Press releases

Immediate action required to prevent malnutrition crisis among children in Zambia - UNICEF

LUSAKA, Zambia, 21 June 2024 – Almost 52,000 children under the age of five in the 84 drought-affected districts in Zambia are expected to fall into severe wasting – the deadliest form of malnutrition – within the next 12 months if urgent preventive measures are not put into place. Another 276,000 children under age five will have moderate wasting.

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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.

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SOCCER AID FOR UNICEF LAUNCHES MASCOT DESIGN COMPETITION GIVING CHILDREN IN THE UK THE CHANCE TO BE PART OF THE BIG DAY AT STAMFORD BRIDGE

24 April 2024 – Soccer Aid for UNICEF is once again calling on primary and secondary school pupils across the country to unleash their creativity and compassion and design their dream mascot ahead of this year’s match at Chelsea’s iconic Stamford Bridge stadium on Sunday 9th June.

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Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on children in Sudan at risk of famine

NEW YORK, 8 March 2024 – Over 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), according to a newly released UNICEF report. The updated global estimates show a 15 per cent increase in the total number of survivors – or 30 million more girls and women – compared to data released eight years ago.

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Amid escalating violence in Mozambique, 60,000 children displaced within a month

NEW YORK, 8 March 2024 – Over 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), according to a newly released UNICEF report. The updated global estimates show a 15 per cent increase in the total number of survivors – or 30 million more girls and women – compared to data released eight years ago.

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Over 230 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital mutilation — UNICEF

NEW YORK, 8 March 2024 – Over 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), according to a newly released UNICEF report. The updated global estimates show a 15 per cent increase in the total number of survivors – or 30 million more girls and women – compared to data released eight years ago.

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Frontline children: battling mental trauma, underground

Kyiv, 23 February 2024 – “UNICEF estimates that over the past two years of war, children in cities in Ukraine’s frontline areas have been forced to spend between 3,000 and 5,000 hours – equivalent to between four to seven months – sheltering underground.

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Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee: Civilians in Gaza in extreme peril while the world watches on

21 February 2024 – In the less than five months that followed the brutal 7 October attacks and the ensuing escalation, tens of thousands of Palestinians – mostly women and children – have been killed and injured in the Gaza Strip. More than three quarters of the population have been forced from their homes, many multiple times, and face severe shortages of food, water, sanitation and healthcare – the basic necessities to survive.

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Children’s lives threatened by rising malnutrition in the Gaza Strip

19 February 2024 – A steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza Strip poses grave threats to their health, according to a comprehensive new analysis released by the Global Nutrition Cluster.

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68,000 children affected by Nepal earthquake still need urgent assistance - UNICEF

KATHMANDU, Nepal, 11 February 2024 – 100 days after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Nepal on 3 November 2023, UNICEF is calling for continued support for 68,000 children and their families in the affected areas and appealing for US$14.7 million in funding to help rebuild the lives of the affected children.

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Three hundred days of atrocities against the children of Sudan

Three hundred days of atrocities against the children of Sudan

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Stories of loss and grief: At least 17,000 children are estimated to be unaccompanied or separated from their parents in the Gaza Strip

GENEVA, 2 February 2023 – UNICEF estimates that at least 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip are unaccompanied or separated. Each one, a heartbreaking story of loss and grief.

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Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, We cannot abandon the people of Gaza

NEW YORK, 30 January 2024 – The allegations of involvement of several UNRWA staff in the heinous attacks on Israel on 7 October are horrifying. As the Secretary-General has said, any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable. However, we must not prevent an entire organization from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need.

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At least 170,000 children displaced amid escalating violence in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE/NEW YORK, January 29, 2024 –The surge in armed violence across Haiti has triggered a profound humanitarian crisis, with the number of internally displaced children soaring to 170,000.

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Ecuador: Homicide rate among children and adolescents soars 640 per cent in four years - UNICEF

PANAMA CITY/NEW YORK, 12 January 2024 – At least 770 child and adolescent homicides were recorded in Ecuador in 2023, a drastic increase of 640 percent from 104 cases in 2019, according to the latest estimates by the local Ministry of Interior.

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As cholera cases continue to rise in parts of Southern Africa, UNICEF calls for increased focus on children in the cholera response

ROME, GENEVA, NEW YORK, 15 January 2024 – As the risk of famine grows, and more people are exposed to deadly disease outbreaks, a fundamental step change in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza is urgently needed, United Nations agencies warned today.

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PREVENTING FAMINE AND DEADLY DISEASE OUTBREAKS IN GAZA REQUIRES FASTER, SAFER AID ACCESS AND MORE SUPPLY ROUTES

ROME, GENEVA, NEW YORK, 15 January 2024 – As the risk of famine grows, and more people are exposed to deadly disease outbreaks, a fundamental step change in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza is urgently needed, United Nations agencies warned today.

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Children in Gaza still at the sharp end of unrelenting war

GENEVA, 12 January 2024 – “After almost 100 days of violence, killing, bombardment and captivity for children in Gaza, all the suffering has been too much.

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