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Data on the situation of children in the Middle East and North Africa

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Malnutrition

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At least 77 million children and adolescents have some form of malnutrition in the Middle East and North Africa

AMMAN, 19 August 2024 – At least 77 million – or 1 in 3 – children in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have some form of malnutrition, according to the Regional Nutrition Strategic Direction for MENA launched by UNICEF today in Amman. The new analysis finds a staggering 55 million children in the region are...

Flagship report

MENA Nutrition Strategic Direction 2030

The UNICEF Nutrition Strategic Direction 2030 for the Middle East and North Africa Region outlines UNICEF’s intent to leverage the food, health, water and sanitation, education, and social protection systems to accelerate the prevention, early detection and treatment of malnutrition for children, adolescents and w...

Famine confirmed in Sudan’s North Darfur, confirming UN agencies worst fears

ROME/NEW YORK/PORT SUDAN, 1 August 2024 – After more than 15 months of war in Sudan, a catastrophic combination of conflict, displacement and humanitarian access constraints has resulted in famine in a camp sheltering hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Sudan’s North Darfur Region. The Famine Review Commi...

Regional Nutrition Situation Analysis in the Middle East and North Africa - 2024

Well-nourished children survive, grow and develop to their full potential, and well-nourished adolescents and adults are healthier, more productive and better equipped to contribute to society. In contrast, poor nutrition across the lifecycle can have devastating and often lifelong consequences on health and devel...

Almost 3,000 malnourished children at risk of “dying before their families’ eyes” as Rafah offensive disconnects them from treatment - UNICEF

AMMAN, 11 June 2024 – Almost 3000 children have been cut off from treatment for moderate and severe acute malnutrition in southern Gaza, putting them at risk of death as harrowing violence and displacement continue to impact access to healthcare facilities and services for desperate families. This number, based on...

Three in five children in MENA region suffer from child food poverty - UNICEF

AMMAN, 6 June 2024 – In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, around 34 million children under five years of age, or three in every five, are experiencing child food poverty. Over 20 per cent– or one in five – live in severe child food poverty. These figures are documented in a Child Food Poverty new UN...

Child Food Poverty

‘Child Food Poverty: Nutrition deprivation in early childhood’ examines the status, trends, inequities and drivers of child food poverty in early childhood. The report also outlines an agenda for tackling the problem, including actions to transform food systems, leverage health systems, and activate social protect...

Sudan’s children trapped in critical malnutrition crisis, warn UN agencies

GENEVA/NEW YORK/ROME: Three United Nations agencies today issued a stark warning that all indications point to a significant deterioration of the nutrition situation for children and mothers in war-torn Sudan. The lives of Sudan’s children are at stake and urgent action is needed to protect an entire generation fr...

Acute malnutrition has doubled in one month in the north of Gaza strip: UNICEF

NEW YORK, 15 MARCH 2024 –31 per cent - or 1 in 3 children under 2 years of age – in the Northern Gaza Strip suffer from acute malnutrition, a staggering escalation from 15.6 per cent in January. Malnutrition among children is spreading fast and reaching devastating and unprecedented levels in the Gaza Strip due to...

19 February 2024

Children’s lives threatened by rising malnutrition in the Gaza Strip

GENEVA/NEW YORK/ROME, 19 February 2024 – A steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza strip poses grave threats to their health, according to a comprehensive new analysis released by the Global Nutrition Cluster. As the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip enters its 2...

09 February 2024

Record numbers of children seek life-saving care as Sudan war drives world’s worst displacement crisis

PORT SUDAN, 9 February 2024 – As Sudan’s brutal war hits the 300-day mark, widespread malnutrition, the world’s largest child displacement crisis, and a shattered health system threaten to kill far more children than the armed conflict itself. UNICEF is seeing record levels of admissions for the treatment of sever...

The ‘packed meal’ that helped AlBatoul heal from malnutrition

Children in Sudan are bearing the brunt of the conflict. Families with children are spending days on the road with little or nothing to eat. While they settle down in their new homes, many cannot afford regular or nutritious meals their children need to thrive. 32-year-old Mahdia sits next to her 3-year-old daug...