Frequently asked questions | Children's Environmental Health Collaborative

The Collaborative was started to mobilize international action to protect child health and development from the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
This is particularly important now because progress in child health and development is under threat. There has been a drastic decline in the environments where children live, learn and play. Patterns of disease among children are changing and children face multiple overlapping risks from climate change, air pollution, exposure to toxic chemicals and waste, unsafe built environments and antimicrobial resistance.

The Collaborative aims to inspire, motivate, equip and mobilize efforts on children’s environmental health by supporting partners through three pathways:
- Advocating for change to drive prioritization of children’s environmental health to unlock action, resources and accountability.
- Brokering knowledge by sharing data, resources, tools and educational materials for evidence-based action.
- Catalysing action by bridging the gap between knowledge and action through global forums and country-led action.
The Collaborative spotlights major risks children face and engages stakeholders to address these challenges. The Collaborative hosts forums and a central hub for exchanging technical resources, experiences and good practices.

Membership in the Collaborative is open to governments and international organizations, including the private sector and civil society. The Collaborative aims to have members from every region of the world, bringing together diverse perspectives, expertise, networks and ideas.
The Collaborative is open to organizations only (not individuals).
To be considered a Collaborative partner, interested entities must fit the criteria of one of the following constituencies:
- Government: the governing body of a nation, state, or community, as well as the agencies and organizations under its direct control.
- Private sector: companies, corporate foundations and other private organizations.
- Civil society organizations: a wide variety of communities and groups such as international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), professional associations, and foundations that function outside of government.
Applicants agree with the mission of the Collaborative and agree to participate in the Collaborative’s initiatives, share advocacy and technical resources, take action to protect children from environmental exposures and engage in forums. Forums bring partners of the Collaborative together in person or virtually to share good practices and lessons learned.

Partners are united around a common vision – that all children deserve to grow up in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment– and believe that working together will help get there faster.

Benefits of partnership include:

Opportunity to make an impact on children’s health and development.
Access to the latest news and a knowledge hub with rich content including technical resources, guidance documents and webinars, advocacy materials and videos, and other learning resources.
Visibility, including amplification of partner organizations’ work and resources on the Collaborative website and e-newsletter.
Opportunities to showcase and exchange good practices and lessons learned through forums and networking events. Each group can host or participate in forums within their constituencies (e.g. separate government, private sector, and civil society forums), as well as participate in a multi-stakeholder annual forum organized by UNICEF.
Opportunities for joint advocacy with Collaborative partners.
Use of the Collaborative’s visual identity, following guidelines for use.

To join the Collaborative, governments and international organizations, including the private sector and civil society can submit a written expression of interest to the Collaborative. Templates and other details vary by partner type and can be found on this page. UNICEF will screen and approve all applicants.

Partners define for themselves how they can contribute to the overall mission of the Collaborative to protect children’s health from environmental degradation and climate change.
Partners can contribute by advocating for change, brokering knowledge and catalyzing action.
Advocating for change could be publishing new research findings that help inform policy development that prioritizes children’s environmental health. Brokering knowledge includes sharing information and resources through the online portal on the Collaborative website and e-newsletter. Catalyzing action could range from bringing new partners into the Collaborative to funding the implementation of children’s environmental health programmes.
Examples of contribution from partners could be:
- Governments: Establish an environmental health surveillance system that helps inform policy and regulation development that will better protect children’s health from climate change and environmental degradation.
- Private Sector: Incorporate children’s environmental health into corporate social responsibility and environmental, social, and governance commitments.
- Civil Society: Run a public safety announcement campaign to raise awareness of the health risk to children from pollution and climate change.

The Collaborative is thrilled to work with other coalitions, alliances and initiatives toward achieving its overall mission to mobilize international action to protect child survival, health and well-being from the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
A partnership with other multistakeholder groups could include sharing resources and information, cross-posting events related to children’s environmental health and co-developing new resources.
Other multi-stakeholder initiatives can join the Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative as a partner by sharing their commitment to advance the Collaborative’s mission to ceh@unicef.org.

The Collaborative will host one large convening for all of its partners and stakeholders annually.
It will also host smaller meetings throughout the year on different topics and for different stakeholders to advance the agenda for children’s environmental health.

Partners can email UNICEF at ceh@unicef.org to start a conversation on co-developing a joint product.
Partners should work with other partners within the Collaborative directly to develop joint products.
Permission to use the Collaborative logo should be requested by emailing ceh@unicef.org. Requests should be submitted at the conceptual phase of the product development.

The Collaborative is not a funding mechanism.
Organizations that would like to fund UNICEF’s work on Healthy Environments for Healthy Children should email ceh@unicef.org.
Organizations that would like to fund partners within the Collaborative’s work on children’s environmental health should get in touch with them directly.
Partners within the Collaborative are encouraged to work together on projects and implementation on children’s environmental health.