Recording of the seminar "The State of the World’s Children".

About the seminar
The State of the World’s Children (SOWC) is a bi-annual report published by UNICEF. This year it focuses on routine childhood vaccinations.
Technology, data and social innovation are key enablers towards transformational change in the vaccine and immunization agenda. The launch of the SOWC report is a milestone moment to gather political will and action and facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration on accelerating the progress on the health-related SDGs. It will also initiate UNICEF’s year-long vaccine advocacy campaign and call to action to reach every child with all essential vaccines.
The EU Global Health Strategy, adopted in November 2022, focuses on improving global health security and delivering better health for all, with focus areas such as strengthening health systems and building resilience, as well as combatting upcoming health threats. The targets of the strategy can hence be closely linked to immunization coverage and improved primary health care, further stressing the importance of the findings of this year’s SOWC report.
State Secretary to Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Diana Janse, will be speaking on behalf of the Swedish Government about Sweden’s role in global health and as President of the Council of the EU.
About the report
In 2022, UNICEF and WHO sounded the alarm on child health. Annual immunization figures showed the biggest sustained backsliding in childhood immunization levels in a generation - with almost 30 years of progress wiped out. Over the pandemic, tens of million children missed out on their essential and routine vaccines, an increase on the millions already missing out, and who are now at risk of deadly diseases and outbreaks. This is a red alert for child health and global health security.
As we emerge from a period of intensive work to tackle the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is now an urgent need to build political will and social accountability to address this historic backsliding in vaccination coverage and to address the potential catastrophic losses in child health and for global health security.
In 2023, the State of the World's Children 2023 (SOWC) is titled 'For Every Child, Vaccination'.
Background of the co-hosts
UNICEF Sweden
UNICEF Sweden is one of 33 National Committees to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. UNICEF Sweden works to influence politicians and decision makers, educate and spread knowledge and to raise funds for a lasting change for children and a sustainable development - in Sweden and globally. Working in partnerships with government, regions and municipalities, government agencies, businesses and civil society organisations. By collaborating, influencing and mobilising resources, UNICEF Sweden creates results for and together with children and young people. Find out more at www.unicef.se
UNICEF Office of Innovation
UNICEF’s Office of Innovation is an agile global architecture aligning with diverse partners to boldly explore and scale innovative approaches and technologies to deliver equitable impact and opportunity for every child today, and an accelerated pace of change for generations to come. Find out more at www.unicef.org/innovation
Swedish Network for Global Child Health
In 2018, the Government of Sweden launched a framework for Sweden’s work on global health to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Sweden. For its implementation thematic Swedish Networks for Global Health were set up. The Swedish Networks for Global Child Health was one of them. Co-coordinated by Karolinska Institutet and UNICEF Sweden, with support from the Swedish Institute for Global Health Transformation (SIGHT). Find out more at www.sight.nu