Target 4.6 to ensure that all youth and
most adults achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030.
Current literacy data are generally collected through population censuses or household
surveys in which the respondent or head of the household declares whether they can read
and write with understanding a short, simple statement about one's everyday life in any
written language. Some surveys require respondents to take a quick test in which they are
asked to read a simple passage or write a sentence, yet clearly literacy is a far more complex
issue that requires more information.
For the UIS, the existing dataset serves as a placeholder for a new generation of indicators
being developed with countries and partners under the umbrella of the Global Alliance to
Monitor Learning (GAML). GAML is developing the methodologies needed to gather more
nuanced data and the tools required for their standardisation. In particular, the Alliance is
finding ways to link existing large-scale assessments to produce comparable data to monitor
the literacy skills of children, youth and adults. This involves close collaboration with a wide
range of partners.
Despite the steady rise in literacy rates over the past 50 years, there are still 773 million
illiterate adults around the world, most of whom are women. These numbers produced by
the UIS are a stark reminder of the work ahead to meet the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), especially Target 4.6 to ensure that all youth and most adults achieve literacy and
numeracy by 2030. Current literacy data are generally collected through population censuses
or household surveys in which the respondent or head of the household declares whether
they can read and write with understanding a short, simple statement about one's everyday
life in any written language. Some surveys require respondents to take a quick test in which
they are asked to read a simple passage or write a sentence, yet clearly literacy is a far more
complex issue that requires more information.
For the UIS, the existing dataset serves as a placeholder for a new generation of indicators
being developed with countries and partners under the umbrella of the Global Alliance to
Monitor Learning (GAML). GAML is developing the methodologies needed to gather more
nuanced data and the tools required for their standardisation. In particular, the Alliance is
finding ways to link existing large-scale assessments to produce comparable data to monitor
the literacy skills of children, youth and adults. This involves close collaboration with a wide
range of partners.
Past Actions
From delivering life-saving health supplies, to building water and hygiene facilities,
tokeeping girls and boys connected to education and protection, UNICEF is working to slow
the spread of COVID-19 and minimize its impact on children worldwide. Here are some of
the measures UNICEF has initiated in its member states in order to ensure children’s access
to education during the pandemic.
Ukraine
When educational facilities across Ukraine closed in March 2020 to help contain COVID-19
and many families found themselves struggling to keep their children’s education on
track.Since the school closures, UNICEF has been supporting the Ministry of Education
andScience with distance learning options for students to ensure continuity and help
parents,caregivers and teachers access remote education resources and support during
quarantine.Ukraine is also one of the first countries since the COVID-19 pandemic to roll
outfits online curriculum through the Learning Passport, a global learning platform launched
byUNICEF and Microsoft to help children and youth affected by COVID-19 continue their
education at home.
Rwanda
More than 3 million students are out of school in Rwanda since the government
recommended schools close to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. To keep children
learning, the country has turned to one of its most accessible mediums: radio. UNICEF
identified more than 100 radio scripts from around the world focusing on basic literacy and
numeracy that could be adapted to align with Rwanda’s school curriculum. It then worked
with partners, including the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, to produce and air the classes
around the country.
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste is also rolling out its curriculum on the Learning Passport platform after school
in the country closed in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The content available to
school children includes online books, videos and additional support for parents of children
with learning disabilities.
Syria
Even before COVID-19, millions of children in Syria were out of school or at risk of dropping
out as the country entered its tenth year of conflict. The suspension of classes in mid-March
as a precautionary measure has created further uncertainty for millions more children.
UNICEF has put in place aSelf-Learning Programme designed to help children who have
either dropped out of school or who are at risk of doing so. The programme helps children to
continue learning core subjects such as Arabic and English, math, and science.
North Macedonia
Within days of the school closures nationwide, UNICEF and the Government of
NorthMacedonia had shifted lessons from the country’s classrooms to its living rooms. One
key initiative was the TV-Classroom, which involves volunteer teachers delivering classes
and presenting a range of activities, including exercise routines, in the five languages used in
the country's schools.
Viet Nam
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unsettling for all children, regardless of their
physical abilities. But for children with physical disabilities, such as a hearing
impairment,the lack of accessible information can feel particularly isolating. As part of its
efforts to help teach hearing-impaired children, UNICEF Viet Nam produced videos in sign
language on how to prevent transmission of COVID-19 and pledged to include sign language
in more outfits online assets. More broadly, UNICEF has also been supporting the Ministry
of Educationand Training in developing online and offline learning materials, including for
physical exercise, to help improve children’s physical strength, health and mental wellbeing
during the school closures.
Côte d'Ivoire
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, caregivers and educators have responded in stride,
and have been instrumental in finding new ways to keep children learning. In Côte
d'Ivoire,UNICEF has been working with the Ministry of Education on a ‘school at home’
initiative that includes taping lessons to be aired on national TV.
Latin America and the Caribbean
No region of the world has been spared from the COVID-19 pandemic. By late March, around
95 per cent of enrolled children were temporarily out of school due to COVID-19 across Latin
America and the Caribbean – more than 150 million children across the region.
To help keep children learning, UNICEF launched the #LearningAtHome initiative,
providing a fun new activity every day that parents can adapt and share with others, from
treasure hunt puzzles to creative toy spiderwebs. UNICEF has challenged families to 13
replicate or share their own activities using #LearningAtHome, and has been sharing some
of the best examples.
Malawi
Almost six million school-age children in Malawi have been forced to stay home since
schools in the country were closed in late March as part of efforts to prevent the spread of
COVID-19. UNICEF Malawi is supporting the Malawi Government in the development of
continuity of learning programmes that will be delivered on radio, television and online.
Questions A Resolution Must Answer:
● What measures would ensure a safe and reliable access to quality education for child
refugees?
● How to enable teaching staff based in rural or isolated areas to keep providing
education under lockdown?
● How to ensure quality distance learning for children suffering from disabilities?
● What could incentivize the parents to pursue distance learning for their children during the
pandemic?
● How to make sure girls continue to be provided education during the pandemic?
● What incentives could be granted to the educational professionals who are putting in place
initiatives to provide education during the pandemic?
● How to maintain the access to education for learners in internet-deprived areas?
Bibliography and Further Reading:
● http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/fs46-more-than-half-children-n
ot-learning-en-2017.pdf
● http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/fs45-literacy-rates-continue-ris
e-generation-to-next-en-2017_0.pdf
● https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/0
8/sg_policy_brief_covid-19_and_education_august_2020.pdf
● https://data.unicef.org/topic/education/covid-19/
● https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/future-education-here
● https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/0
8/sg_policy_brief_covid-19_and_education_august_2020.pdf
● https://sdg4education2030.org/education-during-covid-19-and-beyond-un-secretar
y-general-august-2020
● https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/covid-19-pa
ndemic-created-largest-disruption-of-education-in-history-affecting-1-6-billion-stud
ents-un-sg-guterres/articleshow/77344094.cms?from=mdr
● https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/education-during-covid-19-and-beyond-comm
entary-secretary-general%E2%80%99s-policy-brief
● https://www.educationcannotwait.org/covid-19/
● https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Education/SREducation/Pages/COVID19.aspx
● https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-showcases-education-responses-covid-19-crisis-
general-assembly
● https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse
● https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/45905-education-time-covid-19
● https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341297812_The_impact_of_COVID-19_
on_education_and_on_the_well-being_of_teachers_parents_and_students_Challe
nges_related_to_remote_online_learning_and_opportunities_for_advancing_the_
quality_of_education
