Press releases
UNICEF Statement on hostilities in the Middle East
NEW YORK, 7 April 2026 – “Children in Iran and across the region are exposed to physical harm and psychological distress, alongside attacks and rising threats to the essential infrastructure upon which their survival depends.
Humanitarian crisis for children deepens after one month of war in the Middle East
More than one month into the military escalation in the Middle East, conflict continues to exact a devastating toll on children across the region. More than 340 children have reportedly been killed and thousands injured.
An average of 19,000 children displaced daily as escalating violence uproots 20 per cent of Lebanon's population in three weeks
BEIRUT, 27 March 2026 – “In just three weeks, more than 370,000 children have been forced out of their homes in Lebanon, an average of at least 19,000 girls and boys displaced every single day. To grasp the scale, this is the equivalent of hundreds of school buses filled with children fleeing for their lives every 24 hours.
UNICEF Chief calls for urgent global support as children in Somalia face worsening malnutrition
MOGADISHU/NEW YORK, 26 March 2026 – Nearly 2 million children across Somalia are at risk of acute malnutrition, reflecting a deteriorating situation as multiple crises continue to converge, warned UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell at the end of her mission to the country.
UNICEF UK responds to the UK Government’s Household Below Average Income Report
Dr Philip Goodwin, Chief Executive Officer of The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) said: “It’s critical to remember that behind today’s figures are real children and families going without essentials, falling behind their peers, and making impossible choices just to get by."
Remarks by UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Ted Chaiban, at the UN Secretary General Spokesperson’s noon briefing: Across the Middle East, a generation of children is being pulled deeper into crisis
NEW YORK, 23 March 2026 – “Twenty-three days into the escalating conflict in the Middle East, children across the region are paying a devastating price. A further descent into a wider or protracted conflict would be catastrophic for millions more.
UNICEF UK reaction to UK Government announcement of aid allocations
“The UK Government’s decision to cut the aid budget was always going to result in a deadly reality for some of the world’s most vulnerable children. UNICEF UK has repeatedly called for the world’s children to be protected from these cuts and the consequences of these decisions.
UNICEF UK statement ahead of UK Government announcement of aid allocations
As we await the announcement of how the hugely reduced aid budget will be allocated, our message is clear – the world’s children must be protected from these cuts.