Government of the Republic of Croatia and UNICEF dedicate Croatia’s international aid programme to support children in Gaza

Zagreb, 9 June 2025 – The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia and UNICEF signed the fifteenth consecutive international aid agreement.  

The agreement marks the continuation of a seven-year cooperation within the framework of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme, which aims to address the needs of children in need of support, including children affected by humanitarian crises. 

As part of the agreement, the Government of the Republic of Croatia made a contribution to UNICEF in the amount of €1,000,000 to provide additional urgent humanitarian aid to children and families in Gaza. 

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is extremely severe. More than three million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. 

Since the start of this war, more than 50,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured, 17,000 have reportedly been separated from their families, and 660,000 are missing out on school. 

Nearly half a million people are on the brink of famine, with the entire population struggling to access food. It is estimated that almost 71,000 children under the age of five will be acutely malnourished in the next 11 months, and more than 14,100 children could die from hunger. Almost 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will also require treatment for acute malnutrition. 

UNICEF provides critical support on the ground, including healthcare services through mobile clinics which treat malnutrition, psychosocial support, water and sanitation supplies, child protection from violence and exploitation, and cash assistance for the most vulnerable families.  

“We consider it extremely important to continue providing urgent assistance to the most vulnerable groups – children, pregnant women, and the elderly – with children making up almost half of Gaza’s total population. With this contribution, the Government of the Republic of Croatia once again reaffirms its solidarity with the civilian population affected by the conflict, as well as its commitment to humanitarian values,” said the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman. 

“Grave violations against children, the blockade of aid, starvation, constant forced displacement, and the destruction of hospitals, water systems, schools, and homes are amounting to the complete destruction of life for Gaza’s children. UNICEF is on the ground doing all we can to provide life-saving humanitarian aid. We thank the Government of the Republic of Croatia for their continued and much-needed support. UNICEF calls for an end to the violence, the protection of civilians, especially children, respect for international humanitarian law and human rights law, the immediate entry of humanitarian aid at scale, and the unconditional release of all hostages. The children of Gaza need protection, all possible help, and they need it now”, concluded Luisa Brumana, UNICEF Representative in Croatia. 

Official Development Assistance (ODA) refers to activities and measures designed to promote sustainable development in less developed countries, and the activities are financed from the budget of the Republic of Croatia and used in accordance with the regulations of the OECD Development Assistance Committee on Official Development Assistance. 

While the cooperation between UNICEF and the Government of the Republic of Croatia continues to primarily focus on supporting children within Croatia, significant efforts are also being made to assist children in some of the world’s most challenging environments.  

Since 2018, the Government of the Republic of Croatia, in collaboration with UNICEF, has implemented key projects addressing the diverse needs of the most vulnerable children in 10 countries. These efforts have included providing better learning and playing conditions for refugee children in Jordan and Lebanon, humanitarian aid for children in Yemen and Gaza, primary healthcare for children and mothers in Egypt, infrastructure support, and power generators for hospitals, schools, and water supply systems in Moldova and Ukraine, schools in earthquake-affected areas in Türkiye, and support for girls' education in Ethiopia and Kenya. The total value of the subject investments in development assistance for children amounted to 6.1 million euros.