The Five Cross-Cutting Areas Addressed Using C4D for MNCH
1. Gender: Gender inequality worsens the multiple dispossessions faced not just by
girls but by all children due to disadvantages such as poverty, ethnicity or
disability status. Empowerment of girls and women as well as addressing genderrelated needs and actions of girls, boys, fathers, mothers and communities is a
priority. UNICEF will identify and leverage positive synergies among related
results, including improving girls’ education, ending child marriage and reducing
maternal mortality. Approaches to gender-sensitive and gender-transformative.
2. Human rights: Human rights and child rights principles guide UNICEF’s work in all
sectors and at each stage of the process. These principles include: universality;
non-discrimination; the best interests of the child; the right to survival and
development; the indivisibility and interdependence of human rights; and
accountability and respect for the voice of the child. UNICEF supports progress
towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate
of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also
supporting the equitable development of nations. As a contribution to social
inclusion, a focus should lie on meaningful participation of children, including
adolescents, in processes that relate to them will be emphasized, including
through strengthening their own decision-making and communication capacities.
3. Disability: UNICEF facilitates the accessibility of children and young people with
disabilities to health services as well as supports efforts to eliminate stigma and
discrimination in environments including health facilities, schools, and
communities. Approaches and campaigns should pay specific attention to
portraying children and adults with disabilities with respect and dignity and to
avoid reinforcing stigma and discrimination. Attention should be placed on the
specific needs of mothers and children with disabilities from pregnancy through
the neo-natal phase and childhood up to the adolescence. Efforts should be
focus on dissemination of compelling data to raise awareness of policy changes
required and adoption of healthy, safe and protective behaviours (e.g. lack of
attention to the effect of saving newborns without accompanying programmes
to address those that will have disabilities; the consequence of both
communicable and non-communicable diseases and related risk factors in
increasing prevalence or severity of disabilities).
4. Adolescents: The demographic transition taking place in many countries
worldwide underpins the importance of working with adolescent girls and boys.
Support is required for policies and programmes that empower adolescents to
make informed decisions, communicate effectively and develop coping and selfmanagement skills that contribute to healthy and productive lives while building
healthy, safe and peaceful communities. Focusing on adolescents will have long
term gains as they can not only use the information immediately and act on it,
but they, as would be parents and leaders of the countries, can be a critical mass
to influence sustainable positive behaviours.
5. Stigma and Discrimination: UNICEF will support interventions on rule of law and
access to justice that deal with discrimination and promote accountability. For
example, challenging discrimination against girls and ethnic minorities can be a
valuable strategy to concurrently contribute to health, education, protection and
other outcomes, in addition to being important for its own sake. This is also very
important for equity-based programming.