Europe and Central Asia

“The 12-year-old boy arrived in Kapan with his grandfather and mother. They had a relative in the area where they could stay. We talked with the child while his mother was busy with the registration paperwork. He eagerly shared stories about his friends, but there was a moment of sadness when he mentioned not knowing their whereabouts. It became…

In times without peace, it is children who bear the heaviest burden. This rings true for the 30,000 children who fled their homes after the escalation of hostilities in their home communities. Within a weekend, they had left behind everything they had ever known. Now, living as refugees in Armenia, they face the challenge of rebuilding their…

Warsaw, 18 May, 2023 – More than 60 per cent of Ukrainian refugee mothers in Poland are experiencing high or severe levels of distress according to the results of a survey by the UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland. The survey also found that 53 per cent had considered getting, or had already accessed, mental health support since arriving in…

Parents are central to providing the support and sense of safety and security that children need during times of crisis. Many parents are concerned with how best to help their children. Some may be struggling to deal with their own responses and emotions.  , The following tips may guide parents to help their children cope after a distressing event., 1. Reassure children that they are safe and are being taken care of Reassurances may need to be repeated frequently, even after the immediate event has passed. Most important, spending extra time with your child can also help them to feel safe. Show your children that you care about them, for example, by being affectionate, smiling, telling them…, The following tips may help parents take care of themselves, 1. Allow yourself time to heal Allow yourself time and space to experience and express your feelings about what happened. Be patient with yourself, as it is normal after a terrifying or stressful event to experience mood fluctuations, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, and disrupted sleep or appetite, among other reactions. Remember,…

Following eight years of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, at dawn on 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation launched a military incursion across the country. The event displaced millions in search of safety, protection, and humanitarian assistance, creating the fastest growing refugee emergency since World War II. By the end of March 2022,…, Meeting the needs and priorities of beneficiaries and stakeholders 1. UNICEF adopted a twin-track approach to expanding its country presence, undertaking strategic advocacy and negotiation at national level in parallel with programmatic activity on the ground. Its strategic narrative of the Child Protection dimensions of the crisis was…, Conclusions , Overall, the evaluation finds that UNICEF’s response to the regional refugee crisis was swiftly executed, effective and appropriate for context. Prioritising response delivery through national systems and placing the ‘best interests of [every] child’ at the heart of the response, helped built its reputation as a principled and impartial actor.…, Recommendations, Corporate, Extend links to political and security intelligence systems. Review UNICEF’s emergency response model for middle- and high-income settings/protracted crises. (in line with findings from the Humanitarian Review and COVID-19 evaluation) Build emergency capacity across UNICEF, including for national staff in contexts with low emergency propensity.…, Regional, At regional level, interpret the CCCs for this context. Generate a clear corporate statement and position on gender in the response. (in line with the Humanitarian Review) Centralise lesson learning in the response, building on the coordination meetings now being held. Build emergency preparedness, geared to an ethos of systems-strengthening into…, Evaluation of UNICEFs Response to Support the Influx of Refugees from Ukraine Final Report | March 2023 ii Evaluation of UNICEFs Response to Support the Influx of Refugees from Ukraine | Final Report, 2023 The statements in this publication are the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the policies or the views of UNICEF. The…

Mayors from across Europe and Central Asia region have pledged support to make their municipalities work better for children and young people. UNICEF has partnered with these municipalities and local authorities to prioritize: More disaggregated data and evidence on the most vulnerable and marginalized children, and the neighborhoods in which they…

I was about to give my Scout promise and officially receive my neckerchief in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. But the war broke out, and my mom and I immediately decided to leave the country. I was very excited to continue my journey in Scouting and felt extremely sad to think it wouldn’t have been possible anymore. I loved Scouting. We arrived in…

Almaty/Geneva, 4 October 2019 – UNICEF’s Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) today announced the start of a joint programme, “Strengthening Local and National Capacities for Emergency Preparedness and Response in High Earthquake Risk Countries of Central…