Press Releases

Afghan children returning from Iran face uncertainty and rising humanitarian needs

March 10, 2026

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

Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, on the rise in child casualties amid escalating hostilities in Lebanon

March 9, 2026

83 children killed and 254 injured in the past 7 days, while hundreds of thousands flee their homes

Displaced families gather in the streets to reach safety

The brutality of war measured in children’s lives as hostilities escalate in Iran

March 5, 2026

Statement by UNICEF in the Middle East and North Africa

Children are bearing the brunt of the escalating violence in Lebanon

March 4, 2026

“No child should ever be killed or be left to bear the lifelong physical and emotional scars of violence."

A mother holds a toddler wearing pink clothes in her arms in a brightly lit room.

Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, Sanjay Wijesekera, on the impact of renewed cross-border hostilities on children in Afghanistan and Pakistan

March 2, 2026

"UNICEF calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, protect civilian lives, and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law. Children must be protected at all times.”

UNICEF statement on the impact of the military escalation on children in the Middle East

February 28, 2026

“UNICEF is deeply concerned by reports of strikes in Iran and across the region, illustrating the grave danger for children. There are reports of schools being struck in Iran, including a girls’ school in Minab in Hormozgan province in southern Iran. Scores of students are reportedly killed and many others injured."

Afghan children returning from Iran face uncertainty and rising humanitarian needs

Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, on the rise in child casualties amid escalating hostilities in Lebanon

The brutality of war measured in children’s lives as hostilities escalate in Iran

Children are bearing the brunt of the escalating violence in Lebanon

Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, Sanjay Wijesekera, on the impact of renewed cross-border hostilities on children in Afghanistan and Pakistan

UNICEF statement on the impact of the military escalation on children in the Middle East

The children of Syria deserve a future worthy of their strength

UNICEF statement on new reports of children killed and injured by airstrikes in Myanmar

Gaza’s children call for the future they need

UNICEF calls for the release of all children arrested in the latest public unrest in Iran