United Nations, December 12. – The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has launched an emergency appeal to support 93.7 million children by 2024 with an estimated amount of $9.3 billion.
The organization's executive director, Catherine Russell, warned of the large number of children caught in increasingly complex and large-scale crises, which Prensa Latina said requires more resources to respond.
According to Unicef the fund will flow to 155 countries as the planet is increasingly affected by brutal conflict, poverty, polarization and the effects of the climate crisis.
“With flexible and predictable funding, UNICEF and its partners can quickly respond to children in need from the moment an emergency occurs, while preparing to save and improve lives in the face of future risks,” Russell said.
Unicef warned of the widespread impact in violence-affected areas, with high psychological costs and a greater risk of child exploitation and abuse.
In conflict zones, children endure the harsh reality of violence and displacement and face daily threats of physical violence, emotional trauma and disruption to their education and basic services, he added.
At the same time, other threats such as climate change are influencing the intensity of emergencies.
In regions struggling with this crisis, children are most affected by environmental challenges that pose additional threats to their health, lead to food and water insecurity, and limit access to education.
Figures from the Children's Fund show that in the first half of 2023, inflexible and unequally distributed funding in emergency situations once again challenged the ability of humanitarian actors to respond to growing needs.
Half of the funding is focused on just five emergencies: Afghanistan, Ukraine and regional refugee assistance, the Syrian Arab Republic, countries hosting Syrian refugees, and Ethiopia.
On the other hand, the humanitarian response to the tragic consequences of the escalation of hostilities in Gaza required $1.2 billion over three months alone and risks diverting resources to other emergencies.
For next year, the focus of the appeal is Afghanistan with $1.44 billion; 860 million Syrian refugees and other vulnerable populations; Sudan with 840 million; the Democratic Republic of Congo with $804 million; along with Ukraine and refugee response at $580 million.
Meanwhile, underfunded emergencies include Sudan, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Haiti, Ethiopia, Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Bangladesh.