UNICEF Middle East and North Africa
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa is the Amman-based regional arm of the UN Children's Fund, coordinating child-rights programmes, evaluations, and partnerships across MENA for governments, UN agencies, and humanitarian partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1946
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What UNICEF Middle East and North Africa does
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa is the regional arm of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) headquartered in Amman, Jordan, coordinating child-rights programmes across the MENA region. As a non-market UN agency, it is funded through voluntary contributions from governments, private donors, foundations, and multilateral organizations, alongside assessed UN member-state contributions. The regional office sits within UNICEF's broader evaluation function, which operates a decentralized model spanning over 190 countries and territories with quality assurance centralized through the Global Evaluation Reports Oversight System (GEROS) at New York headquarters.
UNICEF's evaluation function is built on several technical platforms: the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) for internationally comparable household data on children and women; the Global Evaluation Evidence Synthesis (GEES), a partnership with Newcastle University applying semi-automated synthesis methods to 2018-2024 evaluations; an Operational Framework for Machine Learning in Evaluation; and an interactive evidence gap map. Public-facing products include U-Report (youth engagement) and UNICEF Parenting (caregiver resources). The function conducts country, regional, and global evaluations feeding into the Executive Board, national governments, and the UN system.
UNICEF's commercial logic is non-market: evaluation is an internal organizational function whose outputs (3,059+ reports in the public database) inform strategy, programme design, advocacy, and accountability rather than generating direct revenue. Pricing is not applicable as services to beneficiary children, families, and governments are provided free of charge. The principal counterparties are national governments, UN agencies, and development partners, with the MENA Regional Office operating in a region marked by humanitarian crises, displacement, and fragile-state contexts including Gaza, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen.
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UNICEF Middle East and North Africa
- Legal name
- United Nations Children's Fund
- Website
- https://unicef.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1946
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- UNICEF Middle East and North Africa is the Amman-based regional arm of the UN Children's Fund, coordinating child-rights programmes, evaluations, and partnerships across MENA for governments, UN agencies, and humanitarian partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Development and Humanitarian Aid Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multilateral Global Health Agencies (UN/IFIs) (HLAJAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG), Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN), Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPADADAL)
Keywords
Where UNICEF Middle East and North Africa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Voluntary Contributions: UNICEF receives voluntary contributions from governments, private donors, foundations, and multilateral organizations to fund its programmes and evaluation activities
- Regulated Contributions: Assessed contributions from UN member states as part of UNICEF's UN system funding
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UNICEF is a United Nations agency that delivers humanitarian and development programmes for children in over 190 countries, with core areas spanning child health, nutrition, education, child protection, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), immunization, early childhood development, adolescent development, social protection, and emergency response. The agency also operates a global Evaluation Function that conducts independent evaluations, maintains a public database of 3,059+ evaluation reports, and develops methodological tools (GEROS, GEES, MICS) to support evidence-based decision-making for child-focused policies and programmes.
Product overview
UNICEF operates as a global organization with a decentralized evaluation function. The main products and services include: the Global Evaluation Evidence Synthesis (GEES) platform developed with Newcastle University; the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) for standardized data collection; U-Report for youth engagement; UNICEF Parenting digital resources; and the Global Evaluation Reports Oversight System (GEROS) for quality assessment. These work together to support evidence-based decision-making across UNICEF's operations in over 190 countries and territories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- U-Report: UNICEF's community platform for young people to voice concerns and drive positive change
- Bebbo
- UNICEF Parenting
- UNICEF Evaluation Office
- MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys)
Products and services
- Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) UNICEF-supported household survey program that monitors the situation of children and women through standardized data collection methodologies across multiple countries, providing internationally comparable data.
- U-Report Community platform for young people to voice opinions, access information, and participate in social change initiatives.
- UNICEF Parenting Digital resource hub providing parents and caregivers with guidance on child development, health, and well-being.
- Global Evaluation Evidence Synthesis (GEES) Partnership initiative with Newcastle University synthesizing UNICEF evaluation evidence from 2018-2024, accompanied by an interactive evidence gap map analyzing progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Global Evaluation Reports Oversight System (GEROS) UNICEF's quality-assessment system for evaluation reports, providing structured feedback to country, regional, and headquarters offices to ensure evaluations meet the highest standards of quality and usefulness.
- UNICEF Evaluation Evidence Gap Map Interactive visualization tool mapping evaluations conducted by UNICEF against Strategic Plan results areas, enabling users to identify evidence coverage and gaps across thematic areas and regions.
- Operational Framework for Machine Learning in Evaluation Practical guidance document on applying Machine Learning analytical approaches in evaluations, presenting an operational framework developed through literature review and UNICEF experiments.
Quantifiable outcome
- Analysis of 631 UNICEF evaluations showing achievements and areas for improvement
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use UNICEF Middle East and North Africa
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WFP (World Food Programme)coreUNICEF and WFP co-hosted the Global Impact Evaluation Forum 2024 at the United Nations, focused on experimenting, learning and scaling up what works in a fragile world.
- UNNEESA (United Nations Network for Evaluation in Eastern and Southern Africa)coreRegional interagency network launched in March 2020 to strengthen evaluation function in UN system across Eastern and Southern Africa. Current membership includes FAO, ILO, IOM, UNECA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNWOMEN, UNEP, UNHCR, UN-HABITAT, UNFPA, and WFP.
- Newcastle UniversitycorePartnership for Global Evaluation Evidence Synthesis (GEES) using semi-automated methods to perform deep analysis of UNICEF's progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The collaboration synthesizes evaluation reports produced between 2018-2024.
- BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development)coreInnovative evidence partnership for children connecting impact evaluation, data, and research in a comprehensive way through the Adaptive Social Protection (ASPECT) programme.
- UNEG (United Nations Evaluation Group)coreUNICEF Evaluation follows UNEG norms and standards for evaluation, participates in peer reviews, and contributes to UN system-wide evaluation guidance including UNEG Evaluation Synthesis Guidance and ethical guidelines.
- CLEAR-AA (Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results, Anglophone-Africa)corePartnership Cooperation Agreement with University of Witwatersrand to strengthen national monitoring and evaluation capacity. NECD activities implemented in eight countries: Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia.
- AfDB-IDEV (African Development Bank - Independent Development Evaluation)minorJoint initiative with Côte d'Ivoire Parliament and UNICEF to promote innovation and evidence for children. Also co-hosted high-level regional dialogue on evaluative evidence in fragile settings with UNICEF WCARO.
- National GovernmentscoreUNICEF supports national evaluation systems development by collaborating with Governments to strengthen skills and evaluate child-focused policies and programmes. Works with 190+ country governments.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund): UN fund focused on women, adolescents, and children — directly comparable mandate overlap with UNICEF on adolescent health, maternal/child welfare, and country-level programming in 150+ countries.
- World Health Organization (WHO): UN specialized agency in global health; directly comparable to UNICEF as a multilateral agency setting norms, conducting country-level programmes, and producing globally comparable health data across 190+ member states.
- Save the Children: Largest international NGO focused on children's rights, health, education, and protection; directly comparable beneficiary base and programme verticals, and a frequent co-implementer with UNICEF in country settings.
- World Food Programme (WFP): UN agency addressing child and family welfare through nutrition and food security; explicit UNICEF co-host of the Global Impact Evaluation Forum and co-responder in fragile settings, with overlapping funding sources and beneficiary base.
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): UN development agency operating in 170+ countries with a similarly decentralized HQ/regional/country office model, parallel donor-base structure, and emphasis on evidence-based programming.
- UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): UN agency delivering child-focused protection and humanitarian services in conflict-affected countries, with a similarly decentralized global structure and reliance on voluntary contributions.
Broad incumbents
- UNESCO: UN agency whose education, child-rights, and development programmes overlap with UNICEF's education vertical and country-level programming in 190+ member states.
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): Global humanitarian network operating in nearly every country, with overlapping emergency-response footprint and donor base, and similar reliance on voluntary contributions and decentralized governance.
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Major philanthropic funder of global child health, immunization, and nutrition programmes that often co-finance UNICEF initiatives; comparable scale of grantmaking and influence on global health evidence agendas.
- World Bank Group: Multilateral development institution that funds child- and human-capital-focused programmes in low- and middle-income countries and co-produces evidence (e.g., with AfDB-IDEV); overlapping donor relationships and country footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa social profiles
Digital presenceUNICEF Middle East and North Africa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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UNICEF Middle East and North Africa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UNICEF Middle East and North Africa
What does UNICEF Middle East and North Africa do?
UNICEF is a United Nations agency that delivers humanitarian and development programmes for children in over 190 countries, with core areas spanning child health, nutrition, education, child protection, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), immunization, early childhood development, adolescent development, social protection, and emergency response. The agency also operates a global Evaluation Function that conducts independent evaluations, maintains a public database of 3,059+ evaluation reports, and develops methodological tools (GEROS, GEES, MICS) to support evidence-based decision-making for child-focused policies and programmes.
Is UNICEF Middle East and North Africa a public or private company?
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was UNICEF Middle East and North Africa founded?
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa was founded in 1946. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is UNICEF Middle East and North Africa based?
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does UNICEF Middle East and North Africa make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Voluntary Contributions are the primary driver. The others are regulated Contributions.
Who are UNICEF Middle East and North Africa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), World Health Organization (WHO), Save the Children, World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Broad incumbents are UNESCO, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and World Bank Group.
Does UNICEF Middle East and North Africa have an API?
No public API is recorded for UNICEF Middle East and North Africa.
What industry is UNICEF Middle East and North Africa in?
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa's product category is International Development and Humanitarian Aid Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJAKAA, Multilateral Global Health Agencies (UN/IFIs), with a secondary code of HLAJAKAG, Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.