Press releases
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.
UNICEF appeals for $1.4 billion to ramp up preparedness and response to avert a humanitarian crisis
NAIROBI, 19 December 2023 - UNICEF is sounding the alarm on a looming climate-induced humanitarian crisis in Eastern and Southern Africa where the lives of 45 million children are at risk of poor health, malnutrition, displacement and learning loss.
Escalation of attacks on infrastructure leaves Ukraine’s children without sustained access to water and heating, threatening safety and survival as temperatures plummet
GENEVA/KYIV, 18 December 2023 – “Yet again, as winter continues to take hold, we are witnessing an escalation of attacks on infrastructure across Ukraine, with particularly unrelenting bombardment in the east and south of the country.
Measles cases in Europe and Central Asia skyrocket by 3000 per cent this year compared to last
GENEVA, 14 December 2023 – There have been 30,601 confirmed cases of measles in Europe and Central Asia between January and 5 December 2023, up from 909 throughout 2022, marking a 3266 per cent increase in cases of the vaccine-preventable disease, warns UNICEF.
UNICEF appeals for US$9.3 billion emergency funding for children living through conflicts and crises in an increasingly hostile world
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 12 December 2023 – In response to an alarming surge in the number of children facing unprecedented humanitarian crises worldwide, UNICEF launched today a US$9.3 billion emergency funding appeal to reach at least 93.7 million children in 155 countries.
Children and families at risk after 6.4-magnitude earthquake hits western Nepal
KATHMANDU, 4 November 2023 – “We are deeply saddened by the devastating impact of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Karnali and Lumbini provinces in western Nepal at 11:47 p.m. on Friday 3 November.
Women and newborns bearing the brunt of the conflict in Gaza, UN agencies warn
East Jerusalem, 4 November 2023 - Women, children and newborns in Gaza are disproportionately bearing the burden of the escalation of hostilities in the occupied Palestinian territory, both as casualties and in reduced access to health services, warn the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the deaths and injuries of children at Al Ahli Hospital
New York, 17 October 2023 – “I am horrified by the reported deaths and injuries of children and women following an attack on the Al Ahli Hospital in the Gaza Strip this evening. While details are still emerging and bodies are still being counted, the scenes on the ground are devastating.
Time is running out for children in Gaza — UNICEF
NEW YORK, 13 October 2023 – Hundreds of thousands of children and their families have started fleeing northern Gaza today ahead of imminent larger-scale attacks. It follows days of bombardments of Gaza after the brutal attacks of 7 October. Nearly a week into the war, hundreds of children have been reportedly killed, and thousands more reportedly injured.
Gaza's Children Pay the Heaviest Price, with Hundreds Dead
GENEVA, 13 October 2023 – “Hundreds & hundreds of children have been killed and injured. Every hour in Gaza the number of children killed rises. The killing of children must stop.
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child calls on states to take action in first guidance on children's rights and the environment, with a focus on climate change
For the first time, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has explicitly affirmed the children’s right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, issuing comprehensive interpretation of Member States’ obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
More than two million children displaced by brutal conflict in Sudan as violence spreads to new areas
PORT SUDAN, 24 August 2023 – “With over two million children uprooted by the conflict in only a few months, and countless more trapped in its merciless grip, the urgency of our collective response cannot be overstated”
Statement by UNICEF Representative in Niger Stefano Savi on severe impact of ongoing crisis on millions of vulnerable children
NIAMEY, 19 August 2023 – “The crisis unfolding in the Republic of Niger continues to pose an even greater danger for millions of vulnerable children in the country.
"Time and time again" children's lives being cut short by attacks in Ukraine
GENEVA/KYIV, 19 August 2023 - “Today’s horrific attack on a civilian area in Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine, has reportedly killed a six-year-old child and injured at least 12 other children.