UNICEF - Annual Report 2015

Every child has the right to a fair chance in life. Leaving no child behind is both a moral imperative and a strategic priority for the development of inclusive, sustainable and stable societies everywhere. In 2015, UNICEF worked with partners around the world to make that fair chance a reality.

The year provided a renewed opportunity to build on past achievements with an eye towards reaching all children and narrowing persistent gaps in equity – specifically, gaps affecting children left behind despite overall progress made under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2000 through 2015.

The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), approved by 193 Member States of the United Nations in 2015, incorporate objectives that are specific to the health and well-being of children – including adolescents. The goals include targets for early childhood development, universal access to education, and protection of girls and boys from violence, abuse and exploitation. There are also targets related to ending harmful practices against children and promoting their legal identify through birth registration.