Press releases
"Cold, sick and traumatized" - the ongoing nightmare for children in Gaza
AMMAN/GENEVA, 20 December 2024 – “Children in Gaza are cold, sick and traumatized. Hunger and malnutrition, and the dire living conditions more broadly, continue to put the lives of children at risk. Right now, over 96% of women and children in Gaza cannot meet their basic nutritional needs. Most are surviving on rationed flour, lentils, pasta, and canned food—a diet that slowly compromises their health.
An estimated 40,000 children impacted in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Vanuatu
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.
Peace must prevail for Syria’s children
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.
At least 90,000 children impacted as Cyclone Chido hits hard in Mozambique
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.
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on children and the continued bloodshed in the Gaza Strip
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.
Child found floating alone in the sea, wearing a life jacket made of tyre tubes, after 44 other passengers on her boat believed to have drowned
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.
Birth registration steadily increases worldwide, but 150 million children still ‘invisible’ - UNICEF
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.
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the impact of the situation in Syria on children
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.
Statement by UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Edouard Beigbeder, on the killing of children in Nuseirat and Al Mawasi, Gaza
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.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell's remarks at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine
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.
Response to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s speech
“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.
Six children die in shipwreck in the Aegean Sea: UNICEF Statement
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.
Number of children in Haiti recruited by armed groups soars by 70 per cent in one year – UNICEF
PORT AU PRINCE/NEW YORK, 25 November 2024 – The number of children recruited by armed groups in Haiti increased by 70 per cent in the last year, according to the latest UNICEF estimates.
Stars Join UNICEF UK to Celebrate World Children's Day Raising £670,000 at First Ever Once Upon Our Time Gala
UNICEF UK President, Olivia Colman, UNICEF UK Ambassadors, James Nesbitt, Gemma Chan, and Levison Wood, and UNICEF UK High-Profile Supporters Alex Scott and Cel Spellman joined a host of attendees for UNICEF UK’s inaugural Once Upon Our Time Gala event on Wednesday 20th November to mark World Children’s Day
Challenging future projected for children in 2050 in world transformed by extreme climate crises, population shifts, and tech disparities
NEW YORK, 20 November 2024 – The future of childhood hangs in the balance if urgent action is not taken to safeguard children’s rights in a changing world, UNICEF warned in its flagship report released on World Children’s Day today.
UNICEF statement on Israeli legislation on UNRWA
30 October 2024 - "UNRWA is the main UN agency providing essential services and protection to Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza. As the Secretary-General has said, ‘there is no alternative to UNRWA.’