Press releases

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."

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. 

“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. 

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.  

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 18 March 2026 – An estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to new estimates released today. Most of these deaths are preventable with proven, low-cost interventions and access to quality health care.

AMMAN, 17 March 2026 – “Violence has again claimed the lives of Palestinian children in the West Bank. On 14 March, two siblings, aged 5 and 7, were shot and killed by Israeli forces in the town of Tammun in the West Bank alongside their parents inside their car.

LONDON, 17 March 2025 – UNICEF UK has released its latest pay gap report, with the charity reporting a reduction in pay gaps across gender, ethnicity, disability and LGBTQIA+. For the first time, the report also looks at data on socio-economic background.

PORT SUDAN, 12 March 2025 – Reported drone attacks struck a secondary school and a primary healthcare centre in Shukairi village in White Nile State, Sudan, yesterday morning. At least eight students, four of them under the age of 18, and a health worker were killed. Many more were injured, and the schools in the locality have been closed as a result.

NEW YORK, 11 March 2026 – “Ten days into the intensifying conflict in the Middle East, the situation is becoming catastrophic for millions of children across the region. Since 28 February, more than 1,100 children have been reported injured or killed in the violence. This includes 200 children reportedly killed in Iran, 91 in Lebanon, four in Israel and one in Kuwait. These numbers will likely climb as the violence intensifies and spreads.

NEW YORK, 11 March 2026 – “UNICEF is devastated and outraged that our colleague Karine Buisset was killed in a reported drone strike on a building housing aid workers in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

ISLAM QALA/AFGHANISTAN/GENEVA, 10 March 2026 – “The impact of escalating conflict in the Middle East is creating immediate risks for children across borders. Right now, in Afghanistan, families are arriving at the Islam Qala and other crossings coming from Iran, many distressed after an unexpected journey and uncertain about what lies ahead as they return to their homeland. For UNICEF, the central concern is simple: what this means for children.

AMMAN, 9 March 2026 – “The continuous escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and the devastating toll it is taking on children are gravely concerning. 

AMMAN, 5 March 2026 — “UNICEF is deeply concerned about the deadly impact the ongoing military escalation in Iran is having on children. Approximately 180 children have reportedly been killed and many more injured.

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“UNICEF is alarmed by reports that children have been killed and injured in the recent escalation of hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“UNICEF is deeply concerned by reports of strikes in Iran and across the region, illustrating the grave danger for children. There are reports of schools being struck in Iran, including a girls’ school in Minab in Hormozgan province in southern Iran. Scores of students are reportedly killed and many others injured. 

"UNICEF is deeply alarmed by new reports that at least five children have been killed and three others injured in deadly airstrikes that hit Ponnagyun Township, Rakhine State, and Myinmu Township, Sagaing region between 23 and 24 February.

This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Chief of Communication in the State of Palestine Jonathan Crickx – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Muzoon Almellehan – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

UNICEF is deeply concerned by the reports that children arrested in connection with the recent public unrest in Iran remain in detention.