Eli Lilly and Company and UNICEF USA have announced a sweeping six-year partnership aimed at reshaping how children in low- and middle-income countries are protected from non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

 

The target reach is of more than 30 million young people and caregivers across 21 countries.

 

The initiative, unveiled on May 14, 2026, comes as Lilly marks its 150th anniversary and includes a $50 million commitment to UNICEF USA. 

 

The funding will help strengthen primary health systems to prevent, detect, and manage childhood NCDs such as diabetes, congenital heart disease, sickle cell disease, and respiratory illness. It also targets children living with overweight and obesity, aiming to reduce long-term health risks that often persist into adulthood.

 

UNICEF says the partnership will focus on embedding prevention and care into routine health services, training frontline health workers, improving early diagnosis, and expanding access to long-term care closer to communities rather than distant hospitals.

 

The program will run from 2026 to 2032 and builds on what UNICEF describes as a model that has moved from small pilots into a multi-country system integrated into national health infrastructure.

 

"Millions of children are deprived of the building blocks necessary for lifelong health due to Non-communicable disease risk factors established early in life," said Kitty van der Heijden, Deputy Executive Director, Partnerships, UNICEF. 

 

"Our collaboration with Lilly is leading the way to ensure children get a healthy future in life and demonstrates the impact of the private sector to drive results at scale."

 

The urgency behind the initiative is stark: NCDs are rising rapidly among children and adolescents worldwide, with low- and middle-income countries accounting for 82 percent of premature deaths linked to these conditions, according to cited figures.

 

Health systems in many of these regions remain under strain, with limited access to nutrition, preventive care, and early diagnosis. UNICEF warns that without intervention, children face lifelong health consequences from conditions that could be managed or prevented if caught early.

 

"Every child, everywhere, deserves a healthy future. That begins with working to strengthen healthcare systems in resource-limited settings to halt the rise of NCDs," said Patrik Jonsson, Executive Vice President and President of Lilly International. 

 

"Throughout our 150-year history, we've stayed focused on the disease areas that could have the biggest impact on humanity, including diabetes, and our impact extends beyond our medicines. Through our collaboration with UNICEF, we aim to improve global health through NCD prevention and care, helping change the health trajectory for millions of children and adolescents from their earliest years."

 

Lilly says the initiative builds on its broader global access strategy, including its “30x30” goal to improve healthcare access for 30 million people annually in resource-limited settings by 2030—a milestone the company says it already surpassed in 2025.

 

Since 2022, Lilly’s support for UNICEF USA has helped reach nearly 16 million children and caregivers with essential services, awareness campaigns, and strengthened health systems focused on childhood NCDs.

 

The collaboration now seeks to scale that impact dramatically—shifting from targeted programs to system-wide change across multiple countries, with children’s long-term health outcomes at the center of the effort.