Press releases
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the situation in Haiti
NEW YORK, 6 March 2024 – “As violence and lawlessness in Haiti reaches a new and terrifying level, the resolve of the international community and local stakeholders to protect and supprt the Haitian people must be strengthened. “Haiti has been gripped by consecutive years of horrific violence, which in the last few days has been marked by an unprecedented level of lawlessness, human rights abuses, kidnappings, and a total disregard for the lives and wellbeing of children and their families and the essential services they rely on."
Statement by UNICEF in Zambia on the situation of children following the recent emergency declaration
Statement by Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa as malnutrition ravages the Gaza Strip. Children in Zambia have been facing multiple challenges over the past few months. The country has been trying to curb a devastating cholera outbreak since October 2023, and now a drought, resulting from the impact of El Niño on the country which is “the worst of its kind,” as it has been defined by the President of the Republic, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, leading to increased vulnerabilities for families and communities.
Statement by Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa
Statement by Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa as malnutrition ravages the Gaza Strip.
El Niño-driven drought, floods, disease outbreaks and internal conflicts threatening the lives of children in Ethiopia
During a five-day visit to Ethiopia, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Ted Chaiban, urged the international community to immediately scale up their support for children and families to avert a deepening humanitarian catastrophe throughout the country.
Frontline children: battling mental trauma, underground
Kyiv, 23 February 2024 – “UNICEF estimates that over the past two years of war, children in cities in Ukraine’s frontline areas have been forced to spend between 3,000 and 5,000 hours – equivalent to between four to seven months – sheltering underground.
Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee: Civilians in Gaza in extreme peril while the world watches on
21 February 2024 – In the less than five months that followed the brutal 7 October attacks and the ensuing escalation, tens of thousands of Palestinians – mostly women and children – have been killed and injured in the Gaza Strip. More than three quarters of the population have been forced from their homes, many multiple times, and face severe shortages of food, water, sanitation and healthcare – the basic necessities to survive.
Children’s lives threatened by rising malnutrition in the Gaza Strip
19 February 2024 – A steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza Strip poses grave threats to their health, according to a comprehensive new analysis released by the Global Nutrition Cluster.
68,000 children affected by Nepal earthquake still need urgent assistance - UNICEF
KATHMANDU, Nepal, 11 February 2024 – 100 days after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Nepal on 3 November 2023, UNICEF is calling for continued support for 68,000 children and their families in the affected areas and appealing for US$14.7 million in funding to help rebuild the lives of the affected children.
Three hundred days of atrocities against the children of Sudan
Three hundred days of atrocities against the children of Sudan
Stories of loss and grief: At least 17,000 children are estimated to be unaccompanied or separated from their parents in the Gaza Strip
GENEVA, 2 February 2023 – UNICEF estimates that at least 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip are unaccompanied or separated. Each one, a heartbreaking story of loss and grief.
Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, We cannot abandon the people of Gaza
NEW YORK, 30 January 2024 – The allegations of involvement of several UNRWA staff in the heinous attacks on Israel on 7 October are horrifying. As the Secretary-General has said, any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable. However, we must not prevent an entire organization from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need.
At least 170,000 children displaced amid escalating violence in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE/NEW YORK, January 29, 2024 –The surge in armed violence across Haiti has triggered a profound humanitarian crisis, with the number of internally displaced children soaring to 170,000.
Born into hell
GENEVA, 19 January 2024 – “In the 105 days of this escalation in the Gaza Strip, nearly 20,000 babies have been born into war. That’s a baby born into this horrendous war every 10 minutes.
Nearly half a million children in Europe and Central Asia live in residential care facilities
GENEVA, 18 January 2024 – Nearly half a million children – or 456,000 – across Europe and Central Asia live in residential care facilities, including large-scale institutions, according to a new report published today by UNICEF.
Ecuador: Homicide rate among children and adolescents soars 640 per cent in four years - UNICEF
PANAMA CITY/NEW YORK, 12 January 2024 – At least 770 child and adolescent homicides were recorded in Ecuador in 2023, a drastic increase of 640 percent from 104 cases in 2019, according to the latest estimates by the local Ministry of Interior.
As cholera cases continue to rise in parts of Southern Africa, UNICEF calls for increased focus on children in the cholera response
ROME, GENEVA, NEW YORK, 15 January 2024 – As the risk of famine grows, and more people are exposed to deadly disease outbreaks, a fundamental step change in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza is urgently needed, United Nations agencies warned today.
PREVENTING FAMINE AND DEADLY DISEASE OUTBREAKS IN GAZA REQUIRES FASTER, SAFER AID ACCESS AND MORE SUPPLY ROUTES
ROME, GENEVA, NEW YORK, 15 January 2024 – As the risk of famine grows, and more people are exposed to deadly disease outbreaks, a fundamental step change in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza is urgently needed, United Nations agencies warned today.
Children in Gaza still at the sharp end of unrelenting war
GENEVA, 12 January 2024 – “After almost 100 days of violence, killing, bombardment and captivity for children in Gaza, all the suffering has been too much.
Gaza: The World’s Most Dangerous Place to be a Child
“The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. And day after day, that brutal reality is reinforced. “Over the past 48 hours, the largest remaining fully functioning hospital was shelled, twice. That hospital – Al Nasser in Khan Yunis – not only shelters large numbers of children who had already been badly injured in attacks on their homes, but hundreds of women and children seeking safety
Alex Brooker becomes UNICEF UK High Profile Support making commitment to children's rights
London, Tuesday 19 December: TV presenter and comedian, Alex Brooker has been made a UNICEF UK High Profile Supporter, recognising his unwavering support to the charity and commitment to protecting the rights of children around the world.