Press Releases

UNICEF statement on intensified strikes on Lebanon and the devastating impact on children

Publication date: April 10, 2026

The intensification of hostilities in Lebanon continues to exact a devastating and inhumane toll on children. In just minutes yesterday, as news of a regional ceasefire agreement briefly ignited hope across the country, deadly Israeli airstrikes struck across Lebanon, reportedly killing 33 children and injuring 153.

Child being held by his mother at a hospital in Beirut.

UNICEF Stands With Iran’s Children as Ceasefire Offers Path to Recovery

Publication date: April 10, 2026

UNICEF welcomes the ceasefire as a critical step that offers hope to children and families in Iran who have endured immense suffering.

UNICEF Statement on hostilities in the Middle East

Publication date: April 8, 2026

The ongoing hostilities and intensifying rhetoric against essential civilian infrastructure risks exacerbating an already grave situation for children

Humanitarian crisis for children deepens after one month of war in the Middle East

Publication date: March 31, 2026

Beyond the staggering casualty toll, delays and disruptions in supply operations put children at risk across the globe

UNICEF Chief calls for urgent global support as children in Somalia face worsening malnutrition

Publication date: March 27, 2026

Rising fuel costs and supply disruptions from war in the Middle East could spell catastrophe for Somalia’s children, already reeling from drought, conflict and global budget cuts

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell speaks with a mother whose children are receiving nutrition support in Somalia.

An average of 19,000 children displaced daily as escalating violence uproots 20 per cent of Lebanon's population in three weeks

Publication date: March 27, 2026

This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Representative in Lebanon, Marcoluigi Corsi – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

Remarks by UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Ted Chaiban, at the UN Secretary General Spokesperson’s briefing: Across the Middle East, a generation of children is being pulled deeper into crisis

Publication date: March 23, 2026

“Twenty-three days into the escalating conflict in the Middle East, children across the region are paying a devastating price. A further descent into a wider or protracted conflict would be catastrophic for millions more."

Progress in reducing child deaths slows as 4.9 million children under five die in 2024

Publication date: March 18, 2026

New UN report on child mortality fully assess leading causes of under five deaths for first time

A mother wearing a surgical cap lovingly cradles her newborn, wrapped in a vibrant blanket. The baby wears a hat with colorful hearts, exuding warmth and care.

Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, on the killing of Palestinian children in the West Bank

Publication date: March 17, 2026

Two young siblings killed in Tammun over the weekend as child casualties continue

At least 8 students and a health worker reportedly killed in attack on a school compound in Sudan’s White Nile State

Publication date: March 12, 2026

At least eight students, four of them under the age of 18, and a health worker were killed in White Nile State in Sudan.