Press releases

EAST JERUSALEM/AMMAN/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 19 February 2024 - The emergency polio outbreak response in the Gaza Strip is continuing, with a mass vaccination campaign scheduled from 22 to 26 February 2025. The novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) will be administered to over 591,000 children under 10 years of age to protect them from polio. This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the environment putting children at risk.

13 February 2025 - Statement by UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, highlights how children in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are increasingly exposed to sexual violence, abduction and recruitment.

NEW YORK/AMMAN/PORT SUDAN, 28 January 2025 – At least one girl and three boys were reportedly killed and three boys injured in an attack on the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, in Sudan’s North Darfur, that took place on Friday. In an illustration of the relentless dangers that children face, the children were among the patients receiving care in the hospital’s emergency ward, being treated for injuries resulting from previous bombings in the area.

London 24th January – To mark the International Day of Education, today UNICEF UK is announcing that since 2017 the charity has received £20 million thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, supporting education in emergencies programmes around the world.

NEW YORK, 24 January 2025 – At least 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024, including heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods, and droughts, exacerbating an existing learning crisis, according to a new UNICEF analysis released today.

DAMASCUS, 23 January 2025 – “During my five-day visit to Syria, I engaged with the Caretaker Authorities, communities, UN country team, partners, parents, and children in Damascus, Aleppo, and Idleb.

15 January 2024 - Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the announcement of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip

AMMAN, 26 December 2024 – “In the final days of the year, there seems to be no end in sight to the deadly threats to children in Gaza. Over the past three days, at least eleven children have reportedly been killed in attacks. Now, we are also witnessing children dying from the cold and a lack of adequate shelter.

PORT VILA, Vanuatu, 18 December 2024 – An estimated 40,000 children are in need of humanitarian assistance after a devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Vanuatu on December 17, followed by several major aftershocks.

DAMASCUS, 17 December 2024 - “Today, I concluded my visit to Damascus, Homs, Hama, Aleppo and Idlib where I witnessed the dire situation for Syria’s children. After 14 years of war, millions of children have known nothing but conflict, forcing them to grow up far too quickly. Yet there is hope and an opportunity for a better future.

MAPUTO/NEW YORK, 17 December 2024 – Heavy winds and rainfall from Cyclone Chido have damaged or destroyed over 35,000 homes and affected more than 90,000 children across Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique, after the storm made landfall on Sunday.

NEW YORK, 13 December 2024 – “Yesterday, in yet another devastating attack on Nuseirat camp, in central Gaza, 33 people were reportedly killed – including at least eight children – and 50 wounded by airstrikes. The latest violence adds to a staggering figure of more than 160 children reportedly killed in Gaza in a little over a month. That is an average of four children every day since the beginning of November.  

GENEVA/LAMPEDUSA, Italy, 12 December 2024 – "An 11-year-old girl was rescued yesterday from a shipwreck off the coast of Italy’s Lampedusa. All 44 other people on board, including women and children, are believed to have drowned.

NEW YORK, 11 December 2024 — Over 500 million – or close to 8 in 10 - children under five have had their births registered in the last five years, reflecting notable strides in securing legal identity worldwide, according to a new UNICEF report released today.

NEW YORK, 8 December 2024 – “With the situation in Syria rapidly evolving, UNICEF reiterates the UN Secretary-General’s appeal for calm, to refrain from violence, and to protect the rights of all Syrians – especially children, at least 80 of whom have been killed in the past two weeks.

NEW YORK, 6 December 2024 – “In a single day of bloodshed, children in different parts of the Gaza strip were reportedly killed while sheltering inside their tents or desperately queueing for a piece of bread amid a rapidly worsening food crisis.

NEW YORK, December 4, 2024 - "Excellencies. Thank you Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield for bringing us together to speak about the consequences of the war in Ukraine on the lives of children, their families, and communities.

“Today’s announcement from the Prime Minister to give every child the best start in life is hugely important for children across the country. UNICEF UK has long been calling for better investment in health and education services for children under 5 because of the vital difference early support can have at a time when a child’s rapid growth and development will influence both their childhood and their adult lives and prospects.  

26 November 2024 – Six children are among eight people who lost their lives yesterday in the Aegean Sea. The children were with some 40 people travelling on a small dinghy boat across the Eastern Mediterranean migration route between Türkiye and Greece.