NEW YORK, October 29, 2021 – At least 200 million schoolchildren live in 31 low- and middle-income countries that remain unprepared to deploy remote learning in future emergency school closures, according to a new UNICEF report released yesterday. Among that group of students, 102 million live in 14 countries that have kept their schools fully or […]
UNICEF
UNICEF report highlights scale and impact of attacks on water and sanitation facilities on children in conflict-affected countries
Attacks on water and sanitation facilities and workers in conflicts around the world continue to put the lives of millions of children at risk and deny children and families access to critical water and sanitation services, UNICEF warned today. In the 9 countries* highlighted in Water Under Fire Volume 3: Attacks on water and sanitation services in […]
UNICEF: 40 per cent of the world’s population, or 3 billion people, do not have a handwashing facility with water and soap at home
NEW YORK, 15 October 2020 – Although handwashing with soap is critical in the fight against infectious diseases, including COVID-19, millions of people around the world have no ready access to a place to wash their hands, UNICEF said ahead of Global Handwashing Day. “The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of hand hygiene in disease […]
One stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds, according to first ever joint UN estimates
GENEVA, Switzerland, October 8, 2020 – Almost 2 million babies are stillborn every year – or 1 every 16 seconds – according to the first ever joint stillbirth estimates released by UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The vast majority of stillbirths, 84 per cent, occur […]
UNICEF delivers critical supplies to support children and families affected by Beirut explosions
BEIRUT, August 25, 2020 – UNICEF has been able to deliver 18 shipments of critical humanitarian supplies, totalling 67 tons, through two airlifts and commercial cargo routes to support children and families affected by the Beirut explosions earlier this month. The shipments included vital personal protective equipment (PPE), medical, health hygiene and nutrition supplies. UNICEF was […]
COVID-19 causes disruptions to child protection services in more than 100 countries, UNICEF survey finds
NEW YORK, August 18, 2020 – Violence prevention and response services have been severely disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving children at increased risk of violence, exploitation and abuse, according to a global survey by UNICEF. Of 136 countries that responded to UNICEF’s Socio-economic Impact Survey of COVID-19 Response, 104 countries reported a disruption in services related […]
2 in 5 schools around the world lacked basic handwashing facilities prior to COVID-19 pandemic — UNICEF, WHO
August 13, 2020 – As schools worldwide struggle with reopening,the latest data from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) reveal that 43 per cent of schools around the world lacked access to basic handwashing with soap and water in 2019 – a key condition for schools to be able to operate safely in the midst […]
Children in Central America and Caribbean facing dual threat of stronger hurricane season and COVID-19
PANAMA CITY/NEW YORK, August 3, 2020 – Across Central America and the Caribbean, more than 70 million children are directly or indirectly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of those children living in coastal areas of Central America and the Caribbean could face the additional threat of catastrophic storms as the 2020 hurricane season moves […]
As COVID-19 devastates fragile health systems, over 6,000 additional children under 5 could die a day
NEW YORK, May 13, 2020 – An additional 6,000 children could die every day from preventable causes over the next six months as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to weaken health systems and disrupt routine services, UNICEF said today. The estimate is based on an analysis by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly […]
Unleashing Youth Power: A Decade of Accelerating Actions Towards Zero Female Genital Mutilation
NEW YORK, 6 February 2020 – Joint statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus “When Tabitha was growing up in rural Kenya, most of her 16-year-old peers were subjected to female genital mutilation – a human rights violation […]
UNICEF: Over 392,000 children will be born worldwide on New Year’s Day
NEW YORK, January 1, 2020 – An estimated 392,078 babies will be born around the world on New Year’s Day, according to UNICEF. “The beginning of a new year and a new decade is an opportunity to reflect on our hopes and aspirations not only for our future, but the future of those who will […]
Caribbean islands see six-fold increase in number of children displaced by storms, UNICEF report shows
NEW YORK/PANAMA, Dec. 6, 2019 – The estimated number of children displaced by storms and flooding in the Caribbean islands* saw a six-fold increase in the past five years, a new UNICEF report said today. Part of UNICEF’s Child Alert series, ‘Children Uprooted in the Caribbean: How stronger hurricanes linked to a changing climate are […]
Famous freak wave recreated in laboratory mirrors Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’ (VIDEO)
Jan. 22, 2019 -The Draupner wave was one of the first confirmed observations of a freak wave in the ocean; it was observed on the 1st of January 1995 in the North Sea by measurements made on the Draupner Oil Platform. Freak waves are unexpectedly large in comparison to surrounding waves. They are difficult to […]
Situation for children in Afghanistan ‘dire’ with violence and bloodshed a ‘daily occurrence’ warn UNICEF
GENEVA, Nov. 27, 2018 – This is a summary of what was said by Alison Parker, UNICEF Chief of Communication in Afghanistan at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. 2019 will mark 40 years of conflict in Afghanistan – four decades that have left a terrible impact on the country’s children. […]
Henrietta Fore, UNICEF: Children should not be separated from their families because of their migration status
NEW YORK, June 19, 2018 – Statement from UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on situation of migrant children and families in the U.S. Stories of children, some of them just babies, being separated from their parents as they seek safety in the US are heartbreaking. Children – no matter where they come from or what […]
Children under attack at shocking scale in conflicts around the world, says UNICEF
NEW YORK, December 29, 2017 – Children in conflict zones around the world have come under attack at a shocking scale throughout the year, UNICEF warned today, with parties to conflicts blatantly disregarding international laws designed to protect the most vulnerable. “Children are being targeted and exposed to attacks and brutal violence in their homes, […]
UNICEF seeks $3.3 billion in emergency assistance for 48 million children caught up in conflict, other crises
NEW YORK/GENEVA, January 31, 2017 – 48 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. From Syria to Yemen and Iraq, from South Sudan to Nigeria, children are under direct attack, their homes, schools and communities in ruins, their […]
Only one out of six children under the age of two worldwide receives adequate nutrition – UNICEF
Oct. 14, 2016 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a new report today with the alarming statistic that five out of six children worldwide under two years old are not receiving adequate nutrition for growth and brain development. Childhood nutrition during the first two years of life is critical to development and […]
Girls spend 160 million more hours than boys doing household chores everyday – UNICEF
NEW YORK, October 11, 2016 – Girls between 5 and 14 years old spend 40 per cent more time, or 160 million more hours a day, on unpaid household chores and collecting water and firewood compared to boys their age, according to a report released by UNICEF ahead of International Day of the Girl on […]