Our Humanitarian aid work at UNICEF
Protecting Children in Crisis
UNICEF PPR Europe and the European Union’s Directorate‑General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) work together to bring life-saving assistance to children affected by conflicts, disasters, and emergencies worldwide.
The partnership supports nutrition, healthcare, safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), education in emergencies, child protection, and psychosocial support, ensuring children and families receive urgent help when they need it most.
The European Union, through DG ECHO, provides the foundations for principled, effective emergency response through its funding, humanitarian policy direction, rapid‑response coordination, and strong oversight and accountability.
UNICEF brings these priorities to life through its extensive global field presence, deep technical expertise, robust supply and logistics capacity, and community‑based service delivery. With a mandate centered on the rights and wellbeing of children and trusted relations with in-country partners, UNICEF ensures that the EU's funding translate into tangible, timely, and child‑focused results on the ground.
The collaboration is built on multi-year humanitarian funding, programmatic approaches, and strong accountability systems, guided by DG ECHO’s humanitarian frameworks and grant agreements. These mechanisms enable rapid, flexible, and effective responses in fast changing crises.
How UNICEF reaches families on the ground
Together with the EU, UNICEF works through strong local networks to deliver essential services where formal systems are limited or disrupted.
By partnering with community health workers, volunteers, women’s groups, youth networks, and local organizations, UNICEF ensures children and families receive timely support, from nutrition screening and vaccination outreach to safe water access and psychosocial care.
These community‑based partners bring crucial knowledge of local realities, helping make services more effective, culturally appropriate, and sustainable.
In humanitarian crises, children face disrupted access to safety, education, health care and clean water, leaving their well‑being and future at risk.
Together with the EU, UNICEF supports partners to deliver essential, integrated services that protect children and families caught in emergencies.
UNICEF deploys multisectoral interventions, from child protection support and access to learning to health, nutrition and WASH services, ensuring children receive comprehensive assistance when and where they need it most.
When crises erupt suddenly, children face immediate threats to their safety, access to essential services and overall well‑being, with life‑saving support often out of reach in the first critical hours and days.
Through rapid response mechanisms with the EU, UNICEF, via its Supply Division, mobilizes urgent assistance to stabilize conditions for affected children and families.
Together with local actors, UNICEF deploys swift, multisectoral support through the supply of essential materials, ensuring children receive immediate help when emergencies strike.