Press releases

5 October 2021 – Children and young people could feel the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and well-being for many years to come, UNICEF warned in its flagship report today.

Kabul, 5 October 2021 –Wrapping up a two-day visit to Herat, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, Hervé Ludovic De Lys, and WFP Afghanistan Representative and Country Director, Mary-Ellen McGroarty, sounded the alarm on the dire state of malnutrition and food insecurity sweeping across the country.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, 4 October 2021 – Over a month after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, about 70 per cent of all schools in the Southwestern part of the country are still either damaged or destroyed, UNICEF said.

1 October 2021 – “The Ethiopian Government’s decision to expel the UNICEF representative in the country – along with other members of the UN leadership team – is regrettable and alarming.

Geneva, 30 September 2021 - U.N agencies call on states to refrain from expelling Haitians without proper assessment of their individual protection needs, to uphold the fundamental human rights of Haitians on the move, and to offer protection mechanisms or other legal stay arrangements for more effective access to regular migration pathways.

DHAKA, 28 September 2021 – Twenty-six ultra-low temperature freezers delivered by UNICEF through COVAX in August are enabling Bangladesh to receive, store and distribute large quantities of COVID-19 vaccines that require ultra-cold storage.

London 23 September 2021 – Global leaders attending the Global COVID-19 Summit hosted by the United States have again underlined their commitment to ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries through COVAX – noting that equitable access is essential to end the acute stage of the pandemic.

NEW YORK/PORT-AU-PRINCE/MEXICO CITY, 23 September 2021 – According to UNICEF initial estimates, over 2 in 3 Haitian migrants who have been returned to Port-au-Prince are women and children. Some of them are newborn babies, with specific and immediate needs.

22 September 2021 - Joanna Rea, Director of Advocacy UNICEF UK says:   "The commitments made at today’s summit are welcome progress in global collaboration towards ending the COVID-19 pandemic for everyone. We now quickly need these pledges to become reality with immediate action in the days and months ahead.  

NEW YORK, 22 September 2021 – Children under the age of 2 are not getting the food or nutrients they need to thrive and grow well, leading to irreversible developmental harm, according to a new report released by UNICEF today.

NEW YORK, 21 September 2021 - UNICEF Executive Director remarks at the virtual Ministerial-Event on safeguarding the achievements of 20 years of international engagement in Afghanistan

NEW YORK/KABUL, 17 September 2021 – UNICEF welcomes news that secondary schools in Afghanistan will be open tomorrow after closing down for months due to COVID-19.“We are deeply worried, however, that many girls may not be allowed back at this time.“Girls cannot, and must not, be left behind. It is critical that all girls, including older girls, are able to resume their education without any further delays. For that, we need female teachers to resume teaching.

17 September 2021 – Schoolchildren around the world have lost an estimated 1.8 trillion hours – and counting – of in-person learning since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

16 September 2021 – Eighteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, schools for nearly 77 million students in six countries continue to be almost completely closed, according to an updated data analysis released today by UNICEF.

PORT-AU-PRINCE / PANAMA CITY, 15 September 2021 – One month after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake jolted southwest Haiti, an estimated 650,000 people, including 260,000 children, still need urgent humanitarian assistance, UNICEF warned today.

GENEVA, 13 September 2021 - “Children in Afghanistan have long suffered disproportionately from the humanitarian, security, social and economic crises that have plagued the country for decades. Their suffering is far from over and they need our help."

NIAMEY (Niger), 9 September 2021 – To mark the 5th Anniversary of the Safe Schools Declaration, on 28th May 2020 the UN General Assembly designated 9th September International Day to Protect Education from Attack. In Niger, UNICEF took this opportunity to call for greater attention and mobilization on the situation of children deprived from education due to insecurity while conflicts in affected regions become more brutal, intense and widespread over the past months.

9 September 2021 – School closures have led to alarming inequities in learning opportunities for children in South Asia, despite significant efforts by governments and partners to expand remote learning, according to UNICEF research conducted in India, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

NEW YORK, 7 September 2021 – “Since 14 August, hundreds of children have been separated from their families amidst chaotic conditions, including large-scale evacuations, in and around the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Some of these children were evacuated on flights to Germany, Qatar and other countries.

4th September 2021 - Soccer Aid for UNICEF on ITV raises record £13 million for children around the world