Press releases
Coronavirus: UNICEF warns of continued damage to learning and well-being as number of children affected by school closures soars again
8 December 2020 - UNICEF calls on governments to prioritize the reopening of schools.
Coronavirus Vaccine: UNICEF reminds the world that ‘the light at the end of the tunnel needs to shine for all’
4th December 2020 - Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on occasion of UN General Assembly Special Session on COVID-19.
Window to prevent famine in Yemen is narrowing, UN agencies warn
3 December 2020 – The window to prevent famine in Yemen is narrowing as new figures reveal record highs of acute food insecurity in the country, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warned today.
UNICEF issues largest-ever emergency funding appeal to reach more than 190 million children impacted by humanitarian crises and the Coronavirus pandemic
3 December 2020 – UNICEF today issued its largest ever emergency funding appeal for US$6.4 billion (£4.7 billion GBP) to reach 300 million people, including more than 190 million children, with essential support and services through the end of 2021.
11 children killed in Yemen in the past three days
2 December 2020 – “11 children were reportedly killed in the past three days in Yemen in two separate attacks. Verification is still ongoing, and the actual number of casualties may be higher. The attacks took place in the village of Ad Durayhimi in Al Hudaydah governorate and in Tai’z in the south west, where there are active frontlines."
Two thirds of the world’s school-age children have no internet access at home, new UNICEF-ITU report says
1 December 2020 – Two thirds of the world’s school-age children – or 1.3 billion children aged 3 to 17 years old – do not have internet connection in their homes, according to a new joint report from UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
UK AND FRENCH GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT ON CHANNEL CROSSINGS: JOINT STATEMENT FROM UNICEF UK AND UNICEF FRANCE
30th November 2020 - Joint statement from Unicef UK and Unicef France.
Scottish Government grants £2million to UNICEF programmes – Unicef Scotland responds
27th November 2020 - Statement from Lucinda Rivers, Head of UNICEF Scotland.
Comment on the UK Government announcement to legislate on cuts to foreign aid
“It’s deeply disappointing to learn today that the Government is seeking to introduce legislation which will cut the foreign aid budget with no clear plan on when the 0.7% promise will resume.
Threat of further escalation in Mekelle, Ethiopia, puts children’s lives at risk
25 November 2020 - “UNICEF urges parties to the conflict in Ethiopia to spare children from the impact of hostilities in the Tigray region, now in their third week.
Unicef UK response to the Government’s Spending Review announcement that 0.7% ODA will be temporarily reduced to 0.5%
25th November 2020 - Statement from Unicef UK’s Director of Advocacy, Joanna Rea, on the Government’s Spending Review announcement that 0.7% ODA will be temporarily reduced to 0.5%.
UNICEF UK joins forces with Sustain and local community groups to feed vulnerable UK families this winter
24 November 2020 – Unicef UK announces new round of grants to support children and families at risk of food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic.
Millions of children’s lives at high risk as Yemen inches towards famine
23 November 2020 - Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore
UNICEF, global airlines and freight providers to plan delivery of coronavirus vaccines
UNICEF is working with major global airlines and freight providers to step up efforts to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to over 92 countries around the world as soon as vaccines become available.
Geneva Palais briefing note on the situation of Ethiopian children fleeing into Sudan and UNICEF’s response
20 November 2020 - This is a summary of what was said by Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Sudan – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
New data shows profound impact of Coronavirus on children in the Middle East and North Africa
UNICEF and partners reached out to around 7,000 households in seven countries, covering nearly 13,000 children. According to the surveys, almost all families stated that their children were negatively impacted by the pandemic.
2.3 million children in Tigray region of Ethiopia need humanitarian assistance, as thousands flee across border into Sudan
19th November 2020 - Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore
CHILDREN AND CELEBRITIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD UNITE IN CONVERSATION FOR WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY
Friday 13 November – Children and young people from the UK and around the world are set to join in virtual conversations with some of the world’s biggest celebrities in celebration of Unicef UK’s World Children’s Day, a day for children, by children on Friday 20 November.
Worldwide measles deaths climb 50% from 2016 to 2019 claiming over 207,500 lives in 2019
Measles surged worldwide in 2019 reaching highest number of reported cases in 23 years. Highlighted in a publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles cases worldwide increased to 869,770 in 2019, the highest number reported since 1996 with increases in all WHO regions. Global measles deaths climbed nearly 50 percent since 2016, claiming an estimated 207,500 lives in 2019 alone.