Press releases
75% of children with disabilities in Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia left out of inclusive, quality education - UNICEF
7 March 2019 – At least 75 per cent of the estimated 5.1 million children living with disabilities in Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia are excluded from quality, inclusive education, UNICEF said today.
Liverpool kicks off bid to become Unicef Child Friendly City
7 March 2019- Unicef UK has today launched an exciting new partnership with Liverpool City Council which aims to improve the lives of every child in the city.
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on deaths of five children in Yemen
2nd March 2019 – “In Yemen, children can no longer safely do the things that all children love to do – like go to school or spend time with their friends outside.
Statement from UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on the recent attacks against Ebola treatment centers in the DRC
NEW YORK, 28 February 2019 – Statement attributable to UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta H. Fore. “I am appalled by the latest violent attack against an Ebola treatment center that was providing care to children and families in Butembo, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)."
Global surge in measles cases is a growing threat to children
1 March 2019 – UNICEF warned today that global cases of measles are surging to alarmingly high levels, led by ten countries accounting for more than 74 per cent of the total increase, and several others that had previously been declared measles free.
School closures in the Sahel double in the last two years due to growing insecurity – UNICEF
28 February 2019 – Continued and growing insecurity in the Sahel region has forced nearly 2,000 schools in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to close or become non-operational, UNICEF said today. This marks a two-fold increase in the number of education facilities forcibly closed or left non-operational since 2017.
18 months after exodus from Myanmar, Rohingya children at a crossroads
27 February 2019 – Half a million Rohingya children are stateless refugees in the Cox’s Bazar area in southern Bangladesh, increasingly anxious about their futures, and vulnerable to frustration and despair.
No place for a child - death and despair haunt children in Rukban
27 February 2019 – “Despite repeated warnings, the deaths of children in Rukban, at the southwestern border of Syria with Jordan, continue to increase at an alarming rate. Since the beginning of the year, one child has died every five days.
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on the high-level pledging conference for Yemen
26 February 2019 – “I urge world leaders convening now for the pledging conference on Yemen to remember that the lives of Yemeni children depend on their support. Yemen is home to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and children are especially vulnerable."
The brutal war on children in Yemen continues unabated with 1.2 million children across the country facing active conflict every day
25 February 2019 – Statement from Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa: “In Yemen today, nearly 1.2 million children continue to live in 31 active conflict zones including Hudaydah, Taizz, Hajjah and Sa’da - in areas witnessing heavy, war-related violence.
Increasing number of people face severe food shortages in South Sudan
22 February 2019 - Nearly 7 million people in South Sudan could face acute food insecurity at the height of this lean season (May-July), three United Nations agencies warned today, urging for scaled-up humanitarian assistance and better access to humanitarian relief.
Redeployment agreement from Hudaydah welcome – calls to bring positive change for children
20 February 2019 – “UNICEF welcomes the recent agreement by parties to the conflict in Yemen to begin the mutual redeployment of forces from the port city of Hudaydah.
Central African Republic peace agreement brings hope to millions of children
18 February 2019 - Statement from Executive Director Henriette Fore following the announcement that a peace agreement for the Central African Republic has signed by the Government of the Central African Republic and other parties.
Thousands of children vaccinated in remote Rukban settlement amid severe lack of access to medical care
15 February 2019 - UNICEF-supported vaccinators were able to immunize thousands of children during a 9-day mission to the remote makeshift settlement in Rukban at the border with Jordan, home to more than 40,000 people – mostly women and children.
City leaders call on government to take action on air pollution at Clean Air Summit – Unicef UK responds
14 February 2019- At the #LoveCleanAir Summit today, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, city leaders and UK 100 will call on government to take urgent action on air pollution in the upcoming Environment Bill.
More than 3,000 children released from armed groups in South Sudan since conflict began, but thousands more continue to be used
12 February 2019 – One hundred and nineteen children were released by an armed group in South Sudan Tuesday, bringing the total number of those freed since the conflict began to more than 3,100. Forty-eight girls were among the group, with the youngest child being 10-years-old.
13.5 million children now uprooted in Africa - including those displaced by conflict, poverty and climate change
9 February 2019 – At least 13.5 million uprooted children in Africa – including those living as refugees, migrants or internally displaced – need strengthened national actions, and regional and international cooperation between states to uphold their rights, keep them safe and help them fulfil their potential.
Two children killed in the Gaza Strip
9 February 2019- UNICEF is deeply saddened by the killing of two children, aged 13 and 17 years old, shot yesterday in the Gaza Strip. The exact circumstances of their death are under verification. This brings the number of Palestinian children killed this year to four.
Over 160,000 displaced children protected from harsh winter in Iraq
7 February 2019 – As cold winter weather sweeps across Iraq, UNICEF has provided warm clothes to over 160,000 internally displaced and refugee children, including those in hard-to-reach areas such as Sinjar, where UNICEF has maintained a strong presence since violence escalated in 2013.
Child health experts warn air pollution is damaging children’s health
5 February 2019 - Child health experts across the UK are warning today that air pollution is damaging children’s health – and the public should be better informed so they can take action to protect themselves.