Press releases
Statement in response to the Food Foundation report on family food insecurity ...
The Government must urgently adopt a more coordinated approach to address this food crisis and resolve the increasing challenges facing children during the pandemic.
Despite Coronavirus pandemic, routine vaccination of children continues across the Middle East and North Africa
April 2020 – Despite the Coronavirus outbreak, most countries in the Middle East and North Africa continue with routine immunization for children while applying strict precautionary health measures.
UNICEF Palais Briefing Note – UNICEF calls for support to unlock massive backlog in vaccine shipments
1st May – UNICEF is calling for support to unlock a massive backlog in vaccine shipments due to unprecedented logistical constraints related to COVID-19 mitigation measures including lockdowns in some countries.
New guidelines provide roadmap for safe reopening of schools
The guidelines offer practical advice for national and local authorities on how to keep children safe when they return to school. The best interests of children and overall public health considerations – based on an assessment of the associated benefits and risks to education, public health and socio-economic factors – must be central to national and local authorities’ decisions to reopen schools, the guidelines say.
Greta Thunberg and NGO Human Act launch a child rights driven coronavirus campaign for UNICEF
30 April 2020 - Climate activist calls on young people to encourage others to support UNICEF’s vital work to save children’s lives
Statement from Sacha Deshmukh, Executive Director of Unicef UK
29 April 2020 - Responding to today’s news that the UK government have pledged further funding to GAVI, the vaccine alliance, to protect up to 75 million children against deadly diseases.
Futures of 370 million children in jeopardy as school closures deprive them of school meals – UNICEF and WFP
29 April 2020 – As the Coronavirus crisis pushes up levels of hunger among the global poor, the World Food Programme and UNICEF are urging national governments to prevent devastating nutrition and health consequences for the 370 million children missing out on school meals amid school closures.
Coronavirus and flooding put five million children at risk of Cholera in Yemen
29 April 2020 – Over five million children under the age of five in Yemen are facing a heightened threat of cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) as the country continues to experience increased heavy rains since mid-April.
Over 13 million children globally did not receive vaccines – even before Coronavirus disrupted immunisation – UNICEF
25 April 2020 - Mass measles immunisation campaigns suspended in 25 countries due to pandemic UK sees dramatic fall in measles vaccination rates, now ranking third worst among high income countries
Thousands of Pacific Island children at risk in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Harold
24 April 2020 – Thousands of children living in the Pacific Islands remain in urgent need in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Harold, a category five cyclone that tore through Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga causing widespread destruction to homes, schools, medical clinics, as well as damaging food crops and water supplies.
Global Report on Food Crises reveals scope of food crises as COVID-19 poses new risks to vulnerable countries
21 April 2020 – Today an international alliance of UN, governmental, and nongovernmental agencies working to address the root causes of extreme hunger have released a new edition of their annual Global Report on Food Crises.
As Coronavirus pandemic continues, forcibly displaced children need more support than ever
20 April 2020 – “Millions of children around the world have been driven from their homes and across borders by conflict, violence and other forms of harm – including 12.7 million refugees and 1.1 million asylum seekers.
UNICEF and Microsoft launch global learning platform to help address COVID-19 education crisis
20 April 2020 –UNICEF and Microsoft Corp. today announced the expansion of a global learning platform to help children and youth affected by COVID-19 continue their education at home.
Between a rock and a hard place: COVID-19 doubles the burden for millions of children in the Middle East and North Africa Region
20 April 2020 – The Coronavirus outbreak continues to spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa region with over 105,419 cases and 5,699 associated deaths.
Coronavirus: Global ceasefire would be a gamechanger for 250 million children living in conflict-affected areas
17 April 2020 - Statement by UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore
UN agencies welcome first relocation of unaccompanied children from Greece
15 April, 2020 – IOM, the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund today welcomed the relocation of 12 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children from Greece to Luxembourg.
Children in detention are at heightened risk of contracting COVID-19 and should be released
13th April 2020 - Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore