Niger Appeal

Niger continues to face a complex and protracted humanitarian crisis driven by insecurity, climate shocks, population displacement and structural vulnerabilities. An estimated 3.9 million people, including 2.6 million children, require urgent humanitarian assistance. Extreme climate events such as droughts and floods have placed Niger seventh out of 163 countries on the Children’s Climate Risk Index and 171 out of 187 on the ND-GAIN Index. In 2026, it is anticipated that more than 2.4 million people – 8.6 per cent of the total population – will experience severe food insecurity. As of October 2025, the country was hosting 432,000 refugees and asylum seekers and about 460,000 internally displaced persons, further straining already limited services. Security challenges persist, particularly in border areas with Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Nigeria, where armed groups continue to undermine stability and reverse development gains. 

The health system is under severe pressure. Insecurity and population movements have led to the closure or minimal functioning of several health facilities, significantly reducing people's access to essential care. These disruptions have contributed to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. 

Malnutrition remains a critical public health emergency. According to the 2025 SMART survey, the prevalence of global acute malnutrition is estimated at 11.1 per cent (considered serious according to the World Health Organization classification system), while wasting stands at 2.8 per cent prevalence (considered emergency level), with Diffa and Maradi regions being the most affected. Chronic malnutrition is widespread, with 50.5 per cent stunting and 35 per cent underweight prevalence among children under age 5 years. In 2026, more than 400,000 children are projected to suffer from severe wasting. 

Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene is severely constrained. In 2026, more than 1 million people will require access to water, a priority need consistently highlighted by affected communities. 

Insecurity remains a major cause of educational disruption. As a result, 1,097 schools remain non-functional, affecting 93,676 children (48 per cent girls) as well as approximately 1,874 teachers. In 2026, 1.2 million children will need education services, representing an increase of around 20 per cent compared with 2025, especially because insecurity has now spread to the Dosso region. 

In 2026, more than 600,000 children will require protection assistance. Forced displacement remains a key driver of protection risks. Children account for more than 55 per cent of displaced populations and face heightened exposure to gender-based violence, exploitation and abuse, and to grave violations including abduction, killing and recruitment by armed actors. 

In this humanitarian context, limited access to timely, reliable information and a weakened communication infrastructure expose affected communities to misinformation and heightened risks. There is an urgent need for effective communication and social support interventions.

UNICEF’s humanitarian strategy for 2026 was adjusted to reflect the revised figures of people in need, which aligns with the humanitarian reset call to prioritize the most urgent needs. With an average funding gap of approximately 79 per cent across UNICEF-led sectors at the end of 2025, significant resource constraints threaten the full implementation of prioritized humanitarian interventions. These constraints are particularly acute in coordination, health, child protection and education, where funding gaps in 2025 exceeded 90 per cent, posing serious risks to the scale and effectiveness of the response. 

Consequently, UNICEF has redirected its strategy to focus on life-saving interventions and essential services in regions with the most critical needs. UNICEF, in collaboration with local authorities, is advocating for increased funding and mobilizing resources to address the protracted emergency in the country. Leveraging its dual mandate as both a humanitarian and development actor, UNICEF will strengthen collaboration with the government, which plays a central role in coordinating and enhancing crisis response, co-creating innovative resilience strategies and improving access in volatile areas. The aim is to collaboratively implement targeted approaches to fill critical funding gaps. 

Sectoral approaches have been realigned in coordination with relevant local and national authorities and the priorities of the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. In health, UNICEF will continue to support deployment of mobile clinics to underserved areas, strengthen emergency preparedness and expand immunization coverage to reduce preventable diseases. Nutrition programmes will focus on treating severe wasting and promoting infant feeding practices. WASH interventions will prioritize access to safe water and sanitation, with increased attention to cholera prevention and epidemic risks. Efforts in the Education sector will concentrate on reopening schools and creating safe learning environments to safeguard children's right to education during crises.

Child protection efforts will intensify to support unaccompanied and separated children, provide case management and protect children from recruitment by armed actors. Community-based interventions and strengthened accountability mechanisms in collaboration with local authorities will help address gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse. 

UNICEF will strengthen local capacity by reinforcing decentralized government services, community-based response mechanisms and local procurement to build a resilient and local humanitarian response. Accountability to affected populations through community feedback mechanisms, zero-tolerance policies and close collaboration with local partners, to target the most critical needs, remains central. 

UNICEF will maintain operations in Agadez, Diffa, Maradi, Zinder and Tahoua to enable rapid emergency response. In more volatile areas, including Tillabéri and northern Dosso, UNICEF will work closely with local authorities and international and national non-governmental organizations to enhance humanitarian access, protect children’s rights and address urgent needs.