UNICEF Middle East and North Africa

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.

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

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

• Child welfare programs
• Humanitarian assistance
• Public health initiatives
• Education programs
• Child protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Voluntary Contributions: UNICEF receives voluntary contributions from governments, private donors, foundations, and multilateral organizations to fund its programmes and evaluation activities
2. 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

Core 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

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WFP (World Food Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2024UNICEF 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2020Regional 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 UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovative 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint 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 GovernmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/UNICEFEval
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@unicefevaluation
• Facebookfacebook.com/unicef
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unicef-mena
• Instagraminstagram.com/unicef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UNICEF Middle East and North Africa