UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre

Located in Florence, Italy, Innocenti is the research arm of UNICEF. Its main focus is on research and data analysis related to the protection of children. This includes adolescent wellbeing, child poverty, and the drivers of violence against children. Innocenti conducts research projects in collaboration with other UNICEF parts and external partners. It is also the focal point for multi-country research on the drivers of violence against children.

Innocenti also has an advisory capacity and works to foster real-time discourse on knowledge related to children. As part of the global UNICEF network, Innocenti is fully engaged with leading universities across all regions of the world. This includes studies on the effectiveness of cash transfer programs in Africa.

The Innocenti research centre has played a key role in shaping the way UNICEF operates, by fostering evidence-based policy making and action. Innocenti's mission is to build knowledge and evidence in order to guide key partners to implement policies that will make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children.

Innocenti's work has been instrumental in the evolution of UNICEF's human rights-based approach to development. Its most recent undertakings include a large-scale data collection project entitled Disrupting Harm, which aims to understand the experiences of children in relation to online sexual exploitation. It will conduct nationally representative household surveys in 14 countries. It will speak to more than one thousand children and caretakers in each country, and identify solutions to the problem.

The Innocenti Research Centre is a unique part of the UNICEF family. Its team of 40 is based in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy.