Humanitarian action and emergencies

Political turmoil, civil unrest and increasing armed violence, crippling poverty and natural disasters: A deadly combination of threats continues to jeopardize the survival, safety and well-being of Haiti’s children. Half of the population in Haiti needs humanitarian assistance, including nearly 3 million children. But half of those in need of…, Supporting nutrition services, Haiti. A healthcare worker measures the upper arm circumference of a child at a UNICEF-supported clinic treating malnutrition in Port-au-Prince. A healthcare worker measures the upper arm circumference of a child at a UNICEF-supported clinic treating malnutrition in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Hunger and life-threatening malnutrition are at record…, Delivering health supplies, Haiti. A child receives a vaccine as part of a cholera vaccination campaign carried out in Mirebalais. A child receives a cholera vaccine, as part of the vaccination campaign, in Mirebalais, Haiti. In October 2022, Haiti declared a resurgence in cholera after more than three years without a single reported case. Malnutrition and cholera are a…, Promoting safe learning environments, Haiti. A boy opens a bag containing school supplies. A boy opens a bag containing school supplies in Morency, Haiti. Education is under attack in Haiti. Acts of armed violence against schools and school children, including shooting, ransacking, looting and kidnappings, have increased dramatically as rising insecurity and widespread unrest begin to…, Providing psychosocial support, Haiti. Families gather at a site for displaced persons in Tabarre Families gather at a site for displaced persons in Tabarre, Haiti. Kidnappings, burned houses, killings and displacement – children’s lives are under constant threat from increasing armed violence, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince. The looming threats of violence –…, Assisting with disaster recovery and preparedness, Haiti. Children play in the rubble of homes destroyed in the 2021 earthquake in Les Cayes Children play in the rubble of homes destroyed in the 2021 earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti. Two years since a powerful earthquake struck southwestern Haiti in August 2021 earthquake – causing more than 2,200 deaths, destroyed tens of thousands of homes, and…

The right to safe drinking water and sanitation is rooted in the Convention on the Rights of the Child , United Nations resolutions and the Geneva conventions. It is a right that is as critical to the survival of children as food, medical care, and protection from attack. But from State of Palestine to Ukraine, to Yemen and beyond, it is clear…, Attacks on water are attacks on children, Water resources and the systems required to deliver drinking water have been attacked for centuries. All too often, the human dependence on water has been exploited during conflict. Nearly all of the conflict-related emergencies where UNICEF has responded in recent years have involved some form of attack hindering access to water, whether directed…, Explore the reports, UNICEF launched the Water Under Fire campaign, including its Water Under Fire report , in March 2019 to draw global attention to three fundamental areas where changes are urgently needed to secure access to safe and sustainable water and sanitation in fragile contexts. As part of the campaign, it has launched three additional volumes: Vol. 1:…

Across the globe, children are facing a historic confluence of crises – from conflict and displacement to infectious disease outbreaks and soaring rates of malnutrition. Meanwhile, climate change is compounding the severity of these crises and unleashing new ones.  In a volatile world, with more children in need than ever and resources…, Afghanistan, Afghanistan. A child is points toward the camera at the inpatient ward of Wardak Provincial Hospital in Afghanistan. 10-month-old Adela points toward the camera at the inpatient ward of Wardak Provincial Hospital in Afghanistan. More than 29 million people in Afghanistan, including nearly 16 million children, cannot meet their basic needs due to…, Haiti, Haiti. Students stand together at a school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Students stand together at a school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A deadly combination of political turmoil, an upsurge in armed violence, malnutrition and skyrocketing inflation have left more people in Haiti in need than ever before. More than 5 million people – close to half of…, Türkiye, Türkiye. Sema Hosta, UNICEF Türkiye Chief of Communication, plays with a child at a UNICEF Child Friendly Space in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. Sema Hosta, UNICEF Türkiye Chief of Communication, plays with a child at a UNICEF Child Friendly Space in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. When two massive earthquakes and numerous aftershocks hit south-east Türkiye and…, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea. A boy sits by the window of a clinic. A boy sits by the window of a clinic in Papua New Guinea. Despite considerable economic growth over the past decade, significant challenges remain for Papua New Guinea’s children and their families. The country’s health system is fragile, with hundreds of thousands of children still missing…, Pakistan, Pakistan. Essential health supplies are transported by boat in Sindh Province, Pakistan, following massive flooding. Essential health supplies are transported by boat in Sindh Province, Pakistan, following massive flooding. When devastating floods ravaged Pakistan in August 2022, millions of children were left in need humanitarian assistance and…, South Sudan, South Sudan. A child sits at a transit point transit point where UNICEF is providing health, nutrition, and child protection services in Upper Nile, South Sudan. A child sits at a transit point transit point where UNICEF is providing health, nutrition, and child protection services in Upper Nile, South Sudan. Even before violence erupted in its…

The fear and upheaval that families in Sudan are facing is almost impossible to imagine. Ongoing conflict has forced tens of thousands of children and their families to leave their homes. Thousands have fled across the country’s borders in search of safety. Others have been internally displaced – their situations precarious, their futures in the…, UNICEF is supporting Sudan’s children with health and nutrition services, Sudan. A child waits for a screening at a nutrition centre in Abushok. A child waits for a screening at a nutrition centre in Abushok, Sudan. Humanitarian crises can have a devastating impact on children's health, including access to nutrition. Conflicts are often marked by limited access to nutritious, safe and affordable food as well as…, Ensuring access to safe water, Egypt. Portable toilets and water tanks are installed at the Qastal border crossing between Egypt and Sudan. Portable toilets and water tanks are installed at the Qastal border crossing between Egypt and Sudan. Water and sanitation systems are often vulnerable to attack during conflict. A lack of adequate, safe water and sanitation and hygiene…, Providing psychosocial support, Sudan. Two children walk hand-in-hand near a temporary shelter in Port Sudan. Two children walk hand-in-hand near a temporary shelter in Port Sudan. Thousands of children have experienced deeply traumatic events or have been driven from their homes in search of relative safety since the conflict erupted. Violence can take a lifelong toll on…, And helping children to keep learning – safely, Sudan. A child places a drawing on the wall of a child-friendly space in Egypt. A child places a drawing on the wall of a child-friendly space in Egypt. For children living through emergencies, education is about more than the right to learn. Schools protect children from the physical dangers around them – including abuse and exploitation. They…

ATMEH, Syria – The main road in Atmeh, a town in northwest Syria near the border with Türkiye, cuts through a busy market. It’s bustling here now, full of traders doing their best to make ends meet as they recover from the catastrophic earthquakes and aftershocks that rocked the region in early February 2023. We continue past the marketplace along…

KAHRAMANMARAŞ, Türkiye – “She must have sensed it,” Zeynep says, remembering the night before the earthquake. She says her daughter Elanur, 5, usually loves sleeping in her own bed. “She never had problems sleeping like some other kids do.”   But on this particular night Elanur decided to make up a bed on the floor. Zeynep will forever be thankful…

While the scale of catastrophe is still emerging, the impact of the earthquakes that struck Syria and Türkiye on 6 February is clear.  Tens of thousands of people died following the initial earthquakes and aftershocks, with hundreds of thousands more left facing unimaginable uncertainty and hardship. Families with children are sleeping in the…, Providing safe drinking water, children filling up water cans with clean water On 10 February 2023, children and families fill jerrycans with clean water at a distribution point in Almyassar neighbourhood, in Aleppo, Syria. The destruction of homes and vital infrastructure disrupts families’ access to safe drinking water, toilets and other sanitation facilities. Such…, Supporting health and nutrition services , Health worker measures the upper arm circumference. On 10 February 2023, four-year-old Hamzeh is screened for malnutrition by a UNICEF-supported mobile health team in Alsalheen neighbourhood, Aleppo, Syria. Numerous hospitals and medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed by the quakes. With the disruption in access to essential health…, Shipping essential supplies , Offloading of emergency supplies from an aircraft On 14 February 2023, emergency supplies shipped from UNICEF's Global Supply and Logistics Hub in Copenhagen, Denmark, arrive in Damascus, Syria, to be deployed as part of UNICEF’s response to the earthquakes. Hundreds of thousands of children and families have been left facing desperate conditions…, Providing psychosocial support , A girl with a red winter jacket stands in line with her father. A girl holds her father's hand outside a temporary shelter, days following the earthquake, in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. The earthquakes have upended the lives of millions of children across Syria and Türkiye – many of whom have lost their families, friends, homes and schools. Children…, Helping children continue their education , Children sitting on plastic chairs in a circle outside tents listening to a woman. Children receive psychosocial support and care at a temporary shelter in Gaziantep, Türkiye, on 16 February 2023. Many children who have lost their homes have also lost the safety of their schools, along with their most foundational spaces for learning. Schools…

A deadly combination of displacement, soaring malnutrition rates, conflict and disaster has left more children in need of humanitarian assistance than at any time since the Second World War . As winter weather has brought freezing temperatures and damp conditions to some parts of the world, children have been left especially exposed and vulnerable…, Ukraine, Ukraine. A family stands in the snow outside temporary housing in Irpin, outside of Kyiv. A family stands in the snow outside temporary housing in Irpin, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. Months of escalating conflict have left millions of children in Ukraine vulnerable to biting winds and frigid temperatures. Hundreds of thousands of people have seen…, Pakistan, Pakistan. Children sit alongside floodwaters in Dadu District, Sindh Province. Children sit alongside floodwaters in Dadu District, Sindh Province, Pakistan. The rains that brought historic flooding to large swathes of Pakistan in 2022 may have ended, but the crisis for children has not. Millions of girls and boys remain in need of immediate,…, Afghanistan, Afghanistan. Children play in a village in Chaghcharan District in Ghor Province in central Afghanistan. Children play in a village in Chaghcharan District in Ghor Province in central Afghanistan. Decades of conflict, combined with a deteriorating economic situation, drought, food insecurity, and recurring floods have left millions of Afghanistan’…, Syria, Syria. A baby smiles as she is held by her mother as the family waits to receive a winter kit, distributed by UNICEF, in northeast Syria. A baby smiles as she is held by her mother as the family waits to receive a winter kit, distributed by UNICEF, in northeast Syria. More than a decade of humanitarian crises and hostilities has left children in…, Global Humanitarian Thematic Funding, Flexible funding makes it possible for UNICEF to deliver assistance to the most vulnerable families when and where it is needed and in a timely and effective manner. In some places, this includes winterization cash top-ups provided at the start of winter for households to access essential winter items for children. Read more about flexible funding…

1 January 2023 Today, there are more children in need of humanitarian assistance than at any other time since the Second World War. Across the globe, children and their families are facing a deadly mix of crises, from conflict and displacement to disease outbreaks and soaring rates of malnutrition. Meanwhile, climate change is making these crises…, South Sudan, South Sudan. A boy wades through floodwaters in Jonglei State. A boy wades through floodwaters in Jonglei State in South Sudan. Unprecedented flooding in South Sudan has taken a devastating toll on families. Crops have been destroyed, grazing spaces for cattle and other livestock have been submerged and families have been forced to flee their…, Yemen, Yemen. A boy eats from a sachet of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food at a therapeutic feeding centre in Raymah governorate, Yemen. A boy eats from a sachet of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food at a therapeutic feeding centre in Raymah governorate, Yemen. After eight years of conflict, the systems that Yemen’s families depend on remain on the edge of total…, Haiti, Haiti. A child is weighed at an outreach clinic near the town of Camp-Perrin in Haiti before receiving multiple vaccines. A child is weighed before receiving multiple vaccines at an outreach clinic near Camp-Perrin, Haiti. Political turmoil, civil unrest and gang violence, crippling poverty and natural disasters: A deadly combination of threats…, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. A woman who fled her home when fighting broke out in a village in North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, collects water outside a school in the province. A woman who fled her home when fighting broke out in a village in North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, collects water outside a…, Pakistan, Pakistan. A girl fills a bucket that was included in a hygiene kit distributed by UNICEF at a water point at a camp in Sindh Province, Pakistan. A girl fills a bucket that was included in a hygiene kit distributed by UNICEF at a water point at a camp in Sindh Province, Pakistan. The rains that brought historic flooding to much of Pakistan in 2022…, Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso. A girl plays at a UNICEF-supported child-friendly space in Wedbare, Centre-Nord Region, Burkina Faso. A girl plays at a UNICEF-supported child-friendly space in Wedbare, Centre-Nord Region, Burkina Faso. Political fragility, the impacts of climate change and economic and health crises have contributed to the internal displacement of…, Myanmar, Myanmar. A UNICEF health and nutrition specialist talks to a woman holding her baby during a counseling session on nutrition in eastern Shan State, Myanmar. A UNICEF health and nutrition specialist talks to a woman holding her baby during a counseling session on nutrition in eastern Shan State, Myanmar. Deepening civil conflict in Myanmar…, State of Palestine, A girl stands in the kitchen at her family home. Her family received child-focused social protection and cash assistance for families with children that were affected by the May 2021 escalation in the Gaza Strip. A girl stands in the kitchen at her family home. Her family received child-focused social protection and cash assistance for families…, Bangladesh, Bangladesh. Rohingya girls study the Myanmar curriculum at a UNICEF learning centre in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. Rohingya girls study the Myanmar curriculum at a UNICEF learning centre in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. As the Rohingya refugee crisis enters its fifth year, Bangladesh still hosts hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who…, Syria, Syria. A girl draws at an early childhood classroom at a school in Homs City, Syria. A girl draws at an early childhood classroom at a school in Homs City, Syria. More than a decade of humanitarian crises and hostilities has left children in Syria facing one of the most complex emergencies in the world . Two thirds of the population require…, Kenya, Kenya. People collect water at a water point powered by a solar-powered pump installed by UNICEF in Garissa, Kenya. People collect water at a water point powered by a solar-powered pump installed by UNICEF in Garissa, Kenya. Four failed rainy seasons in a row have left Kenya experiencing its worst drought in 40 years. Without water, crops cannot…

Destroyed infrastructure and freezing weather leave Ukraine’s children facing an uncertain future

Afghanistan is home to one of the most crushing humanitarian crises in the world. After decades of conflict, Afghans have been cut off from the global community, left to grapple with economic collapse, climate disasters and human rights violations not of their own making. Every day, millions of children venture into the streets, fields and mines…, UNICEF on the ground, The challenges facing humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan are many. The reasons to persist are more. Millions of families struggle to receive the health care and nutrition their children need. With support from partners, UNICEF is preventing the collapse of the health system and treating children at risk of malnutrition. We’ve paid salaries…, Our impact, UNICEF works day in and day out, in some of the hardest-to-reach areas, to serve more children in Afghanistan than any other organization. But we can’t do it alone. With thanks to our donors and partners, we commit to making a difference together., Learn more about UNICEF in Afghanistan

The scale of the devastation caused by historic monsoon rains in Pakistan is difficult to comprehend. Around 33 million people have been impacted by the ‘super floods’ – the worst flooding in more than a century – which have left at least 3.4 million children in need of life-saving support.   Young children are living in temporary shelters or out…, 1. Delivering safe water and hygiene supplies , The second wave of the disaster is already hitting hard with outbreaks of watery diarrhoea, typhoid and malaria now increasing rapidly as millions of people sleep in temporary shelters or in the open near stagnating water. Many people are forced to drink contaminated water and practice open defecation. The dangers of mosquitoes, snakebites, skin,…, 2. Supporting good nutrition , The floods impacted parts of Pakistan where children already suffered some of the highest rates of chronic and acute malnutrition. In some areas 40 per cent of children already suffered from stunting, caused by chronic undernutrition, before the floods hit. Increases in diarrhoea and decreased access to food following the floods are compounding…, 3. Helping children access learning , Thousands of schools across the country have been damaged or destroyed due to the floods, compounding the disruption to learning many children experienced during COVID-19 pandemic school closures.  Pakistan. Children walk past their damaged school in Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Children walk past their damaged school in Balochistan Province,…, 4. Providing psychosocial support , Any emergency on this scale increases risks for children, undermining their resilience and psychosocial wellbeing and leaving many in shock and experiencing severe distress from having witnessed the devastation, lost their loved ones, their homes, and cherished possessions.  Pakistan. A man uses a satellite dish to move children across a flooded…