Press Releases
Child found floating alone in the sea, wearing a life jacket made of tire tubes, after 44 other passengers on her boat believed to have drowned
NEW YORK (December 12, 2024) – "An 11-year-old girl was rescued yesterday from a shipwreck off the coast of Italy’s Lampedusa. All 44 other people on board, including women and children, are believed...
Birth registration steadily increases worldwide, but 150 million children still ‘invisible’ - UNICEF
NEW YORK (December 11, 2024) – Over 500 million – or close to 8 in 10 - children under five have had their births registered in the last five years, reflecting notable strides in securing legal...
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the impact of the situation in Syria on children
NEW YORK (December 8, 2024) – “With the situation in Syria rapidly evolving, UNICEF reiterates the UN Secretary-General’s appeal for calm, to refrain from violence, and to protect the rights of all...
Statement by UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Edouard Beigbeder, on the killing of children in Nuseirat and Al Mawasi, Gaza
NEW YORK (December 6, 2024) – “ In a single day of bloodshed, children in different parts of the Gaza strip were reportedly killed while sheltering inside their tents or desperately queueing for a...
Remarks by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell at the launch of UNICEF’s 2025 Humanitarian Action for Children Appeal
NEW YORK (December 5, 2024) - “Excellencies, colleagues … welcome to the launch of UNICEF’s 2025 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal. “Let me start by thanking you – UNICEF’s friends and donors –...
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Ishmael Beah meets children and young people trapped in world’s biggest child displacement crisis
NEW YORK (December 5, 2024) – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Ishmael Beah travelled to Sudan this week to meet with children and families affected by the conflict that has devastated the country for the...
UNICEF appeals for US $9.9 billion in humanitarian funding to support children affected by conflict and crisis in increasingly volatile world
NEW YORK (December 5, 2024) – UNICEF launched a US$ 9.9 billion funding appeal today to reach 109 million children across 146 countries with lifesaving aid in 2025. The funds will be utilized in...
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on reported restrictions on Afghan women’s education in medical faculties
NEW YORK (December 4, 2024) – “I am deeply alarmed by reports that the de facto authorities in Afghanistan plan to ban women from studying in medical faculties, including fields critical to the health...
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell's remarks at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine
NEW YORK (December 4, 2024) – "Excellencies. Thank you Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield for bringing us together to speak about the consequences of the war in Ukraine on the lives of children, their...
Statement by UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Edouard Beigbeder on the recent escalation of violence in Northwest Syria
NEW YORK (December 2, 2024) – “I am deeply alarmed by the recent escalation of hostilities in northwest Syria, which has reportedly resulted in the tragic killing of at least seven children and...