Funding for Other Resources (emergency)
UNICEF relies on voluntary contributions to uphold our mission of reaching every child.
Before, during and after humanitarian emergencies, UNICEF is on the ground, bringing life-saving help and hope to children and their families. Other Resources (emergency) are funds earmarked for specific emergency response needs and projections.
With support from partners, we mobilize resources to protect children across the world, even in the hardest-to-reach places.
In 2020, 49 per cent of UNICEF's appeal for Humanitarian Action for Children was funded. Other Resources (emergency) contributions to UNICEF amounted to US$2.2 billion, with 88 per cent coming from public-sector partners. The top resource partners were the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)1, Japan and the European Commission.
Global Humanitarian Thematic Funding is the second most flexible form of funding to UNICEF after Regular Resources. This funding allowed UNICEF to respond rapidly and strategically to humanitarian crises in 2020.
Sources of humanitarian funding include public and private sector partners, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPF), and Multi-Partner Trust Funds (MPTF).
UNICEF’s humanitarian response
In 2020, UNICEF and partners responded to 455 humanitarian emergencies in 152 countries:
In 2020, UNICEF focused on improving the speed of our emergency response. Some of the major humanitarian crises we responded to that year include:
- COVID-19 pandemic: Following the onset of COVID-19, UNICEF immediately mobilized to reduce transmission of the virus and ensure the continuity of life-saving services. This included equipping 1.8 million health workers with protective personal equipment and oxygen concentrators. We also scaled up access to COVID-19 testing, shipping over 2.5 million test kits to 56 countries.
- Migration flows in Latin America: More than 167,000 people on the move from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, including over 21,000 children, received messages on life-saving skills, protective practices and accessing services. This support covered Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Trinidad and Tobago.
- Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Since 2018, 39.3 million at-risk people have been reached through community engagement, radio, door-to-door outreach, church meetings, schools, and more.
In 2021, UNICEF is appealing for US$6.4 billion in emergency assistance for 190 million children affected by conflict or disaster in 149 countries and territories. Protecting children from threats to their lives, well-being and dignity will require ongoing improvements in programme efficacy, increased humanitarian resources, and continuous innovation in programming and advocacy.
Top 10 donors to Other Resources (emergency), 2020
| Rank | Resource partner | Total US$, millions |
| 1 | United States of America | 550 |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 278 |
| 3 | Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) | 210 |
| 4 | Japan | 176 |
| 5 | European Commission | 142 |
| 6 | United States Fund for UNICEF | 59 |
| 7 | Germany | 57 |
| 8 | Canada | 48 |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia | 47 |
| 10 | Sweden | 43 |