“We need to move fast,” said UNICEF representative in the country Peter Hawkins. “I was in Hudaydah over the past three days…I went through the western lowlands, where there are people on the streets, on the side of the roads, begging and looking for assistance. They have given up. We...
The attack on one of the last operational hospitals in the area further deepened the ongoing humanitarian crisis sparked by the civil war between rival militaries, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which started in April 2023. Among the stolen supplies were 2,200 cartons...
Spokespersons for UNICEF and UNHCR in Geneva warned that the liquidity crunch has jeopardized lifesaving work, including progress in reducing child mortality, which has fallen by 60 per cent since 1990. By slashing severe acute malnutrition by one-third since 2000, UNICEF’s efforts have kept 55 million children alive, through simple...
“This is not just a crisis, it is a poly-crisis affecting every sector, from health and nutrition to water, education and protection,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, told ambassadors in the Security Council. Since war erupted between the former allies-turned-rivals, the Sudanese army (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and...
According to Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East, a six-month-old baby was among at least 13 children reported to have been killed. Clashes erupted on Friday between Syrian Caretaker Authority forces and soldiers loyal to the former Assad regime. According to widely reported eyewitness accounts much of...
Data from gender-based violence service providers in Sudan reveals the scale of the horror: more than 220 reported cases of child rape since the start of 2024. “Children as young as one being raped by armed men should shock anyone to their core and compel immediate action,” said UNICEF Executive...
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed that it has had to pause the distribution of life saving food and nutrition assistance, due to escalating violence. WFP spokesperson Leni Kinzli said the UN agency’s partners in the camp had no choice but to evacuate their staff to safety. “The recent...
In an alert on Tuesday, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, confirmed that three children were killed by Rwanda-backed M23 armed group in Bukavu, the city in South Kivu which fell to the fighters on Sunday. “Our office has confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they...
The agency’s spokesperson James Elder has just visited Port-au-Prince, the capital of the embattled Caribbean nation and has been speaking about what he experienced there. Staggering abuse and neglect “There has been a staggering 1,000 per cent rise in sexual violence against children in Haiti, which has turned their bodies...
The children were among the patients being treated in the hospital’s emergency ward for injuries from previous bombings in the area, said the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. “This heinous attack is a blatant violation of children’s rights. Children are being killed and injured in the very places where they should...
“Today marks one of the rare times we are able to highlight positive developments, albeit amid catastrophic humanitarian needs in Gaza,” Mr. Fletcher began. He noted that the recent ceasefire has provided a much-needed reprieve from relentless hostilities, allowing for a surge in life-saving humanitarian aid. Mr. Fletcher expressed gratitude...
The latest data reveals that over 500,000 children have been forced from their homes – a shocking 48 per cent increase since September. In total, more than one million Haitians are internally displaced, half of whom are children urgently requiring humanitarian aid. “It is a horrific time to be a...