Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake on Deaths of Aid Workers and Hospital Patients in Afghanistan

NEW YORK (October 3, 2015) – “All of us at UNICEF are shocked and saddened by the death of aid workers from Medecins Sans Frontieres and their patients, after an airstrike on a hospital in northern Afghanistan today.

“We join with the families, colleagues and friends of those who lost their lives, and of those who were injured, in mourning the loss of true heroes dedicated to making the world a better place.

“They and the humanitarian workers risking their own lives for others in some of the most dangerous places in the world deserve our unrelenting admiration.”

About UNICEFThe United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information, contact: Sophie Aziakou, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 917.720.1397, saziakou@unicefusa.org