AMMAN, Dec 14 (NNN-PETRA) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), yesterday appealed for 2.6 billion U.S. dollars in emergency funding, to deliver lifesaving assistance to over 52.7 million children in need, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in 2023.
Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director in MENA, said in a statement that, “with almost half of the countries in the region living in crisis or undergoing ripple effects of conflicts and wars, children remain the most affected and in massive need of assistance.”
The emergency funds, if secured, will allow UNICEF to reach children impacted by conflicts and humanitarian crises, in a timely and relevant manner, Khodr stressed, adding, the region is suffering from some of the world’s longest conflicts.
The crisis in Syria has left more than 6.5 million children reliant on assistance, and Yemen remains mired in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The compounded crisis in Lebanon and the instability in Sudan resulted in millions of children living in critical conditions, she said.
The UN agency said, it has helped around 2.8 million children in the MENA region in 2022, to get formal and non-formal education, and provided 1.2 million children with learning materials.
It has reached more than 338,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with treatment, and provided around 13.1 million people with critical water, sanitation and hygiene supplies and access to safe water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene, the UNICEF said.
It has also provided around 1.4 million households with humanitarian cash assistance, it added.– NNN-PETRA
