Malnutrition

NEW YORK, 21 September 2022 — Governments, philanthropies, and private donors have pledged approximately US$577 million since July in response to the deepening child malnutrition crisis – with at least 60 per cent of that amount committed to directly supporting UNICEF’s work. Roughly US$280 million of the over half billion raised was pledged today…

The number of children living in food and nutrition insecurity is rising because of the intersecting crisis of conflict, climate induced drought and the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic.  UNICEF’s No Time to Waste Acceleration Plan 2022–2023 aims to reach over 26 million children and women with a package of essential maternal and child…

Conflict, climate change and poverty are driving massive humanitarian crises, leaving millions at risk of famine. Children are the most vulnerable during periods of famine and extreme food insecurity, facing a greater likelihood of severe malnutrition and death. These crises also produce irreversible, life-long consequences for children, leading…, How UNICEF is helping, UNICEF’s support to children and their families includes immediate lifesaving interventions and building resilience over the long term. Included in these are: Working with partners on building resilience for communities affected by high or extremely high water vulnerability, in part through groundwater extraction. Drilling for reliable sources of…

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and conflict, the world is currently experiencing an unprecedented food and nutrition crisis. The 15 countries worst affected by the crisis account for 8 million children with severe wasting and 27 million children living in severe food insecurity. Further, in these 15 countries an estimated 40…

Consecutive years of below-average rainfall in the Horn of Africa have created one of the worst climate-related emergencies of the past 40 years. The protracted drought is forcing families to leave their homes in search of food and water, putting their health, safety and education at risk. Over 20 million people, including 10 million children, in…, Forced to abandon home, 10-year-old Hibo carries water in a jerrycan to her temporary home in an IDP camp in Somalia 10-year-old Hibo carries water in a jerrycan to her temporary home in a camp for internally displaced people in Somalia. “We left our home in Guriel and walked for 10 days to reach Kaharey camp," she says. The scale of the displacement is immense – Somalia…, Daily life rationed, Hafsa Bedel, a mother of six, is struggling to save the lives of her young camels. Hafsa Bedel, a mother of six, is struggling to save the lives of her young camels in Ethiopia. Having already lost 25 livestock, she keeps them close to home for fear of them not finding food and water. “I can’t afford to feed them corn. We don’t even have enough…, A question of survival, Muna holds her baby Sukra in a UNICEF-supported Stabilisation Centre treating children with malnutrition in Somalia. Baby Sukra at a UNICEF-supported centre where children are treated for malnutrition in Somalia. Poor access to safe water jeopardizes a child’s chance of survival. Water scarcity increases the risk of diarrhoea, a major killer of…, Education on hold, Drought is affecting school attendance in the affected areas. Overall, 15 million children in the Horn of Africa are now out of school and an additional estimated 3.3 million children are at risk of dropping out due to drought.   Abdurazak Mohammed, a sixth grader, takes his donkeys back home at dusk Abdurazak Mohammed, a sixth grader, takes his…, Responding to the crisis, UNICEF and partners are providing life-saving services to children and their families in dire need across the Horn of Africa. We are on the ground providing essential health, nutrition, education and child protection services. To provide longer term solutions, we’re working to improve access to climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene…, What needs to happen, UNICEF has launched a regional call to action to address the drought crisis. If immediate funding needs are met, life-saving support may avert catastrophic consequences. But recurrent droughts and increasing water insecurity need long-term investments in water, sanitation and hygiene services, water management, and climate-proof infrastructure. …

PORT-AU-PRINCE, 5 August 2022 - An upsurge in gang-related violence has shut access to health services across some urban areas in Haiti, leaving one in 20 children living in Cité Soleil - a violence-ravaged commune in Port-au-Prince - at risk of dying from severe acute malnutrition, UNICEF warned today. According to latest available data from…

SOMALI REGION, ETHIOPIA, 19 July 2022 – Four consecutive failed rainy seasons have brought on severe drought in Ethiopia’s lowland regions of Afar, Oromia, the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ (SNNPR) and Somali regions. Water wells have dried up and millions of livestock have died, resulting in mass displacement. “The impact of the…

WASHINGTON, D.C., 18 July 2022 – "Thank you, Henrietta [Fore] for your friendship and for your leadership on this critical issue. "I also want to thank Administrator Power and our friends at CSIS and the Eleanor Crook Foundation for bringing us together today – and for taking urgent action to address the growing global nutrition crisis. "We are…

ROME/NEW YORK, 6 July 2022 - The number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (1), according to a United Nations report that provides fresh evidence that the world is moving further away from its goal of…

BERLIN, 24 June 2022 – "Excellencies, Colleagues, Friends, "It is an honor to join you today – at an urgent moment for the world’s most vulnerable children. "From UNICEF’s perspective, it is a crisis like no other. The COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, and climate change are creating the conditions for severe food insecurity, now exacerbated by the…

ROME, 23 June 2022 – "Board President Ashan, Executive Director Beasley, Excellencies, Friends, "Thank you. I am honored to join you today and humbled by what I have heard. "I am very happy to be in Rome – home to the three most important global food and agriculture organizations: WFP, FAO, and IFAD. Individually and collectively, you are helping…

NEW YORK, 23 June 2022 — Almost 8 million children under 5 in 15 crisis-hit countries are at risk of death from severe wasting unless they receive immediate therapeutic food and care – with the number rising by the minute, UNICEF warned today as world leaders prepare to meet at the G7 summit.   Since the start of the year, the escalating global…