PHNOM PENH, Jan 2 (NNN-AKP) – On New Year’s Day, more than 900 babies were born in Cambodia, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
They will be among a cohort of 371,504 babies born around the world on Jan 1, the UNICEF said, adding that, these Cambodian babies are predicted to have a higher life expectancy than the previous generations.
“We are excited that almost a thousand new babies came into Cambodia this New Year’s Day,” Foroogh Foyouzat, UNICEF representative in Cambodia, said.
“2020 has been a challenging year for all, especially children. Yet, Cambodia was successful in containing the pandemic and keeping COVID-19 cases lower than most countries, and we are hopeful that the same trend can be maintained,” she said. “UNICEF will continue to reimagine a better world for Cambodian children to grow up in. Each of them deserves the chance to fulfil their potential in life.”
In Cambodia, UNICEF works to advance the rights and well being of children since 1952, said the statement.
Throughout 2020, UNICEF supported the Cambodian government, to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, by enabling distance learning for hundreds of thousands of students, supporting the safe re-opening of schools for 3.2 million children, ensuring COVID-19 safety messages to reach more than 10 million people, and providing crucial sanitation and hygiene supplies to four million people, the statement said.
In 2021, UNICEF’s response to the pandemic will move to the next stage, working with the government and the World Health Organisation (WHO), on providing COVID-19 vaccines in Cambodia, through WHO’s COVAX facility, it added.– NNN-AKP
