Press Release

UNICEF Scales up Humanitarian Assistance to Iraqi Children

NEW YORK (June 25, 2014) Clean water and hygiene are at the center of UNICEF’s humanitarian response for children and families affected by the on-going conflict in Iraq. The latest crisis, which began on June 11, resulted in the displacement of an estimated 500,000 people, half of them children. 

In recent days, UNICEF has led missions to support local authorities with immediate assessments and provision of lifesaving interventions. UNICEF teams reached children and families in Sinjar and Tel Keif, only a few kilometers away from the front-lines in Mosul. So far, UNICEF has delivered more than 70,000 liters of drinking water, 5,000 food parcels and 3,500 hygiene kits, in addition to recreation material for approximately 15,000 children, many of who belong to minorities who are particularly vulnerable.

On Sunday, a joint mission led by UNICEF with IOM and UNHCR reached Kirkuk, where discussions with mayors and leaders at the provincial level outlined immediate actions for providing similar assistance over the coming days.

“UNICEF is gaining access to children in hard-to-reach areas, including many from underserved minorities. In particular, we are encouraged by having reached thousands of children in disputed territories with lifesaving interventions,” said Dr. Marzio Babille, UNICEF Iraq Representative.

At the same time, Babille stressed that with the political and humanitarian situation in Iraq still evolving rapidly, there was much more to be done.

“This crisis is stretching our humanitarian efforts and financial resources to the maximum,” said Babille. “We are grateful to all our donors who have provided support, but we clearly need much more to be able to provide sufficient aid to children and their families, and we look to the generosity of the international community for that.”

The recent crisis in Iraq comes in the midst of other challenges facing the country, including a mass displacement of population from western Anbar province, the re-emergence of polio after 14 years and an influx of refugees from neighboring Syria. The increasingly complex situation is putting additional strain on host families whose financial resources are dwindling by the day. Fuel shortages are impacting the delivery of basic services, including the pumping of water and electricity, while prices of basic commodities continue to rise. The poorest communities, including those displaced, are particularly impacted.

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About UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to save and improve children’s lives, 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 zero children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org

For additional information, please contact:

Susannah Masur, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.880.9146, smasur@unicefusa.org