Press releases

28 February 2019 – Continued and growing insecurity in the Sahel region has forced nearly 2,000 schools in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to close or become non-operational, UNICEF said today. This marks a two-fold increase in the number of education facilities forcibly closed or left non-operational since 2017.

27 February 2019 – Half a million Rohingya children are stateless refugees in the Cox’s Bazar area in southern Bangladesh, increasingly anxious about their futures, and vulnerable to frustration and despair.

27 February 2019 – “Despite repeated warnings, the deaths of children in Rukban, at the southwestern border of Syria with Jordan, continue to increase at an alarming rate. Since the beginning of the year, one child has died every five days.

26 February 2019 – “I urge world leaders convening now for the pledging conference on Yemen to remember that the lives of Yemeni children depend on their support. Yemen is home to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and children are especially vulnerable."

25 February 2019 – Statement from Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa: “In Yemen today, nearly 1.2 million children continue to live in 31 active conflict zones including Hudaydah, Taizz, Hajjah and Sa’da - in areas witnessing heavy, war-related violence.

22 February 2019 - Nearly 7 million people in South Sudan could face acute food insecurity at the height of this lean season (May-July), three United Nations agencies warned today, urging for scaled-up humanitarian assistance and better access to humanitarian relief.

20 February 2019 – “UNICEF welcomes the recent agreement by parties to the conflict in Yemen to begin the mutual redeployment of forces from the port city of Hudaydah.

18 February 2019 - Statement from Executive Director Henriette Fore following the announcement that a peace agreement for the Central African Republic has signed by the Government of the Central African Republic and other parties.

15 February 2019 - UNICEF-supported vaccinators were able to immunize thousands of children during a 9-day mission to the remote makeshift settlement in Rukban at the border with Jordan, home to more than 40,000 people – mostly women and children.

14 February 2019- At the #LoveCleanAir Summit today, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, city leaders and UK 100 will call on government to take urgent action on air pollution in the upcoming Environment Bill.

12 February 2019 – One hundred and nineteen children were released by an armed group in South Sudan Tuesday, bringing the total number of those freed since the conflict began to more than 3,100. Forty-eight girls were among the group, with the youngest child being 10-years-old.

9 February 2019 – At least 13.5 million uprooted children in Africa – including those living as refugees, migrants or internally displaced – need strengthened national actions, and regional and international cooperation between states to uphold their rights, keep them safe and help them fulfil their potential.

9 February 2019- UNICEF is deeply saddened by the killing of two children, aged 13 and 17 years old, shot yesterday in the Gaza Strip. The exact circumstances of their death are under verification. This brings the number of Palestinian children killed this year to four.

7 February 2019 – As cold winter weather sweeps across Iraq, UNICEF has provided warm clothes to over 160,000 internally displaced and refugee children, including those in hard-to-reach areas such as Sinjar, where UNICEF has maintained a strong presence since violence escalated in 2013.

5 February 2019 - Child health experts across the UK are warning today that air pollution is damaging children’s health – and the public should be better informed so they can take action to protect themselves.

5 February 2019- UNICEF warned today of the dangers posed by online violence, cyberbullying and digital harassment for the 99.8 per cent of young people aged 15 to 24 years old who are online in the United Kingdom, and called for concerted action to tackle and prevent violence against children and young people online.

5 February 2019 – Child health experts across the UK are warning today that air pollution is damaging children’s health – and the public should be better informed so they can take action to protect themselves.

31 January 2019 – “Violence, displacement and extremely harsh conditions in northern and eastern Syria have killed at least 32 children since December 2018.

31 January 2019 – More than 12,000 people, including 3,000 children, have crossed from Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to Tapachula, Mexico, since January 17, UNICEF said today. It is critical to uphold special protection for these children, particularly those among them traveling alone, the children’s agency said. 

30 January 2019 – UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore urged Myanmar’s authorities to invest in all children, to build a stronger, more harmonious society that will support Myanmar’s progress and stability.