Humanitarian action and emergencies

Political turmoil, civil unrest, violence, crippling poverty and natural disasters: This deadly combination is jeopardizing the well-being and future of Haiti’s children. More than 3 million children – the highest number on record in Haiti – require humanitarian support.   Despite the insecure and volatile environment, UNICEF is working with…, Donate to support UNICEF’s work for Haiti’s children, Recent news and features, What’s happening in Haiti?, Even before the current crisis, Haiti was the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, having experienced decades of inadequate basic services and a lack of human capital development, combined with extremely high inequality, marginalization and social exclusion.   These challenges have been compounded by the proliferation of armed groups who are…, Haiti crisis snapshot, How is the crisis affecting children in Haiti?, A woman looks up to the side while cradling her baby in her arms. Children and families are enduring relentless waves of brutal violence perpetrated by armed groups. Each day brings new horrors, the loss of loved ones, homes destroyed, and an ever-present shadow of fear. Children are being killed or injured on their way to school, while women and…, How is UNICEF helping children in Haiti?, A boy smiling brightly sticks his hand into a black school bag with the UNICEF logo that he is holding in his lap. Despite the highly volatile environment, UNICEF is stepping up efforts to protect families and provide life-saving support, including for those who are trapped and cut off from essential services. Together with the Government and…, Donate to support UNICEF’s work for Haiti’s children

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti –“It used to be very calm in my neighbourhood,” says 9-year-old Jean* as he recalls how life used to be in the Savane Pistache area of the capital, Port-au-Prince. “I could go to school. I could visit the doctor when I was sick. I could play with my friends. And I could eat as much as I wanted.” “But everything changed…

Humanitarian Action is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate to realize the rights of every child. This edition of  Humanitarian Action for Children  – UNICEF’s annual humanitarian fundraising appeal – describes the ongoing crises affecting children in Armenia; the strategies that we are using to respond to these situations; and the donor support that…, Appeal highlights, Between 24 September 2023 and 31 March 2024, the Government of Armenia registered 115,243 ethnic Armenian refugees, including an estimated 36,000 children who fled due an escalation of hostilities. They joined around 26,700 people displaced during the 2020 conflict.  Given continuing humanitarian needs of affected children and families uprooted…, Key planned targets for 2023-2024, Child protection icon 35,000 children/caregivers accessing community-based mental health and psychosocial support Education icon 25,000 children accessing formal or non-formal education, including early learning Social inclusion icon 11,500 households reached with UNICEF-funded humanitarian cash transfers (including for social protetion and other…, Funding requirements for 2023-2024, Country needs and strategy, Humanitarian needs Humanitarian needs, Between 24 September 2023 and 31 March 2024, the Government of Armenia registered 115,243 ethnic Armenian refugees, including an estimated 36,000 children, who fled their home communities in the months preceding and then following an escalation of hostilities in late September 2023. Nearly 75 percent of this population live in Yerevan and…, UNICEF's strategy UNICEF’s strategy, Under the leadership of the Government of Armenia and in close collaboration with other humanitarian partners, UNICEF is committed to enhancing existing systems to address critical gaps and ensure sustained humanitarian services to cover ongoing needs of refugee children, their caregivers, and vulnerable children in host communities, abiding by…, Programme targets, Find out more about UNICEF's work, October 2023, 2024 Revision 1 (April 2024) www.unicef.org/appeals HumanitarianAction for Children ArmeniaHIGHLIGHTS Between 24 September 2023 and 31 March 2024, the Government of Armenia registered 115,243 ethnic Armenian refugees, including an estimated 36,000 children1 who fled due an escalation of hostilities. They joined around 26,700 people2 displaced…

Humanitarian Action is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate to realize the rights of every child. This edition of  Humanitarian Action for Children  – UNICEF’s annual humanitarian fundraising appeal – describes the ongoing crises affecting children in South Sudan; the strategies that we are using to respond to these situations; and the donor support …, Appeal highlights, In 2024, South Sudan faces profound humanitarian crises, compounded by the returnee and refugee influx from the Sudan conflict. Urgent assistance is needed for nine million people, including 4.9 million children, 2.2 million women, and 1.4 million individuals with disabilities.  Conflict, insecurity, epidemic outbreaks, protracted flooding,…, Key planned targets, Health icon 720,000 people affected by health emergencies reached with primary health care services Nutrition icon 397,292 children with severe wasting admitted for treatment Child protection icon 82,500 children/caregivers accessing community-based mental health and psychosocial support Wash icon 700,000 people accessing a sufficient quantity and…, Funding requirements for 2024, Country needs and strategy, Humanitarian needs Humanitarian needs, South Sudan will face a complex year in 2024, with growing humanitarian needs, hyperinflation and significant aid cuts. The political environment is fragile, with attention focused on fulfilling the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (2018),and hosting the country's first elections in December.…, UNICEF's strategy UNICEF’s strategy, UNICEF will assist the most vulnerable women and children in the hardest-to-reach areas, aligned to the country’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. Innovative, multi-sector approaches to assistance are expected to save lives, alleviate suffering, maintain dignity and protect children's rights. Priority will be given to programmes addressing…, Programme targets, Find out more about UNICEF's work, April 2024, 2024 Revision 1 (April 2024) www.unicef.org/appeals/south-sudan HumanitarianAction for Children South SudanHIGHLIGHTS1 In 2024, South Sudan faces profound humanitarian crises, compounded by the returnee and refugee influx from the Sudan conflict. Urgent assistance is needed for nine million people, including 4.9 million children, 2.2 million women…

From widespread killing, maiming, abduction and sexual violence to recruitment into armed forces and groups and strikes on schools and hospitals, as well as essential water facilities – children living in conflict zones around the world continue to come under attack on a shocking scale.  To better monitor, prevent, and end these attacks, the…, 1. Killing and maiming of children, Killing and maiming of children can be a result of direct targeting or indirect actions, including torture. Killing and maiming can occur through crossfire, landmines, cluster munitions, improvised or other indiscriminate explosive devices or even in the context of military operations, house demolitions, search-and-arrest campaigns, or suicide…, 2. Recruitment or use of children in armed forces and armed groups, Recruitment or use of children in armed forces and armed groups refers to compulsory, forced, or voluntary conscription or enlistment of children into any kind of armed force or armed group. The use of boys and girls by armed forces or armed groups can be in any capacity, including as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers and spies, or when they…, 3. Attacks on schools or hospitals, Attacks on schools or hospitals include the targeting of schools or medical facilities that cause the total or partial destruction of such facilities. Schools and hospitals should be protected spaces, where children are safe even in times of conflict, yet continued attacks on such facilities have underscored the catastrophic impact of armed…, 4. Rape or other grave sexual violence, Conflict-related sexual violence remains one of the most disturbing violation of children’s rights and has often been used as a tactic of war. Rape or other grave sexual violence includes acts of rape, other sexual violence, sexual slavery and/or trafficking, enforced prostitution, forced marriage or pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or sexual…, 5. Abduction of children, Abduction of children refers to the unlawful removal, seizure, capture, apprehension, or enforced disappearance of a child either temporarily or permanently. Whether it’s an intentional act of violence or retaliation, to instill fear among populations, or to forcibly recruit and/or sexually abuse children, abduction is one of the most pervasive…, 6. Denial of humanitarian access for children, Denial of humanitarian access for children includes the intentional deprivation or impediment of humanitarian assistance essential for children’s survival by parties to the conflict, including willfully impeding the ability of humanitarian or other relevant actors to access and assist affected children in situations of armed conflict.  Warring…, What UNICEF is doing , Lebanon. A Syrian refugee holds a box of supplies. A Syrian refugee holds a box of supplies in Lebanon. UNICEF and partners are continuing to provide care and protection for children living through war, advocating on their behalf, and engaging with all parties to conflict to ensure their rights are upheld. In addition to providing emergency and…

The war in the Gaza Strip is weighing heavily on young people – on their day-to-day lives and also their hopes for the future. Marwa, a fourth-year medical student at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, wants to become a surgeon – a dream that like so many others is now on hold.  She spoke with UNICEF a few months ago, and although her family has been…, Part 1: Sometimes I feel it’s driving me mad, Marwa describes a typical day with her family, how the war has made her feel, and why it’s sometimes impossible to get any sleep. It’s not death that we fear. It’s surviving death. Click play for audio experience Listen to Part 1 by Marwa Transcript Transcript “Every day, we wake up at 5 a.m. My brothers bring us water from the nearby houses in…, Part 2: Praying that it doesn’t rain, In the second exchange with UNICEF, Marwa shares the challenges her family have experienced during their most recent evacuation since the fighting escalated in October 2023. It rained so much that night. I can’t imagine how it would have been like if we slept in the street. Click play for audio experience Listen to Part 2 by Marwa Transcript…, Part 3: A hurricane of feelings, In the third conversation, Marwa describes the emotions she has been experiencing since the war erupted. Marwa with her family UNICEF Click play for audio experience Listen to Part 3 by Marwa Transcript Transcript UNICEF I entered medical school because I wanted to save people’s lives. Now, I’m helpless to save even the lives of the people I love…

Climate change is disrupting weather patterns, leading to more frequent and more intense extreme weather events, unpredictable water availability, exacerbating water scarcity and contaminating water supplies. Such impacts can drastically affect the quantity and quality of water that children need to survive. Today, a change in climate is felt…

Humanitarian Action is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate to realize the rights of every child. This edition of  Humanitarian Action for Children  – UNICEF’s annual humanitarian fundraising appeal – describes the ongoing crises affecting children in the State of Palestine; the strategies that we are using to respond to these situations; and the donor…, Appeal highlights, More than 1.4 million children in the State of Palestine have humanitarian needs, with over one million children in the Gaza Strip and 421,000 children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Among them, out of the 1.7 million people estimated to be internally displaced in the Gaza Strip, 850,000 are children. Between 7 October 2023 and 9…, Key planned results for 2024, Health icon 780,000 people supported through UNICEF delivered medical supplies Nutrition icon 523,796 children and women supported with micro-nutrient supplementation Child protection icon 860,800 children, adolescents and caregivers affected by conflict related violence receive emergency and child protection service including MHPSS Wash icon 2.1…, Funding requirements for 2024, Country needs and strategy, Humanitarian needs Humanitarian needs, It is estimated that over three million people require humanitarian assistance in the State of Palestine (2.2 million Gaza Strip; 900,000 West Bank, including East Jerusalem). As a result of 7 October event in Israel and the escalation of the conflict, children in the Gaza Strip are facing the 'triple threat’ of conflict, disease, and malnutrition…, UNICEF's strategy UNICEF’s strategy, Despite the extremely challenging context, UNICEF is committed to continue to deliver gender-responsive humanitarian WASH, health, nutrition, child protection, education and cash for basic needs programming at scale. Strategic priorities include a multi-sectoral nutrition response to prevent, protect, early detect, and treat children with wasting…, Programme targets, Find out more about UNICEF's work, February 2024, 2024 Revision 2 (February 2024) www.unicef.org/appeals/state-of-palestine HumanitarianAction for Children State of PalestineHIGHLIGHTS1 More than 1.4 million children in the State of Palestine have humanitarian needs, with over one million children in the Gaza Strip and 421,000 children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Among them, out…

Months of escalating conflict have turned the Gaza Strip into the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.   Every child across Gaza has been exposed to deeply distressing events, witnessing horrors that no child should. Around 1.7 million people are estimated to have been internally displaced by the violence, half of them children.…

Humanitarian Action is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate to realize the rights of every child. This edition of  Humanitarian Action for Children  – UNICEF’s annual humanitarian fundraising appeal – describes the ongoing crises affecting children in Somalia; the strategies that we are using to respond to these situations; and the donor support that…, Appeal highlights, In addition to climatic shocks, people in Somalia continue to experience conflict, disease outbreaks and poverty. In 2024, humanitarian assistance is required for 6.9 million people, including 4.3 million children. The nutritional status of 1.5 million children under the age of 5 remains concerning, with acute wasting projected until July 2024.…, Key planned targets, Health icon 1.2 million children and women accessing primary health care Nutrition icon 280,421 children with severe wasting admitted for treatment Education icon 297,000 children accessing formal or non-formal education, including early learning Wash icon 2.1 million people people reached with hygiene promotion activities and hygiene kits, Funding requirements for 2024, Country needs and strategy, Humanitarian needs Humanitarian needs, Ongoing conflict, instability, droughts, floods and disease outbreaks have led to about 6.9 million Somalis, including 3.5 million women and girls and 310,000 people with disabilities, needing immediate humanitarian assistance in 2024. This is a 17 per cent reduction from 2023, due to reduced food insecurity and malnutrition. Nonetheless, 4.3…, UNICEF's strategy UNICEF’s strategy, UNICEF works with the government, civil society organizations, United Nations agencies, and the private sector at the federal and subnational levels to ensure risk-informed essential social service provisions. A key partner in coordinating the humanitarian response in Somalia, UNICEF leads the Nutrition Cluster in partnership with the World Food…, Programme targets, Find out more about UNICEF's work, January 2024, 2024 Revision 1 (January 2024) www.unicef.org/appeals/somalia HumanitarianAction for Children SomaliaHIGHLIGHTS In addition to climatic shocks, people in Somalia continue to experience conflict, disease outbreaks and poverty. In 2024, humanitarian assistance is required for 6.9 million people, including 4.3 million children. The nutritional status…

The climate crisis is affecting children everywhere – their lives, their communities and their health. Bangladesh – densely populated and with mostly flat and low-lying terrain – is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather, rising sea levels, and devastating floods. One in three children in…, Rohim, 12, Bangladesh. A boy poses with his arms folded at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496641/Nihab “I want to be a scientist, because they invent things to help people…, Bushara, 10, Bangladesh. A girl poses at a Multi-Purpose Centre at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496633/Nihab “I want to be a teacher to help my family.”, Ayat, 12, Bangladesh. A boy poses for the camera at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496629/Nihab “I want to help out the community.”, Sadiya, 12, Bangladesh. A girl poses at a Multi-Purpose Centre at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496631/Nihab “I want to be a teacher to share the knowledge I’m getting…, Mohammad, 10, Bangladesh. A boy poses at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496630/Nihab “I want to be a religious scholar. And a doctor. And an engineer!”, Abdul, 13, Bangladesh. A boy poses with his arms folded at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496628/Nihab “I want to be a doctor.”, Jainana, 10, Bangladesh. A girl poses at a Multi-Purpose Centre at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496635/Nihab “I want to be a teacher and I want to travel.”, Mohammad, 12, Bangladesh. A Rohingya refugee child poses at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496640/Nihab “I want to be a teacher.”, Tasmin, 9, Bangladesh. A girl poses at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496636/Nihab “I want to teach English and Burmese.”, Shohida, 12, Bangladesh. A child’s drawing on the theme of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is pictured at a Multi-Purpose Centre in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF/UNI496632/Nihab “I want to be a doctor. I’ll manage to somehow.”, Climate change is changing children everywhere, The climate crisis is not just changing the planet, it is changing children. Children’s bodies and minds are uniquely vulnerable to pollution, deadly diseases and extreme weather, and they are disproportionately affected by the impacts of disasters, environmental degradation and the climate crisis. Children are not simply inheritors of our…, More about the Rohingya crisis, Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugee children have spent six years in exile from their home country after fleeing violence in Myanmar. Many of them have been born into this limbo. UNICEF has been on the ground in the refugee camps in Bangladesh from day one. And we are still there, working with partners for every Rohingya refugee child who…

More than three months of escalating conflict, killing and bombardments have left families in Gaza reeling. Each day, children face the risk of death from the sky, disease from lack of safe water, and dangerous shortages of food. Thousands of children have died and thousands more are left confronting a deadly triple threat of conflict, disease,…, Safety, Gaza Strip. A boy walks over the rubble of his destroyed home in Gaza City. A boy walks over the rubble of his destroyed home in Gaza City. Nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip. The ongoing conflict means that it’s incredibly difficult for UNICEF and partners to move safely across the Gaza Strip and to gain access to children and families in need.…, Logistics, Gaza Strip. People walk past destroyed buildings in the centre of Gaza City. People walk past destroyed buildings in the centre of Gaza City. There aren’t enough trucks and there isn’t enough fuel to operate those that are available. Trucks carrying relief must undergo multiple layers of inspection before entering the Gaza Strip, but the…, Restrictions on commercial goods , Supplies of everyday essentials aren’t getting in to replenish markets. Without the ability to produce or import food, the entire population of Gaza relies on aid to survive. The United Nations, international aid agencies and non-governmental organizations have managed to deliver limited assistance in Gaza, but humanitarian aid alone cannot meet…