Press releases
More than 150 children estimated to have died taking Central Mediterranean migration route this year
21 April 2017 – According to UNICEF estimates, more than 150 children have died crossing the Central Mediterranean from North Africa to Italy so far this year.
Systematic failures led vulnerable children to the burnt out camp of Dunkirk
19 April 2017 - A new study by Unicef UK and Unicef France, Family Reunification and Failing Protection in Dunkirk, reveals that children living in the Grande-Synthe camp faced exploitation and violence on a daily basis.
Statement by Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director, on reported child killings in Syria
16 April 2017 – “After six years of war and human carnage in Syria ... six years of heartbreak for so many Syrian families... there comes a new horror that must break the heart of anyone who has one. More than 60 children reportedly killed in an attack on a bus convoy yesterday outside Aleppo. A convoy of families who for so long had already known so much suffering. Now the survivors must bear such a new and terrible loss.
UNICEF and UNHCR welcome EU policy to protect migrant and refugee children
12 April 2017 - UNICEF and UNHCR today welcome a new policy guidance from the European Commission as an important milestone for the protection of migrant and refugee children.
Lake Chad conflict: alarming surge in number of children used in Boko Haram bomb attacks this year – UNICEF
12 April 2017 - The number of children used in ‘suicide’ attacks in the Lake Chad conflict has surged to 27 in the first quarter of 2017, compared to nine over the same period last year.
Unicef UK statement in response to the fire in Dunkirk
11 April 2017 - Statement from Unicef UK on the fire in Dunkirk from Hayley Cull, Head of Campaigns and Advocacy.
200,000 children need urgent support to overcome trauma of volatile conflict in eastern Ukraine
7 April 2017 – More than 200,000 children – or 1 in 4 - in the two regions most severely affected by the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine require urgent and sustained psychosocial support to address the trauma of living through more than three years of violence.
At least 27 children killed in Idlib attack - UNICEF
6 April 2017 - At least 27 children were confirmed killed in the attack in Idlib, northwest of Syria, UNICEF said today. A further 546 people, among them many children, have been injured. Casualty figures are expected to rise.
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake on reports of chemical weapons attacks on children and families in Syria
5 April 2017 - “The images of children choking and dying in the streets of Idlib, Syria, following alleged chemical weapons attacks, are as horrific as they are heartbreaking. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.
Pupils Get Ready To Bring Change For Malnourished Children
5 April 2017 – Pupils across the country are gearing up to help raise vital funds for malnourished children as Unicef UK’s annual Day for Change takes place on 24 May.
Montblanc and UNICEF renew long-standing partnership, helping to empower 5 million children through education
4 April 2017 – Montblanc and UNICEF today announced the continuation of their long-standing partnership to help some of the world’s most vulnerable children access education.
SHARP RISE IN MALNUTRITION AND DISEASE AS FAMINE LOOMS IN SOMALIA
30 March 2017 - Early numbers show an increasing number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and cholera or acute watery diarrhoea (AWD)
Italy passes law to protect unaccompanied refugee and migrant children
ROME / GENEVA, 29 March 2017 - UNICEF welcomes the Italian Parliament for passing an historic law to boost support and protection for the record number of foreign unaccompanied and separated children who arrived in Italy – nearly 26,000 in 2016. With nearly 2,000 foreign children arriving on the Mediterranean in the first two months of 2017, the upward trend in arrivals is expected to continue this year making this law timely and relevant.
27 million people lack safe water in countries facing or at risk of famine
29 March 2017 – Water shortages, inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene practices and disease outbreaks are posing an additional threat to children in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.
UNICEF and partners assist more than 145,000 people in famine-hit areas of South Sudan
28 March 2017 - UNICEF - together with the World Food Programme and other partners - has delivered life-saving assistance to 145,000 people, including 33,000 children under the age of five.
21st Century Skills for All: UNICEF and Pearson Launch Educational Partnership for Children
28TH MARCH 2017 - UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation, and Pearson, the world’s learning company, are partnering to support marginalised youth in Myanmar and Vietnam.
Time is running out for children as famine, drought and war threaten millions
28 March 2017 - UNICEF says children can’t wait, with urgent request for more than £200 million to respond to immediate needs in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen
Unicef UK comment on International Development Committee report on UK Aid spending
28 March 2017 - Sol Oyuela, Director of Public Affairs, Unicef UK, says: “We welcome findings from today’s cross-party report which shows UK aid is being spent effectively.
Families turning to extreme survival measures as war hits two year mark
27 March 2016 – After two years of brutal conflict, families in Yemen are increasingly resorting to extreme measures to support their children, said UNICEF in a report released today as the war in the Middle East’s poorest country enters its third year.
Statement from Unicef Executive Director Anthony Lake following visit to Iraq
22 March 2017 – “I leave Iraq at a time when the country is facing significant challenges and opportunities. Yet everywhere I visited, children and their families told me of their dreams and their determination to make them real.”