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 2019, 49 per cent of UNICEF's appeal for Humanitarian Action for Children was funded. Other Resources (emergency) income1 to UNICEF amounted to US$2 billion, with 93 per cent coming from public-sector partners. Our top resource partners were the United States, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),2 the United Kingdom, the European Commission and Germany.
Sources of humanitarian funding include UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), OCHA, and Multi-Partner Trust Funds.
UNICEF’s humanitarian response
In 2019, UNICEF and partners responded to 281 humanitarian emergencies in 96 countries by:
In 2019, UNICEF focused on improving the speed of our emergency response. Some of the major humanitarian crises we responded to that year occurred in:
- Syria: Nearly 7,500 girls and boys were reached with an innovative humanitarian cash-transfer programme for children with disabilities, with a total of 15,000 supported since the project began in 2016.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: As part of our multisectoral response to the Ebola outbreak, UNICEF reached nearly 170,000 children with mental health and psychosocial support and about 33 million people with communication activities to advance their well-being.
- Ecuador: UNICEF supported health authorities to improve access to health care for migrants by distributing baby kits for nearly 17,000 children under the age of three.
In 2020, UNICEF is appealing for US$4.2 billion in emergency assistance for 59 million children affected by conflict or disaster in 64 countries, and an additional US$1.6 billion to support our humanitarian response for children impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Protecting children from threats to their lives, well-being and dignity will require ongoing improvements in programme efficacy, increased humanitarian resources, and continuous innovation in programming and advocacy.
Top 10 donors to Other Resources (emergency), 2019
| Rank3 | Resource partner | Total US$, millions |
| 1 | United States | 541 |
| 2 | Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) | 271 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 244 |
| 4 | European Commission | 157 |
| 5 | Germany | 116 |
| 6 | Saudi Arabia | 66.2 |
| 7 | Japan | 66 |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates | 56 |
| 9 | Sweden | 48 |
| 10 | Norway | 43 |
Results for children
1Figures are based on "income," which here represents contributions received from the public sector (see footnote 3) and revenue from the private sector. Revenue is recognized in full, including for multi-year contributions, at the time the agreement is signed with the partner.
2Contributions received from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs include $142.1 million related to the Central Emergency Response Fund and $128.6 million related to other sources, including $104.4 million of pass-through contribution from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
3Rankings are by "contributions received," which are cash and contributions in kind received from resource partners within a calendar year.