By Muhammad Amaan
The United Nations Children’s Fund has disclosed that no fewer than 213 million children would need lifesaving aid in 2025.
This is as the Geneva-based global body said it would need $9.9 billion funding to reach 109 million children across 146 countries with lifesaving aid in 2025.
According to UNICEF, the funds will be utilized in UNICEF’s humanitarian response to multiple conflicts, climate shocks, displacement, and health crises expected next year.
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, said the projected figures showed that children’s humanitarian emergencies are at an all-time high.
“The scale of children’s humanitarian needs is at a historically high level, with more children impacted every day,” said Russell.
She added, “Looking ahead to 2025, we estimate that 213 million children in 146 countries and territories will need humanitarian assistance over the course of the year – a staggeringly high number.
It is UNICEF’s mandate to reach each of these children with the essential services and supplies they need, and to ensure that their rights are protected and upheld – a mandate that has guided our work for the past 78 years.”
Giving breakdown of the humanitarian crisis, Russel said in 2024, more than 57.5 million children were born into countries affected by conflict or other humanitarian crises where UNICEF has an emergency appeal.
According to her, the t figure is expected to rise by at least 400,000 in 2025.
She added that the $9.9billion funding appeal for 2025 highlights the pressing need to tackle a growing array of humanitarian challenges confronting children in 146 countries.
UNICEF in the statement explained that through the fund, the agency plans to reach 56.9 million children and women accessing primary healthcare in UNICEF-supported facilities
Others include 34 million children 6-59 months screened for wasting; 20.6 million children, adolescents and caregivers accessing community-based mental health and psychosocial support; 11. 1 million women, girls and boys accessing gender-based violence risk mitigation, prevention, and/or response interventions; 24 million children accessing formal or non-formal education, including early learning, and 55.3 million people accessing a sufficient quantity and quality of water.
“Last year, donors contributed more than 50 per cent of UNICEF’s thematic humanitarian funding to just four emergencies – Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria, and Ukraine – a fraction of the 412 emergencies UNICEF responded to in 107 countries. Meanwhile, humanitarian operations in countries like Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Myanmar are the most severely underfunded,” the statement added.
Commenting on progress made, Russell said, “Support through flexible humanitarian funding is critical for our work for children affected by crises.”
“Imagine what we can achieve for children working together through principled humanitarian action, creating a world where the rights of every child are protected and upheld, and where every child can develop and thrive – a world fit for every child,” she said.
