Statement
Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, on intensifying hostilities in Rafah and North Gaza
AMMAN, 14 MAY 2024 –, "The escalation of hostilities in Rafah and throughout the Gaza Strip has deepened the suffering of hundreds of thousands of children, who have endured an unrelenting nightmare for the past 218 days. We cannot accept their plight being livestreamed as collateral damage in a conflict they never chose. “Last week, a long-feared military operation…
Statement
Millions at risk from cholera due to lack of clean water, soap and toilets, and shortage of cholera vaccine
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 20 March 2024, – Immediate action is needed to stem an unprecedented multi-year upsurge in cholera cases worldwide, according to the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision. Actions include investing in access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, testing and detecting outbreaks quickly, improving quality of and access to healthcare, and…, Notes to editors:, About the ICG: https://www.who.int/groups/icg Pre...
Press release
1 in 3 children exposed to severe water scarcity – UNICEF
NEW YORK, 13 November 2023, –, , 1 in 3 children – or 739 million, , worldwide – already live in areas exposed to high or very high water scarcity, with climate change threatening to make this worse, according to a new UNICEF report. Further, the double burden of dwindling water availability and inadequate drin...
Photo essay
Healing Lives Through WASH Activities after the Devastating Earthquakes in Türkiye
In February, Türkiye was struck by devastating earthquakes that shattered countless lives and ruined communities. As the dust settles, it became evident that the urgent needs of the affected population extended beyond physical rebuilding. Access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and basic hygiene supplies wer...
Photo essay
Resilience in the Face of Adversity: İmge's Story After the Earthquake
July 24, Hatay -, In the wake of the devastating earthquakes that struck Hatay, 35-year-old İmge, a young mother, found herself thrust into a world of uncertainty and resilience. Alongside Gökhan, her husband, a barista who temporarily lost his job due to the earthquake's aftermath, İmge is living with her two ch...
Press release
Women and girls bear brunt of water and sanitation crisis – new UNICEF-WHO report
, NEW YORK/GENEVA, 6 July 2023 , – Globally, women are most likely to be responsible for fetching water for households, while girls are nearly twice as likely as boys to bear the responsibility, and spend more time doing it each day, according to a new report released today by UNICEF and WHO. Progress on househol...
Press release
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell visits Kenya to meet children affected by the Horn of Africa drought and climate crisis
NAIROBI/NEW YORK, 4 May 2023 –, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell travelled to eastern Kenya yesterday to meet families and refugees struggling to recover from the worst climate-induced drought to hit the region in 40 years. After five poor or failed rainy seasons in the last three years in the Horn of ...
News note
Universal access to safe drinking water requires increased investment backed by strong government institutions – WHO, UNICEF, World Bank
GENEVA/NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, 24 OCTOBER 2022, - Governments must invest strategically in building safe drinking water systems by not only increasing funding, but also strengthening capacities to plan, coordinate, and regulate service provision, if the world is to achieve universal access to safe drinking water and...
Press release
Children suffering dire drought across parts of Africa are ‘one disease away from catastrophe’ – warns UNICEF
NEW YORK/NAIROBI/DAKAR, 23 August 2022 , – Children in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel could die in devastating numbers unless urgent support is provided, as severe malnutrition and the risk of water-borne disease collide – UNICEF warns during World Water Week. “History shows that when high levels of severe acute...
Article
Water and the global climate crisis: 10 things you should know
Climate change is disrupting weather patterns, leading to extreme weather events, unpredictable water availability, exacerbating water scarcity and contaminating water supplies. Such impacts can drastically affect the quantity and quality of water that children need to survive. Today, a change in climate is felt p...
Press release
FACT SHEET: On Global Handwashing Day, UNICEF warns that 3 in 10 people do not have basic handwashing facilities at home to fight off infectious diseases
NEW YORK, 15 October 2021 , – Although handwashing with soap is critical in the fight against infectious diseases, including COVID-19, globally, around 3 in 10 people – or 2.3 billion – do not have handwashing facilities with water and soap available at home. The situation is worst in the least developed countries...
Press release
One in five children globally does not have enough water to meet their everyday needs – UNICEF
NEW YORK, 18 March 2021 , – Globally, more than 1.42 billion people, including 450 million children, live in areas of high, or extremely high, water vulnerability, according to a new analysis released by UNICEF. This means that 1 in 5 children worldwide does not have enough water to meet their everyday needs. The ...