UNICEF

3.7 million. That’s the staggering number of children in Afghanistan suffering from acute malnutrition. Another 1.65 million remain in critical condition. UNICEF’s Daniel Timme shares how climate change is driving food insecurity in the country. Afghanistan is one of the lowest contributors to global emissions, but people are being disproportionately impacted. Drought is causing water sources to dry up and orchards to wither, threatening the well-being of children and families. UNICEF and partners are working to reach affected children to ensure they receive the care and treatments they need. But without urgent and sustained funding, acute malnutrition will likely worsen further. UNICEF is calling for funds to maintain life-saving therapeutic food, nutrition and health services, alongside safe water, sanitation and livelihood support. As leaders gather at #COP31, they need to make decisions and investments to protect vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate change. Learn more: unicef.link/4hYP0QC

An attack on water is an attack on children.  We reject this new normal.  Join us in calling for the protection of water and children. #WaterUnderFire Learn more: unicef.link/4f8yLzz

Drone attacks. Drought. Severe malnutrition. Children in Sudan are facing multiple threats to their lives and well-being. Watch as UNICEF’s @1james_elder explains the critical situation following his visit to the country. Read more: unicef.link/3UqKt1H

Recent heavy rains in Gaza directly affected more than 106,000 people, damaging or destroying shelters, latrines, and belongings. Three children aged four, five and eight were killed along with their mother over the weekend when a sand dune collapsed onto their tent in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, after heavy rainfall. The deaths happened as families, exhausted by war and the protracted crisis, prepare to face a fourth winter under very dire conditions. Some 1.7 million displaced people are still living in tents, makeshift shelters, or damaged buildings exposed to flooding, cold and collapse. The flooding caused by the heavy rains is compounding a sanitation crisis created by the war.  No wastewater treatment plant in Gaza is currently operational. UNICEF and partners are distributing tarpaulins, winter clothing, blankets, and hygiene supplies, clearing blocked sewers and stormwater basins, and installing sandbags at sites to mitigate the impact of flooding.  In the past week alone, we reached at least 10,000 children with winter clothing and thermal blankets, distributed tarpaulins to families whose tents have flooded, and cleared sewage and stormwater at more than 50 locations. The emergency response is vital but is not a long-term solution. Tents and tarpaulins offer little protection against severe storms, and damaged water and sanitation systems continue to put children’s health and lives at risk. UNICEF urgently calls on the Israeli authorities to allow the immediate entry of pumps, generators, spare parts and other materials needed to repair water and sanitation infrastructure, including the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin and the Sheikh Ejleen Wastewater Treatment Plant. We urge the international community to join the call for the entry of all life-saving humanitarian supplies and equipment, and to provide urgent funding for UNICEF's winter response in Gaza. Learn more: unicef.link/4C96qDo

This year in Sudan, armed drones have caused two out of three child casualties. After more than three years of conflict, even the most ordinary parts of daily life have become increasingly dangerous. Watch to see the maddening devastation with UNICEF Spokesperson @1james_elder The killing and injuring of children must end.

Heavy rains in recent days have flooded tents across the Gaza Strip – the latest threat to children’s lives.

Have you ever wondered what El Niño is? What does it have to do with climate change? And how will it impact children around the world? To clear things up, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and climate activist Vanessa Nakate is here to explain it. #COP31

Thirst. Feeling unclean. Open sewage. Children bear the brunt when: 🚰 water facilities are damaged 💧 water is contaminated ⛑️ humanitarian workers face attacks or are restricted from providing assistance for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) Share and call on parties to conflict and governments to stop attacks on water infrastructure, and to allow WASH and energy workers to reach children and communities with the life-saving assistance they need. #WaterUnderFire

Water and sanitation systems are coming under fire in conflict zones globally.  Children’s health, nutrition, protection and futures are being threatened and compromised.  UNICEF calls for the protection of children and the water systems they rely on for their survival. Learn more in the new #WaterUnderFire report. unicef.link/4f8yLzz

A single attack in a conflict zone can have life-changing consequences on children. Critically, the loss of water. And without water, children can lose access to health, nutrition and education. Join us in telling parties to conflict and governments: protect water, protect humanitarian workers, protect children. Learn more in our new #WaterUnderFire report: unicef.link/4f8yLzz

“My life changed because I took on responsibility,” says Norhan, 16, from Gaza. She remembers happier times with her family, before the war, before her mother was killed while pregnant. The baby survived, and Norhan now looks after her and her siblings. She still dreams of being a pharmacist. UNICEF continues to stay for children in Gaza, providing essential supplies and services, mental health support, and access to learning. But for children to recover, to begin to heal, to work towards their dreams, the ceasefire must ensure their safety.

Keep children at the heart of climate action and let their voices shape decisions. #COP31

Imagine being thirsty, but water is just not available to you.  Imagine having to walk kilometres to get a bucket of water for cooking or bathing.  Water is indispensable to children’s survival. But across situations of conflict and violence globally, it is increasingly under attack.  To parties to conflict and governments: this cannot be the new normal for children. Protect children's right to clean and safe water.  Learn more in our new #WaterUnderFire report: unicef.link/4f8yLzz

Imagine you turn the tap and nothing comes out.   Or the water runs dirty.   For children in conflict zones, that is the reality. Attacks harming water and sanitation services have increased alarmingly.  Join us in saying: children’s rights to water everywhere must be protected. unicef.link/4f8yLzz #WaterUnderFire

Across conflict zones globally, children’s right to safe water and sanitation is increasingly under threat.  The impact? Diseases. Malnutrition. Exposure to violence. Disrupted education.  To protect children, we must protect water and sanitation from attacks.  Learn more: unicef.link/3UvllH2 #WaterUnderFire

Join Saleh, 10, on a day in his life. First displaced when he was just two years old, Saleh has no memories of his hometown, except for the stories his father shares. Recent escalations of violence in Yemen have forced his family to flee once again. UNICEF and partners are delivering mental health, nutrition and learning support in camps like these. Share Saleh's story and join us in calling for peace for children in Yemen.

UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and take all necessary measures to protect children. Schools, healthcare facilities and other civilian infrastructure on which children and families depend must be protected. @UNICEFAPRO