Country profiles

Haiti Haiti became the world's first independent Caribbean country when it ended French colonial rule ended in the early 19th century. However, in recent decades poverty, conflict and instability have left it the poorest nation in the Americas. The 2010 earthquake has made matters even worse. 

Ivory Coast UNICEF works in Ivory Coast to deliver vital health, education and water and sanitation programmes, such as vaccination campaigns, treatment for malnutrition and delivering school-in-a-box kits so children can continue their education. 

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan became an independent country after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It is a Central Asian state bordering China. Poverty is widespread through out the country and ethnic divisions between north and south occasionally spill over into violence. 

Niger A large country on the edge of the Sahara desert, Niger has been ruled by the military for most of the time since independence. The UN rates it as one of the world's least-developed nations. The country is prone to droughts and sometimes struggles to feed its population. 

Pakistan The Muslim-majority state of Pakistan was created from the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947. Since then, it has faced both domestic upheaval and regional confrontation. In 2010, severe flooding affected over 20 million people in Pakistan, around half of them children. 

Occupied Palestinian Territories Palestinians in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, have lived under Israeli occupation since 1967. Israel evacuated settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip in 2005, ending almost four decades of military occupation. However, it has since imposed an economic blockade of the strip. 

Philippines Since the end of World War II, the Philippines has gone from being one of the richest countries in Asia to one of the poorest. A long-running conflict in the south, regular natural disasters and high population growth have all contributed to this trend. 

Somalia Somalia is currently a 'failed state', without an effective government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Years of fighting between rival warlords, along with with famine and disease, have caused the deaths of up to one million people. 

South Sudan On July 9, South Sudan will become independent from the north, part of a 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end the 20-year-long war between the two regions, which has claimed over two million lives.