Press releases
UNICEF Regional Director condemns growing violence in the central Sahel, grave violations against children up by 70 per cent
29 May 2024 – “The distressing rise in violent incidents in the central Sahel region of West Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger), including the killing of children, must stop if children are to realise their basic rights to life under the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
On World Nutrition Day, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation pledge to double public donations made to Soccer Aid for UNICEF
LONDON, 28 May 2024 – Soccer Aid for UNICEF today announced that every donation it receives this year will be doubled, up to £4 million, thanks to its partnership with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), in a bid to accelerate the fight against child wasting – the most life-threatening form of malnutrition.
Measles cases across Europe continue to surge, putting millions of children at risk
28 May 2024 – Measles cases across Europe continue to surge, with the number of measles cases recorded for this year soon to exceed the total number of cases reported throughout 2023, warned WHO and UNICEF today.
3.2 million children are at risk as Cyclone Remal hits hard in the coastal areas of Bangladesh
27 May 2024 – “As Cyclone Remal hits the coastal areas of Bangladesh, over 8.4 million people, including 3.2 million children, are at high health, nutrition, sanitation, and safety risks.
Soaring temperatures in South Asia can put children’s health in danger, UNICEF warns
23 May 2024 – “UNICEF is deeply concerned about the health and safety of babies and young children as debilitating heatwave conditions take hold in several countries.
Child migration through the Darien Gap up 40 per cent so far this year
PANAMA CITY, 15 May 2024 – An increase in the number of children migrating through the dangerous Darien Gap so far this year puts the route on track for a fifth consecutive year of record levels of child migration, according to UNICEF analysis.
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban concludes visit to Eastern DR Congo, emphasizes humanitarian situation now at a tipping point, the urgent need for peace and a central role of the new government
GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 13 May 2024 – UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, Ted Chaiban, concluded a five-day visit to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where he met with authorities and witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of escalating conflict on vulnerable populations, particularly women and children.
Nearly 2,000 children killed or injured since the escalation of war in Ukraine
“At least 1,993 children in Ukraine have been killed or injured since the escalation of war more than two years ago, an average of two child casualties each day. These are the figures the UN has been able to verify. We know the true number is likely much higher.
The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation donates £640,000 to UNICEF to help treat 15,000 malnourished children in Gaza for one month
London, 13 May 2024 - The Stelios Foundation has donated £640,000 to the United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF’s emergency response for the children of Gaza. This donation could help UNICEF provide 15,000 malnourished children in Gaza with Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for a month.
Statement by UNICEF Afghanistan on the devastating flash floods in northeast of Afghanistan
KABUL, 12 May 2024 - Flash floods in northeastern Afghanistan have reportedly killed at least 240 people, including 51 children, with many more injured.
UNICEF and partners accelerate efforts to address child malnutrition amidst crisis in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, 9 May 2024 – Despite the ever-changing realities and the challenging circumstances on the ground, UNICEF remained committed to bolstering the response to malnutrition in the country, working hand in hand with the Ministry of Health and its partners.
Almost 1 Million People in Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, and Somalia Affected as Unprecedented Heavy Rains Continue to Wreak Havoc in Eastern Africa
looding and landslides in Eastern Africa are affecting almost a million people in Burundi, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. As unusually heavy rains have pounded the region, exacerbated by the 2023-24 El Niño climate phenomenon, hundreds of lives have been lost, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian assistance.
When a nightmare becomes the reality
This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder – to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva
There is ‘nowhere safe to go’ for the 600,000 children of Rafah, warns UNICEF
With hundreds of thousands of children in Rafah injured, sick, malnourished, traumatized or living with a disability, UNICEF calls for children to not be forcibly relocated, and the vital infrastructure on which children rely to be protected