assessed as ‘high risk’ in early 2021; with technical support and capacity development, this fell to 5
per cent by December.
Every child lives in a safe and clean environment
To protect human health, UNICEF provided technical support to develop the COVID-19 WASH
Strategy 2021 and supported provision of uninterrupted water supply for 4 million people (1.9 million
females) through water point maintenance and disinfection.
UNICEF solutions directly helped 324,438 people (196,662 females) to access improved water sources
and 703,150 people (421,890 females) to access basic and safely managed sanitation facilities.
Through the sanitation marketing system project, 72,000 households purchased improved toilets.
Thirty-three unions, 259 villages and 1,490 communities became open defecation free – with 148 of
the villages and 10 of the unions also ‘arsenic safe’. UNICEF showcased the Arsenic Safe Union
approach, mobilizing the Government to invest US$240 million to scale up the model.
UNICEF provided technical support to revise the National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation
and to develop a climate-resilient and safe sanitation services road map for Dhaka North City
Corporation; developed the National Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Strategy and costed
road map to implement Hand Hygiene for All; implemented the Safely Managed On-site Sanitation
Study to set measurable baseline indicators for SDG Target 6.2; and prepared the Water Quality
Thematic Report using MICS data.
In primary education, 8,100 students (5,022 girls) across 18 schools were provided with access to safe
drinking water, handwashing facilities and gender-segregated, disability-friendly toilet blocks,
equipped for MHM. Using government guidelines developed with UNICEF support, anotherSome
15,300 students (10,710 girls) in 34 schools were oriented on COVID-related hygiene issues for school
reopening.
At secondary level, 44,000 adolescents (29,000 girls) across 110 schools were educated on hand
hygiene, MHM, safe water handling and safe sanitation practices, to achieve a healthy and hygienic
institutional environment.
Equitable chance in life
Partnerships with the World Bank, a2i and BBS enabled almost real-time monitoring of the COVID-19
impact on children and the socio-economic situation.
UNICEF supported GED to establish an SDG dashboard with MPI/Child Multidimensional Poverty
Index (CMPI), and the Government’s commitment was secured to use these data to monitor public
expenditure for children.
UNICEF strategically used its voice to raise awareness of child rights and UNICEF action for impact:
UNICEF received 10,000 mentions in mainstream media; the country office has 11.1 million social
media followers and had 3.6 billion page impressions.
UNICEF technical assistance to Cabinet Division supported the Child Sensitive Social Protection
Policy Guidance Unit’s establishment.
UNICEF continued to prioritize engaging adolescents and amplifying their voices to shape
programming and create opportunities for adolescent participation in society. News content produced
by 480 UNICEF child journalists generated strong audience responses. Over 1 million children were
engaged through Generation Parliament. UNICEF supported children to advocate for Parliament to call
Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10