Press releases
Children and families at risk after 6.4-magnitude earthquake hits western Nepal
KATHMANDU, 4 November 2023 – “We are deeply saddened by the devastating impact of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Karnali and Lumbini provinces in western Nepal at 11:47 p.m. on Friday 3 November.
Women and newborns bearing the brunt of the conflict in Gaza, UN agencies warn
East Jerusalem, 4 November 2023 - Women, children and newborns in Gaza are disproportionately bearing the burden of the escalation of hostilities in the occupied Palestinian territory, both as casualties and in reduced access to health services, warn the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the deaths and injuries of children at Al Ahli Hospital
New York, 17 October 2023 – “I am horrified by the reported deaths and injuries of children and women following an attack on the Al Ahli Hospital in the Gaza Strip this evening. While details are still emerging and bodies are still being counted, the scenes on the ground are devastating.
Time is running out for children in Gaza — UNICEF
NEW YORK, 13 October 2023 – Hundreds of thousands of children and their families have started fleeing northern Gaza today ahead of imminent larger-scale attacks. It follows days of bombardments of Gaza after the brutal attacks of 7 October. Nearly a week into the war, hundreds of children have been reportedly killed, and thousands more reportedly injured.
Gaza's Children Pay the Heaviest Price, with Hundreds Dead
GENEVA, 13 October 2023 – “Hundreds & hundreds of children have been killed and injured. Every hour in Gaza the number of children killed rises. The killing of children must stop.
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child calls on states to take action in first guidance on children's rights and the environment, with a focus on climate change
For the first time, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has explicitly affirmed the children’s right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, issuing comprehensive interpretation of Member States’ obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
More than two million children displaced by brutal conflict in Sudan as violence spreads to new areas
PORT SUDAN, 24 August 2023 – “With over two million children uprooted by the conflict in only a few months, and countless more trapped in its merciless grip, the urgency of our collective response cannot be overstated”
Statement by UNICEF Representative in Niger Stefano Savi on severe impact of ongoing crisis on millions of vulnerable children
NIAMEY, 19 August 2023 – “The crisis unfolding in the Republic of Niger continues to pose an even greater danger for millions of vulnerable children in the country.
"Time and time again" children's lives being cut short by attacks in Ukraine
GENEVA/KYIV, 19 August 2023 - “Today’s horrific attack on a civilian area in Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine, has reportedly killed a six-year-old child and injured at least 12 other children.
After 4 months of war, humanitarian leaders urge action to end the tragedy in Sudan
NEW YORK, 15 August 2023 – "For four gruesome months, the people of Sudan have been engulfed in a war that is destroying their lives and their homeland, and violating their basic human rights.
JOINT STATEMENT UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM: deepest condolences for those involved in yet another shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea
ROME, 9 August 2023 – The International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF express their deepest condolences for the loss of dozens of lives following another deadly shipwreck that occurred between Thursday 3 and Friday 4 August in the Mediterranean Sea.
The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) responds to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Concluding Observations of the UK
“UNICEF UK warmly welcomes the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Concluding Observations, which shine an important light on the UK’s current record on protecting and upholding children’s rights.
UNICEF concerned for children in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Mawar/Betty enters Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR)
MANILA, 27 May 2023 - Typhoon Mawar (local name Betty) has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) today and will remain a Super Typhoon this weekend. Government forecasts possible heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides north of the Philippines.
Conflict in eastern DRC is having a devastating impact on children’s education
GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 29 March 2023 – The education of around 750,000 children has been disrupted in two most conflict-affected provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom returns to Ukraine as war continues to devastate children’s lives
27 March 2023 - UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Orlando Bloom, travelled to Kyiv, Irpin and Demydiv in Ukraine this week to meet children and families affected by the war. Bloom witnessed how the war in Ukraine continues to have a devastating impact on children’s lives.
New study finds that 43,000 “excess deaths” may have occurred in 2022 from the drought in Somalia
A new report released today by the Federal Ministry of Health & Human Services, WHO and UNICEF suggests that an estimated 43,000 excess deaths might have occurred in 2022 in Somalia resulting from a deepening drought when compared with 2017 and 2018 drought crisis.
On World Poetry Day, hundreds of children affected by conflict and war share Poems for Peace
21 March 2023 – As the world celebrates World Poetry Day, hundreds of children and young people around the world have shared poems to highlight their experiences of conflict and war, and call for peace, as part of UNICEF’s Poems for Peace initiative.