Press releases
Olympic legend Sir Mo Farah preps Sam Thompson for epic endurance challenge in ‘Match Ball Mission’ for Soccer Aid for UNICEF
TV, radio and podcast host Sam Thompson has teamed up with Olympic gold medallist and Soccer Aid for UNICEF stalwart Sir Mo Farah ahead of his ‘Match Ball Mission’ for Soccer Aid for UNICEF.
Children’s wellbeing in world’s wealthiest countries took sharp turn for the worse in wake of COVID-19 pandemic
LONDON/FLORENCE, 14 May 2025 – Children in many of the world’s wealthiest countries saw marked declines in their academic performance, mental wellbeing, and physical health in the period since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to analysis published today by UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight. UK joint second to last for teenage life satisfaction
THE CLIPPER RACE AND UNICEF MARK A DECADE OF PARTNERSHIP, TO CHAMPION A BETTER WORLD FOR CHILDREN
06 May 2025 – Today, the leading child rights organisation, UNICEF, was announced as a Team and Charity Partner of the Clipper Race once again. The announcement came ahead of the 2025-26 race season, and marks a decade of commitment from the global yacht race to advancing child rights globally.
At least one million children facing emergency levels of food insecurity in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE/ NEW YORK, 17 APRIL 2025 – Over one million children are facing critical levels of food insecurity in Haiti, UNICEF estimates. Persistent armed violence, repeated displacement, and lack of sufficient humanitarian access continue to threaten vulnerable families – while the risk of famine looms.
At least 23 children and 9 aid workers reportedly killed in Al Fasher, Abu Shouk and Zamzam camps in North Darfur, Sudan
12 April 2025 – “Dozens of civilians, including at least 23 children, and several aid workers have reportedly been killed in North Darfur over the past few days.
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Millie Bobby Brown meets adolescent girls in Brazil and champions their rights
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Millie Bobby Brown met adolescent girls and young children while in São Paulo, Brazil, this week, to hear about their lives, the challenges they face, and how they are pursuing their dreams.
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the attacks in Gaza
“Reports and images emerging from the Gaza Strip following today’s attacks are beyond horrifying. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed, including more than 130 children, representing the largest single-day child death toll in the last year.
Palestinian children remain deprived of the most essential supplies and services
I have just concluded a four-day mission to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The situation is extremely concerning.
Tens of thousands of families displaced by fighting in DR Congo’s South Kivu as UNICEF scales up humanitarian response
The resurgence of conflict in the province of South Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has forced more than 850,000 people—nearly half of them children—to flee their homes. Many are living in precarious conditions, taking shelter in schools, churches, or in the open, with limited access to clean water and sanitation, healthcare, and education.
European Region reports highest number of measles cases in more than 25 years – UNICEF, WHO/Europe
GENEVA/COPENHAGEN, 13 March 2025 – 127,350 measles cases were reported in the European Region in 2024, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997, according to an analysis by WHO and UNICEF.
Geneva Palais briefing note: Malnutrition tightening its grip on children in Rohingya refugee Camps
DHAKA/GENEVA, 11 March 2025 – “Children in the world’s largest refugee camp are experiencing the worst levels of malnutrition since the massive displacement that occurred in 2017.
27 per cent surge in number of children admitted for severe acute malnutrition treatment in Rohingya refugee camps – UNICEF
DHAKA/COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, 11 March 2025 – The number of children needing emergency treatment for severe acute malnutrition in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh has surged by 27 per cent in February 2025 compared to the same period last year, as worsening conditions push more young children into life-threatening hunger.
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on global foreign aid reductions
NEW YORK, 5 March 2025 – “Announced and anticipated funding cuts will limit UNICEF’s ability to reach millions of children in dire need.
Children as young as one reported among survivors of rape during Sudan’s violent conflict – UNICEF
NEW YORK, 4 March 2025 – Armed men are raping and sexually assaulting children, including infants as young as one, amid the nationwide conflict rippling across Sudan.
UNICEF UK welcomes the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the UK
London, 3 March 2025 - The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) welcomes the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the UK, published today.
UNICEF reaches 364,000 children daily in Goma with clean water and sanitation after escalation in DR Congo conflict
GOMA, DR Congo, 3 March 2025 – UNICEF and its partners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are providing life-saving clean water supplies to 700,000 people a day – around 364,000 children – in the main eastern city of Goma after breaks in the water supply during fighting.
With stoppage of humanitarian aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip, UNICEF warns of severe consequences for children and families in desperate need
NEW YORK / AMMAN, 3 March 2025 – UNICEF is warning that the stoppage of aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip will quickly lead to devastating consequences for children and families across Gaza who are struggling to survive.
UNICEF Geneva Palais Briefing remarks on the impact of the attacks in Lebanon on children
GENEVA/BEIRUT, 28 February 2024 – “I am speaking to you this morning from Beirut to share alarming findings of the new UNICEF survey we conducted in January 2025, after more than a year of war and bombardment.
Education under attack in Haiti
GENEVA, 28 February 2025 – “In just one month, January this year, armed groups destroyed 47 schools in Haiti’s capital. With 284 schools destroyed in 2024, the relentless attacks on education are accelerating, leaving hundreds of thousands of children without a place to learn.