Emergencies
The Big Picture
In the last decade alone, more than 2 million children have died as a direct result of armed conflict, and more than three times that number have been permanently disabled or seriously injured. An estimated 20 million children have been forced to flee their homes.
More than 1 million children have been orphaned or separated from their families. The majority of displaced persons and refugees are children and women.
During most emergencies, safe access to vulnerable populations is a particular challenge because of armed combat, nonexistent roads and bridges, landmines or weather conditions. Most of those who die in wartime do not die as a direct result of violence but from the loss of basic health services, food, safe water or adequate sanitation. This is especially true for children.
UNICEF in Action
UNICEF was created to respond to the needs of children in the aftermath of World War II and has continued to serve children in emergencies since that time. UNICEF’s continuing presence in over 150 countries and territories worldwide means that it is on the ground both long before and long after the emergency situation, with well-established local partners and suppliers. UNICEF is currently present in some 55 to 60 countries designated as acutely unstable or with pockets of instability and emergencies.
When an emergency strikes, UNICEF provides immediate assistance to children and their families in four broad areas:
- Health and nutrition – basic health care services, basic clinical equipment, fortified nutritional products, blankets, immunization, messages about these issues.
- Education – safe environments for learning, recreation and psychosocial support, basic education services, education kits and basic learning material for primary school children.
- Child protection – actions on behalf of unaccompanied and separated children, mine awareness materials, identification and redress of child rights violations, psychosocial support services for children and their caregivers.
- Water supply and sanitation – availability of a minimum safe water supply, bleach, chlorine or water tablets, soap and dissemination of key hygiene messages, safe excreta and solid waste disposal.
UNICEF integrates humanitarian interventions with ongoing development programs that advance children’s rights. With the frequency and intensity of emergencies increasing, UNICEF has identified ways to better prepare for and respond to crises within the framework of regular development programs.
At the policy level, UNICEF has been at the forefront of establishing humanitarian principles that support child protection. Ending the use of soldiers, limiting the impact of sanctions on children and providing better protection for children and women in conflict situations are among the issues that UNICEF has introduced into the UN Security Council’s deliberations. UNICEF also works with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to advocate for protecting the neutrality and rights of civilians in conflict zones, including the right of children and women to be reached with humanitarian assistance. In Angola, Sierra Leone and other countries, UNICEF has participated in negotiations for the periodic cessation of hostilities for Days of Tranquility and Corridors of Peace – safe times and spaces to provide children with immunization, education materials and other services.