Back to school - safe, healthy journeys during COVID-19

20 June 2020

Protecting 1.7 billion children as they venture back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic is not just possible, but a long-term opportunity, said speakers and participants of the Child Health Initiative’s online meeting, convening more than 60 global mobility experts.

At the heart of this, and every crisis, is the potential for opportunities to build back better, argued UNICEF’s Lisa Bender as she highlighted the organization’s aim to build global citizenship and find ways to not only engage children, but also strengthen their voices through the process. Acting on the once in a lifetime opportunity to do things differently and embed messages around children and education, UNICEF produced a framework document for reopening schools and supporting national decision making.

To ensure the safest, healthiest journeys to school possible during the pandemic, UNICEF invited the Child Health Initiative to create supplementary, broad, illustrative guidance that can be applied in a variety of settings, but focus on low- and middle- income countries. It will complement and be integrated into UNICEF’s global framework and interim guidance on how schools can safely reopen.

To learn more, visit our meeting summary, including the recording here.