Press Releases

World must act now to save lives in Somalia, U.N. agencies warn

Publication date: February 17, 2017

As a devastating drought grips Somalia, UNICEF and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) are warning that only a massive and immediate scale-up of humanitarian assistance can help the country avoid falling into another catastrophe.

Number of Ukrainian children needing aid nearly doubles to one million

Publication date: February 17, 2017

As the volatile conflict in eastern Ukraine enters its fourth year, 1 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance - nearly double the number this time last year, said UNICEF.

Statement by UNICEF Regional Director Geert Cappelaere on reports of children killed and injured in Syria

Publication date: February 10, 2017

Violence in Syria this week has reportedly killed at least 20 children and injured others in several areas across the war-torn country.

Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake on killing of ICRC workers in Afghanistan and SARC workers in Syria

Publication date: February 9, 2017

We are saddened and outraged by the cruel killings today of six workers for the International Committee of the Red Cross in northern Afghanistan, and two workers for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in Aleppo, Syria.

The world must make faster progress to end female genital mutilation by 2030

Publication date: February 6, 2017

Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin and UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake on the 2017 International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM

Thousands of children out of school after classrooms hit by heavy shelling in eastern Ukraine

Publication date: February 6, 2017

Thousands of children have been forced out of school in eastern Ukraine due to last week’s surge in fighting. At least five schools and two kindergartens have been damaged by heavy shelling and 11 other schools have had to close, according to humanitarian organisations supporting the emergency education response in Ukraine.

Two refugees, generations apart, tell their story in new UNICEF film

Publication date: February 3, 2017

A powerful new UNICEF film presenting the parallel stories of a young Syrian refugee and a World War II child refugee was released today as a stark illustration of the challenges that refugee children continue to face.

Heavy fighting leaves thousands of children cold, thirsty and out of school – UNICEF

Publication date: February 1, 2017

Following intense fighting over the last two days around the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, more than 17,000 people – including 2,500 children – are facing freezing weather without any heating, electricity or water.

Schools in Syria rise from the rubble

Publication date: January 31, 2017

As the intensity of violence decreases, children head back to school with UNICEF support.

UNICEF seeks $3.3 billion in emergency assistance for 48 million children caught up in conflict and other crises

Publication date: January 30, 2017

Forty-eight million children living through some of the world’s worst conflicts and other humanitarian emergencies will benefit from UNICEF’s 2017 appeal, which was launched today.