The State of the World’s Children 2023 Conference

Florence, 9–10 June 2022 – UNICEF experts from around the world gathered at the UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti for the first major in-person event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss the next State of the World’s Children publication on children and immunization. The meeting itself was a testament to the power of vaccines.

“The theme of this event is especially fitting,” said Gunilla Olsson, Director of UNICEF Innocenti. “You were able to travel here to Florence and gather together to discuss immunization only because of immunization.”

Organized by the UNICEF Office of Global Insight and Policy and the immunization section of the Programme Group, the event brought together 34 donors, partners, academics, government representatives and UNICEF colleagues. The meeting aimed to tackle the challenges that keep the world from reaching every child with life-saving vaccinations.

At the event, discussions focused on health systems, governance, financing and the intricacies of vaccine supply and demand. Particular attention was given to ‘zero-dose children’, or children who have not received any immunizations and often experience multiple deprivations in their lives. The discussions and conclusions will form the backbone of UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children (SOWC) report and shape its policy recommendations.

Participants included representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, the Government of Iraq and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Also in attendance were experts from universities in Brazil, England, Nigeria and the Philippines, and UNICEF colleagues from country and regional offices.

“After more than two years of COVID, it was so important to come together to share ideas and experiences face-to-face,” said Sowmya Kadandale, Chief of Health at UNICEF Indonesia. “More than ever, the world is aware of the power of vaccination, but it time to maximize that power together.”