Press releases
AstraZeneca Young Health Programme to partner with UNICEF to prevent non-communicable diseases among young people
22 January 2020, AstraZeneca to partner with UNICEF to prevent non-communicable diseases among young people
1 in 3 adolescent girls from the poorest households has never been to school - UNICEF
20th January 2020 - As the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting begins tomorrow and education ministers convene at the Education World Forum today, UNICEF urges policy-makers to address ‘shameful’ disparities in public education spending.
Libya: Tens of thousands of children at risk amidst violence and chaos of unrelenting conflict
17 January 2020 – Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on the tens of thousands of children at risk amidst conflict in Libya.
UNICEF UK EQUALISES PARENTAL LEAVE FOR ALL
15 January 2020 – In a sector leading move, Unicef UK announces equalised parental leave policy for all employees. This policy acknowledges the equal role of each caregiver in raising a child, shifting the focus away from gender, sexual orientation or length of service, and puts it on the child and the time spent with them during those early moments.
Fighting in and around Tripoli shuts 210 schools, depriving over 115,000 children of their education - UNICEF
6 January 2020 - Violence in and around Tripoli, Libya, has taken a devastating toll on children’s education, with five schools destroyed and 210 schools shuttered, pushing over 115, 000 children out of school.
UNICEF’s New Year appeal for Syria: cease fighting in the northwest and end the nine-year war
2 January 2020 - As a new year begins and the war in Syria approaches its tenth year, the situation for many children – especially in the northwest of the country – remains dire.
Children bear the brunt of intensifying violence in northwest Syria
24 December 2019 – Children are bearing the brunt of intensifying violence in northwest Syria. More than 500 children were injured or killed in the first nine months of 2019, and at least 65 children have been killed or injured in the month of December alone.
TikTok celebrates family moments in support of UNICEF
23 December 2019 - TikTok celebrates family moments in support of UNICEF, urges its community to come together to create videos for good using #TikTokTraditions
Waves of protests around the world are reminder that voices of children and adolescents must be heard and their rights protected
Statement by Unicef Executive Director Henrietta Fore calls for children to be protected when protesting for their rights.
Nine Afghan children killed or maimed daily in world’s most lethal warzone
A new UNICEF report notes that in the first nine months of 2019, an average of nine children were killed or maimed every day. This marks an 11 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2018.
As impact of climate crisis worsens, Caribbean islands see six-fold increase in estimated number of children displaced by storms, new UNICEF report shows
6 December 2019 - Spike in displacement could be new norm as climate change predicted to cause more Category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the region
More than 140,000 die from measles as cases surge worldwide
5 December 2019 - Infants and young children most at risk of fatal complications, health agencies warn
More than 6,100 unaccompanied refugee and migrant children in Italy in need of community and family-based care
5 December 2019 – Approximately 94 per cent of all unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children currently in Italy, 6,172 children under 18, are living in reception centres, often isolated and cut off from opportunities to build their future, said UNICEF today. The agency urged authorities to increase community and family-based housing solutions across the country.
UNICEF issues largest-ever emergency funding appeal to reach historic numbers of children in need
4 December 2019 – UNICEF today released its US$ 4.2 / GBP £3.28 billion 2020 emergency appeal to reach 59 million children with life-saving support in 64 countries across the globe. It is its biggest ask of donors yet, representing 3.5 times the funds requested in 2010.
Eight children reportedly killed in attacks on Tal Rifaat in rural Aleppo north of Syria
2 December 2019 – UNICEF response to reports that 16 children were killed and injured in attacks on Tal Rifaat town, northern Aleppo.
430,000 children continue to bear the brunt of eastern Ukraine conflict – UNICEF
2nd December 2019 - UNICEF calls on all parties to end ongoing fighting in Ukraine as 430,000 children continue to bear the brunt of eastern conflict
UNICEF delivers over 260,000 vaccines and medical supplies to fight measles outbreaks in Samoa, Fiji and Tonga
28 November 2019: UNICEF is supporting the Governments of Samoa, Fiji and the Kingdom of Tonga to respond to the current measles outbreak in the Pacific region, together with the World Health Organisation (WHO), partners and with the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
4,500 children under the age of five died from measles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo so far this year – UNICEF
Since the beginning of the year, more than 5,000 people have died due to measles, over 90 per cent of them children under the age of five.