Unicef Peru in 2011 2011 proved to be a challenging year for the implementation of the final year of the Peru-UNICEF 2006-2011 country program cycle. Because of the highly charged political environment during the national elections process, and the changes in the provincial and local governments, the country office had to create new liaisons with the new authorities. UNICEF Peru is focused on contributing to the fulfillment of the rights of children and their families. In 2011, UNICEF continued working on developing capacities, generating evidence and best practices, and analyzing and disseminating the situation of children; UNICEF also focused on communication for development, policy advocacy, and strategic alliances and partnerships to leverage resources and influence agendas in favor of the equity agenda. UNICEF, in collaboration with other strategic partners, worked to ensure that children s issues were high on the agenda of the new national and regional Governments. Throughout the election campaign process and immediately following, UNICEF worked to ensure that information was readily available for advocacy with the candidates and responded with policy guidance for the transition teams of the new administration. UNICEF conducted studies and evaluations of the situation of the most excluded children. In 2011, the country office evaluated the communication strategy of the Juntos conditional cash transfer program. An evaluation of the Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE) programs, which are financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (ACDI), was also conducted.
UNICEF is particularly satisfied with the focus on the contribution to the prioritization of IBE, both at the national and regional levels. Strong, evidence-based advocacy and effective technical support produced significant results. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2012-2016) was developed with a focus on rights, gender and environmental sustainability. UNICEF s new country program cycle 2012-2016 works with the UNDAF and contributes to the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on four strategic areas: child survival and development, quality and equity in basic education, protection of the rights of children and adolescents, and policies and advocacy for the rights of children. This new country program contributes to draw attention to the urgent need for the economic growth of Peru to translate into equal social development, and better positioning of children s rights. This calls for more involvement of the Government, the civil society, the international cooperation, and of children and adolescents themselves to make Peru a better place for children. Paul Martin Representante UNICEF Perú
Child survival and development The many changes in national, regional and local authorities caused some delay in the implementation of planned activities. Nevertheless, Peru reached the MDG IV with a rate of 17 deaths per thousand births. Chronic malnutrition in children under five decreased from 23.2% to 19.5% in 2011. Anemia was reduced in 8.7% in the same period. In order to reduce infant mortality in rural areas, an integrated strategy was developed in four regions. The core interventions were: exclusive breastfeeding, maintaining newborns at an adequate temperature, washing hands, and controlling the newborns weight each week using neonatal cards. In the regions where UNICEF works with its counterparts, the budget allocation of the Strategic Program for Mothers and Newborns has been increased. Zinc supplementation to treat diarrheal diseases helped reduce chronic malnutrition. The Ministry of Health has adopted the Good Start Program as its strategy to improve the quality of life and development of expectant mothers and children in rural areas. UNICEF is part of the National Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Breastfeeding. One of its achievements was to monitor the compliance of the Code of Marketing for Breast Milk Substitutes. Some actions were developed to protect breastfeeding in maternal services with the help of the civil society.
Improvement of education quality UNICEF has clearly contributed to the priorization of the IBE policy in Peru. In partnership with the Ministry of Education, the two Interinstitutional Boards of the National Council of Education have incorporated IBE into their agendas. And due to an alliance with the Compromised Board for the Struggle against Poverty (MCLCP), the Learning Achievements Strategic Budget Program was monitored. At the end of the year, collaboration with the Vice Minister of Multiculturalism (Ministry of Culture) was initiated to contribute to the National System of Indigenous Policies and the development of intercultural capacity. In the regions where UNICEF works, IBE was identified and planned as one of the six priority policies for the next four years. UNICEF has made preliminary lists of schools to be registered as IBE. Six regional governments have been strengthened for the preparation of their Medium Term Education Plans (2011-2014). Two special university degrees on Educational Administration have been developed in three regions. In terms of information, UNICEF contributed to the presentation and dissemination of the IBE ombudsperson office report. Six brochures with IBE figures and information were produced, and a socio-educational diagnosis of the Atalaya province was conducted. There are also teams which continue to produce texts in indigenous languages. IBE is now one of the top priorities of the Government, not only because of its inherent value, but also because of its contribution to the reduction of inequities in education.
Protection of the rights of children and adolescents This program focuses on two key components: first, to reduce the number of unregistered or incorrectly registered children; and second, to consolidate strategies and alliances to fight violence directed toward children and adolescents. In birth registration, UNICEF worked with the National Registry of Identification and Marital Status (RENIEC) to reduce the number of unregistered children, benefiting 34,715 children and 6,065 adults. In the Amazonian regions, an intercultural approach was used. UNICEF supported the Ministry of Women and Social Development (MIMDES) in the design of a campaign against child abuse, while supporting the Prosecutor s office in the revision and adaptation of the Guide for Use by the Unique Interview Process of children and adolescents victims of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or sexual trafficking. The Ministry of Interior and the National Police received UNICEF s support for national distribution and dissemination of awareness material related to preventing sexual trafficking. UNICEF, MIMDES and Buckner Peru organized the first International Congress on Quality Attention Care Institutions for national organizations. A locally adapted and friendly version of the UN Guidelines for the Care of Children was prepared and distributed among key actors. In coordination with the MAG (Judicial Academy), TACRO, and other country offices of Africa and Latin America, Peru hosted the XIV Course for Judges, Prosecutors and Children s Defenders, with academic certification from Diego Portales University from Chile.
HIV/AIDS and children In 2011, in relation to the prevention of mother to child transmission, 75% of pregnant women who received prenatal care in health services had access to screening and rapid tests. This technology was made available in all the maternity service institutions in the country in 2010. UNICEF supported the Ministry of Health in the acquisition of 400,000 tests for the diagnosis of syphilis. UNICEF also contributed to the adaptation of the Comprehensive Education Program of the Ministry of Education, aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS, to the indigenous communities in Ucayali and Amazonas. UNICEF provided continued technical support for the south-south cooperation between Peru and Brazil, and concluded the intervention for the prevention of HIV/AIDS among children in situations of vulnerability because of poverty. Care for children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS was sought after by elaborating protocols so that the MIMDES social programs adapted to their necessities easily. UNICEF also conducted the study Sexuality and Gender in Children and Teenagers of the Awajun and Wampis Indigenous Communities. This study aims at helping adapt the interventions conducted to prevent teen pregnancy to the cultural context of the Peruvian Amazon communities. As part of the technical assistance UNICEF brings to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS in Amazon indigenous communities, a sistematization of the experiences in the Shipibo community of Nuevo Saposoa, Ucayali was conducted.
Policies and advocacy for the rights of children During the general elections campaign in 2011, UNICEF led the Vote for Children advocacy campaign, resulting in the agreement of a common agenda with quantifiable goals for children to 2016. Based on that agenda, the new national Government will implement the Integrated Early Childhood Development Program for the integrated care of children under three years of age. UNICEF s advocacy contributed to the definition of specific Government goals for 2016: elimination of child malnutrition, child mortality reduction and universal early education. UNICEF, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the MCLCP, NGOs and local universities have developed a Diploma in Public Investment Projects focused on Human and Child Development, resulting in the design of 21 projects for investment in children for a total of S/. 25 million. UNICEF has contributed to improving the formulation of budgetary programs related to children in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the MCLCP and NGOs. The technical assistance networks of Amazonas, Ayacucho, Apurimac, Cusco, Loreto, Huancavelica, San Martin, Piura and Ucayali were also trained. In 2011, UNICEF provided technical assistance in developing four newsletters published by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, intended to aid the design and implementation of investment policies which affect children. The State of Children in Peru was launched in Lima and in seven regions. The report helped regional and local authorities prioritize goals related to the most excluded children.
Response to emergencies
Response to emergencies In January 2011, serious flooding occurred in the Ucayali region, which affected homes and crops. UNICEF supported the Coronel Portillo Municipality, RENIEC and health and education centers to help the families affected by the natural disaster. UNICEF also helped declare a state of emergency in the area. Training and demonstrative sessions were conducted to show the adequate way of eating weaning foods to avoid malnutrition. These helped protect the nutritional state of 1,220 children under three years of age in 15 communities. UNICEF also aided in the birth registration and the obtaining of national identification documents for 900 children and adolescents, and 1,100 adults. In education, UNICEF supported the preparation and implementation of an emergency curriculum to make up the school hours lost due to the flooding. This work was conducted in 15 communities, benefiting 1,725 students in Coronel Portillo. Together with other cooperation agencies, UNICEF supported the creation of guidelines to face an earthquake of up to magnitude 8 in the Richter scale. UNICEF supported The Ministry of Education in elaborating a proposal for the training of risk management promoters, and started their training in the regions were UNICEF works. The Risk Management Commission was constituted and a plan for emergency due to low temperatures was created. MIMDES s capacities to face emergencies were also strengthened.