Press releases
UNICEF Statement on the deaths of 14 newborns following hospital fire in Islamabad, Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, 26 August 2026 – “UNICEF is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of at least 14 newborn lives following a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad today.
Children killed and injured in latest attacks across Ukraine as monthly child casualties reach four-year high
KABUL, 25 August 2026 – “Across Afghanistan, 3,7 million children are currently suffering from wasting – they are acutely malnourished, including around 1 million with life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.
Hospitals overwhelmed as child malnutrition surges across Afghanistan
KABUL, 25 August 2026 – “Across Afghanistan, 3,7 million children are currently suffering from wasting – they are acutely malnourished, including around 1 million with life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.
New SMART survey provides updated assessment of child and maternal nutrition in accessible areas of Gaza
MOGADISHU/NAIROBI, 21 Aug 2026 – “In Somalia today, aid cuts are closing doors to healthcare, shutting down nutrition services, and pushing water, education and protection further out of reach. As ever, children are paying the price.
Hundreds of health and nutrition facilities closed as Somalia’s child crisis deepens
MOGADISHU/NAIROBI, 21 Aug 2026 – “In Somalia today, aid cuts are closing doors to healthcare, shutting down nutrition services, and pushing water, education and protection further out of reach. As ever, children are paying the price.
Children account for half of suspected mpox cases in Guinea-Bissau
BISSAU/DAKAR, 20 August 2026 – Children under 15 account for half of all 46 suspected mpox cases in Guinea-Bissau. UNICEF is scaling up its support to the Ministry of Public Health in direct response to the country’s first-ever mpox outbreak.
UNICEF statement on the injury of 42 children in an explosion at a school in Afghanistan
NEW YORK, 19 August 2026 - "UNICEF is deeply distressed by the injury of 42 children aged 9 to 14 in an explosion at a school in Shahrak-e-Mahdia in Kabul.
More than 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied a secondary education since 2021 – UNICEF
NEW YORK, 14 August 2026 – More than 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied a secondary education in the five years since the de facto authorities took power, UNICEF said today. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is effectively closed to girls and women.
UNICEF support children and families affected by the earthquake in Chocó and Buenaventura, Colombia
NEW YORK, 11 August 2026 - "Mr President … Excellencies … thank you to Denmark for convening this important briefing. We meet as the situation facing children across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continues to deteriorate."
As Cholera spreads across borders in West and Central Africa, UNICEF calls for urgent action to protect millions of children
NEW YORK, 11 August 2026 - "Mr President … Excellencies … thank you to Denmark for convening this important briefing. We meet as the situation facing children across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continues to deteriorate."
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hannan Sulieman's remarks at the United Nations Security Council meeting on escalating violence in the West Bank
NEW YORK, 11 August 2026 - "Mr President … Excellencies … thank you to Denmark for convening this important briefing. We meet as the situation facing children across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continues to deteriorate."
The Clipper Race and UNICEF celebrate 10 years OF partnership with £2 million raised to help UNICEF protect childhood worldwide
PORTSMOUTH, 6th August 2026 – On Saturday July 25th, the Clipper Race crews completed the Clipper 2025-26 Race, marking a decade of partnership with leading child rights organisation, UNICEF, as a team and charity partner.
DR Congo: As Ebola child deaths pass 300, UNICEF warns outbreak also threatens essential health services
AMMAN, 6 August 2026 – At least 300 children have been reportedly killed in Gaza in the 300 days since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025. This amounts to an average of one child every day, despite an agreement for the suspension of military operations and the full entry of humanitarian aid and relief almost 10 months ago.
At least 300 children reportedly killed in Gaza in past 300 days
AMMAN, 6 August 2026 – At least 300 children have been reportedly killed in Gaza in the 300 days since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025. This amounts to an average of one child every day, despite an agreement for the suspension of military operations and the full entry of humanitarian aid and relief almost 10 months ago.
UNICEF statement on children reportedly killed and injured in attacks in the Russian Federation and Ukraine
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 4 August 2026 "Over the past several days, children have again been killed and injured in attacks in the Russian Federation and across Ukraine.
Statement by UNICEF Acting Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Abdul Fofana, as child casualties in Iran reportedly exceed 2,500 amid ongoing war
AMMAN, 31 July 2026 – “As war reverberates in Iran and neighboring countries, children continue to be killed and maimed in the places where they should be safest – their homes, schools and communities.
At least 23 children reportedly killed and 25 injured in Sudan’s conflict-afflicted North Kordofan in past two months
NEW YORK/NAIROBI/KHARTOUM, 28 July 2026 – At least 23 children have reportedly been killed, with a further 25 reportedly injured in North Kordofan in the two months since the conflict intensified around Al Obeid in late May.
Thousands of children continue to face multiple risks one month after devastating earthquakes in Venezuela
CARACAS/PANAMA CITY/NEW YORK, 24 July 2026 – One month after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela’s north-central coast, children and families continue to face the lasting impacts of displacement, damaged infrastructure and disruption to essential services.
Food security and child nutrition crises persist in Gaza despite fragile gains due to increased humanitarian assistance and commercial traffic
ROME/NEW YORK, 23 July 2026 – New analysis released today shows improvements in food security and child nutrition across the Gaza Strip. However, the United Nations cautioned that the progress, driven largely by expanded access to humanitarian food, nutrition, agricultural and health assistance, remains fragile.
Drone attack on Ar Rahad market, North Kordofan, kills and injures children
KHARTOUM, 21 July 2026 – “A drone attack on a market in Ar Rahad, North Kordofan, yesterday, reportedly killed at least two children and injured six others, aged between six and 14. Four adults were also reportedly killed and more than 20 people injured.