SUPPLY ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Local Delivery Global ... - Unicef
SUPPLY ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Local Delivery Global ... - Unicef
SUPPLY ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Local Delivery Global ... - Unicef
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Introduction<br />
Every day an estimated 26,000 children under the age of five die around<br />
the world – deaths that are mostly preventable. Disease, malnutrition, lack<br />
of clean water and sanitation, conflict and natural disasters continue to cost<br />
children their lives. For countless others, these realities, coupled with a lack<br />
of a basic education, impact their ongoing development and future.<br />
For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been working hard to combat this situation.<br />
Together with the global humanitarian community, and in line with<br />
the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF is responsible for helping<br />
achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. To this end,<br />
the work of UNICEF focuses on six core areas:<br />
• Child survival and development<br />
• Basic education and gender equality<br />
• HIV/AIDS<br />
• Emergency response<br />
• Child protection<br />
• Policy analysis, advocacy and partnerships for children’s rights<br />
At the midpoint of the drive to achieve the MDGs, significant progress has<br />
been made, but there is much yet to do. Vital to our continued efforts is the<br />
availability and timely delivery of thousands of items including vaccines, medicines,<br />
nutrition, education, and water and sanitation supplies. We are employing<br />
strategies to ensure the necessary focus on essential commodities which<br />
have the highest impact on under-five mortality. Through improved systems,<br />
more accurate forecasting, integration with programmes, implementing partners<br />
and suppliers, Supply is committed to ensuring the global availability of<br />
these goods. But availability is just one part of the equation. Priority is also being<br />
placed on ensuring these commodities reach children efficiently. This dual<br />
commitment to ensuring global availability of supplies and their local delivery<br />
is a core thread that runs throughout this report. The report also highlights a<br />
number of Supply’s key achievements in <strong>2008</strong> and ongoing focuses and commitments<br />
for 2009 and beyond.