Press releases
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.
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.
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.
After 4 months of war, humanitarian leaders urge action to end the tragedy in Sudan
NEW YORK, 15 August 2023 – "For four gruesome months, the people of Sudan have been engulfed in a war that is destroying their lives and their homeland, and violating their basic human rights.
JOINT STATEMENT UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM: deepest condolences for those involved in yet another shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea
ROME, 9 August 2023 – The International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF express their deepest condolences for the loss of dozens of lives following another deadly shipwreck that occurred between Thursday 3 and Friday 4 August in the Mediterranean Sea.