UNICEF implores all donors to continue to fund critical aid programs for the world’s children by UNICEF, WHO, World Food Programme, agencies 1:27pm 28th Mar, 2025   Mar. 2025    Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on global foreign aid reductions:    “Announced and anticipated funding cuts will limit UNICEF’s ability to reach millions of children in dire need.    “These cuts by numerous donor countries follow two years of aid reductions at a time of unprecedented need. Millions of children are affected by conflict, need to be vaccinated against deadly diseases such as measles and polio, and must be educated and kept healthy.    “As needs continue to outpace resources, UNICEF has consistently brought efficiencies and innovations to our work, and we have stretched every contribution to reach vulnerable children. But there is no way around it, these new cuts are creating a global funding crisis that will put the lives of millions of additional children at risk.    “UNICEF is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from governments, private sector partners, and individuals. This support has helped save millions of children’s lives, helped ensure infectious diseases do not spread across borders, and helped mitigate the risks of instability and violence.    “With our partners, we have made historic progress. Since 2000, global under-5 mortality has dropped by 50 per cent. Millions of children are alive today thanks to this work. Millions more have been protected with improved health and brighter futures.    “UNICEF implores all donors to continue to fund critical aid programs for the world’s children. We cannot fail them now.”    http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-global-foreign-aid-reductions    Mar. 2025    Decades of progress in reducing child deaths and stillbirths under threat, warns the United Nations    Decades of progress in child survival are now at risk as major donors have announced or indicated significant funding cuts to aid ahead. Reduced global funding for life-saving child survival programmes is causing health-care worker shortages, clinic closures, vaccination programme disruptions, and a lack of essential supplies, such as malaria treatments.    These cuts are severely impacting regions in humanitarian crises, debt-stricken countries, and areas with already high child mortality rates. Global funding cuts could also undermine monitoring and tracking efforts, making it harder to reach the most vulnerable children, the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) warned.    “From tackling malaria to preventing stillbirths and ensuring evidence-based care for the tiniest babies, we can make a difference for millions of families,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “In the face of global funding cuts, there is a need more than ever to step up collaboration to protect and improve children’s health.”    Even before the current funding crisis, the pace of progress on child survival had already slowed. Since 2015, the annual rate of reduction of under-five mortality has slowed by 42%, and stillbirth reduction has slowed by 53%, compared to 2000–2015.    Almost half of under-five deaths happen within the first month of life, mostly due to premature birth and complications during labour. Beyond the newborn period, infectious diseases, including acute respiratory infections such as pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhoea, are the leading causes of preventable child death. Meanwhile, 45% of late stillbirths occur during labour, often due to maternal infections, prolonged or obstructed labour, and lack of timely medical intervention.    Better access to quality maternal, newborn, and child health care at all levels of the health system will save many more lives, according to the reports. This includes promotive and preventive care in communities, timely visits to health facilities and health professionals at birth, high-quality antenatal and postnatal care, well-child preventive care such as routine vaccinations and comprehensive nutrition programmes, diagnosis and treatment for common childhood illnesses, and specialized care for small and sick newborns.    Most preventable child deaths occur in low-income countries, where essential services, vaccines, and treatments are often inaccessible. The report also show that where a child is born greatly influences their chances of survival.    The risk of death before age five is 80 times higher in the highest-mortality country than the lowest-mortality country, for example, while a child born in sub-Saharan Africa is on average 18 times more likely to die before turning five than one born in Australia and New Zealand. Within countries, the poorest children, those living in rural areas, and those with less-educated mothers face the higher risks.    Stillbirth disparities are just as severe, with nearly 80% occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, where women are six to eight times more likely to experience a stillbirth than women in Europe or North America. Meanwhile, women in low-income countries are eight times more likely to experience a stillbirth than those in high-income countries.    “Disparities in child mortality across and within nations remain one of the greatest challenges of our time,” said the UN DESA Under-Secretary-General, Li Junhua. “Reducing such differences is not just a moral imperative but also a fundamental step towards sustainable development and global equity. Every child deserves a fair chance at life, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that no child is left behind.”    We call on governments, donors, and partners across the private and public sectors to protect the hard-won gains in saving children’s lives and accelerate efforts. Increased investments are urgently needed to scale up access to proven life-saving health, nutrition, and social protection services for children and pregnant mothers.    * The number of children dying globally before their fifth birthday declined to 4.8 million in 2023, while stillbirths declined modestly, still remaining around 1.9 million, according to reports released today by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). Since 2000, child deaths have dropped by more than half and stillbirths by over a third, fuelled by sustained investments in child survival worldwide. However, progress has slowed and too many children are still being lost to preventable causes.    "Millions of children are alive today because of the global commitment to proven interventions, such as vaccines, nutrition, and access to safe water and basic sanitation,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “But without adequate investments we risk reversing hard-earned gains, with millions more children dying from preventable causes. We cannot allow that to happen.”    http://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in-child-mortality-2024/ http://www.who.int/news/item/25-03-2025-decades-of-progress-in-reducing-child-deaths-and-stillbirths-under-threat--warns-the-united-nations    Mar. 2025    At least 14 million children face disruptions to critical nutrition services in 2025    At least 14 million children are expected to face disruptions to nutrition support and services because of recent and expected global funding cuts, leaving them at heightened risk of severe malnutrition and death – according to analyses issued by UNICEF.    The funding crisis comes at a time of unprecedented need for children who continue to face record levels of displacement, new and protracted conflicts, disease outbreaks, and the deadly consequences of climate change – all of which are undermining their access to adequate nutrition.    “Over the last decades, we have made impressive progress in reducing child malnutrition globally because of a shared commitment and sustained investment,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Since 2000, the number of stunted children under the age of five has fallen by 55 million, and the lives of millions of severely malnourished children have been saved. But steep funding cuts will dramatically reverse these gains and put the lives of millions more children at risk."    Additional impacts across 17 high priority countries due to funding cuts include:    More than 2.4 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could go without Ready-to-use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF) for the remainder of 2025.    Up to 2,300 life-saving stabilisation centres – providing critical care for children suffering from severe wasting with medical complications – are at risk of closing or severely scaling back services.    Almost 28,000 UNICEF-supported outpatient therapeutic centres for the treatment of malnutrition are at risk, and in some cases have already stopped operating.    Today, levels of severe wasting in children under five remain gravely high in some fragile contexts and humanitarian emergencies. Adolescent girls and women are especially vulnerable. Even before the funding cuts, the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women and adolescent girls suffering from acute malnutrition soared from 5.5 million to 6.9 million – or 25 per cent – since 2020.    UNICEF expects these figures to rise without urgent action from donors as well as adequate investments from national governments.    “UNICEF is calling on governments and donors to prioritise investments in health and nutrition programmes for children and is urging national governments to allocate more funding to domestic nutrition and health services. Good nutrition is the foundation of child survival and development, with impressive returns on investment. Dividends will be measured in stronger families, societies and countries, and a more stable world,” said Russell.    http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-14-million-children-face-disruptions-critical-nutrition-services-2025-unicef http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-calls-urgent-investment-prevent-child-wasting-leaders-convene-nutrition-growth-summit http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161541    * IPC Child Acute Malnutrition Classification latest: http://tinyurl.com/4n25jjbz    Mar. 2025    U.S. to End Vaccine Funding for Poor Children. (NYT, agencies)    The Trump administration intends to terminate the United States’ financial support for Gavi, the organization that has helped purchase critical vaccines for children in developing countries, saving millions of lives over the past quarter century, and to significantly scale back support for efforts to combat malaria, one of the biggest killers globally.    Gavi is estimated to have saved the lives of 19 million children since it was set up 25 years ago with the US contributing 13% of its budget, the New York Times said.    The terminated U.S. grant to Gavi was worth $2.6 billion through 2030. Gavi was counting on a pledge made last year by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for its next funding cycle.    New vaccines with the promise to save millions of lives in low-income countries, such as one to protect children from severe malaria and another to protect teenage girls against the virus that causes cervical cancer, have recently become available, and Gavi was expanding the portfolio of support it could give those countries.    The loss of U.S. funds will set back the organization’s ability to continue to provide its basic range of services — such as immunization for measles and polio — to children in the poorest countries, let alone expand to include new vaccines.    By Gavi’s own estimate, the loss of U.S. support may mean 75 million children do not receive routine vaccinations in the next five years, with more than 1.2 million children dying as a result.    Mark Suzman’s CEO of the Gates Foundation said: "I am deeply disturbed by news reports that the U.S. Administration is considering withdrawing its support for Gavi. If true, and if Congress allows this to happen, the impacts will be devastating, including possibility of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of preventable deaths, especially among mothers and children.    http://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/health/usaid-cuts-gavi-bird-flu.html http://www.gavi.org/our-alliance/about http://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/statement-global-high-level-summit-support-gavi-replenishment http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/msf-statement-us-decision-withdraw-who http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2025/01/us-withdrawal-world-health-organization http://www.who.int/news/item/16-01-2025-who-launches-us-1.5-billion-health-emergency-appeal-to-tackle-unprecedented-global-health-crises    * The Forbes 2024 Billionaires list reports 2,781 people holding combined assets of $14.2 trillion. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports global military spending of $2440 billion in 2023.    http://www.caritas.org/2025/02/closure-of-usaid-foreign-aid-will-kill-millions/ http://actalliance.org/act-news/act-general-secretary-statement-of-concern-over-us-administration-policies-impacts-on-humanitarian-aid/ http://www.interaction.org/statement/60-ngos-respond-to-terminations-of-life-saving-programs/ http://www.interaction.org/statements http://reliefweb.int/report/world/children-facing-extreme-hunger-crisis-put-risk-aid-cuts-clinics-close http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161366 http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/statement-unhcr-s-filippo-grandi-impact-global-aid-cuts-refugees http://www.unaids.org/en/impact-US-funding-cuts http://www.acaps.org/en/thematics/all-topics/us-funding-freeze http://www.icvanetwork.org/uploads/2025/03/Lives-on-the-Line-Final-Report.pdf http://www.icvanetwork.org/uploads/2025/02/Impact-of-US-Funding-Suspension-Survey-Results-ICVA.pdf http://www.icvanetwork.org/90-day-suspension-order-resources/ http://humanitarianaction.info/document/us-funding-freeze-global-survey http://www.taxobservatory.eu/publication/a-blueprint-for-a-coordinated-minimum-effective-taxation-standard-for-ultra-high-net-worth-individuals/    Mar. 2025    United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk remarks to UN Human Rights Council meeting on the Rights of the Child Theme: Early Childhood Development:    "In recent years, we have all seen appalling images of people suffering the horrific effects of conflict, but when it comes to children, they clearly played no part in stoking the violence. They could never be fighters, or armed rebels, or militia members. Because they are small children. Sometimes, babies.    From Sudan to Gaza, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Ukraine, children are bearing the brunt of the global failure to uphold human rights. As international human rights and humanitarian law are broken with impunity, children are the most vulnerable victims.    Even in countries that are at peace, children are routinely denied their rights to food, water and shelter; to education, healthcare and a clean environment.    Children make up a third of humanity. Our experiences during childhood can affect us for our entire lives. And children’s small bodies make them more vulnerable to physical and environmental harms than adults.    Upholding the rights of children is at the heart of our commitment to advancing and safeguarding human rights for all. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. This shows the strong commitment of States to protect and promote the rights of every child, without discrimination. Today, we must find our way back to that pledge.    Some 80 percent of our brain develops in the three years after our birth. Early childhood development is an essential foundation for a happy, healthy, fulfilling life. This, in turn, is the basis for strong communities and resilient economies.    Yet the gap between the Convention and reality is increasing. Many children face a precarious future. As action on hunger, poverty and the 2030 Agenda falters, inequality and climate chaos increase.    In the next thirty years, eight times as many children could be exposed to extreme heatwaves, and twice as many to extreme wildfires.    The digital divide means just 25 percent of children in low-income countries are online, compared with more than 95 percent in high-income countries. And children in all countries lack the protections needed to stay safe online.    Decades of progress on children’s rights and development are stagnating and even being rolled back, directly threatening children’s early development and even survival.    Almost one in three children worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water. Two in five children lack access to basic sanitation. One in three children under 5 are not growing and developing as they should, because of malnutrition. Over 385 million children are living in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.90 per day.    And for children marginalized by their ethnicity, or their socioeconomic, migration or disability status, the situation is far worse. We are letting children down, instead of lifting them up.    We know what children need to survive and thrive: health care and nutrition, clean air and water, protection from harm, and a sense of nurturing and security.    Initiatives that target the most marginalized children help to break cycles of poverty, for the benefit of entire communities. Investments in early childhood are one of the smartest ways to achieve sustainable economic development. Studies indicate that the economic return can be up to thirteen times the amount invested.    Governments have the primary responsibility to fulfil children’s rights. But the private sector, civil society, educational institutions and many other stakeholders have an interest – and a responsibility, when it comes to the wellbeing of children. We must all work together to provide children with the best possible chances in life.    A child’s early years are a vital window of opportunity, and their life chances should not depend on luck. In these troubling times, we must stand up together for the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We must revitalize investment in children – all children, everywhere".    http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161111    * UN Human Rights Council 2025 Annual discussion on rights of the child; Early Childhood Development: UN WebTV: Day 1 video broadcast starts at 1hr 05 minutes in:    http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1y/k1ygkhegr5 http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k16/k16ycl95hy    Mar. 2025    Tens of millions at risk of extreme hunger and starvation as unprecedented funding crisis spirals    The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today that 58 million people risk losing life-saving assistance in the agency’s 28 most critical crisis response operations unless new funding is received urgently.    Despite the generosity of many governments and individual donors, WFP is experiencing a steep decline in funding across its major donors. The severity of these cuts, combined with record levels of people in need, have led to an unprecedented crisis for tens of millions across the globe reliant on food aid.    Right now, the organization is facing an alarming 40 percent drop in funding for 2025, as compared to last year. This is having severe repercussions for its food aid efforts globally, particularly emergency feeding programmes that support the most vulnerable.    “WFP is prioritizing countries with the greatest needs and stretching food rations at the frontlines. While we are doing everything possible to reduce operational costs, make no mistake, we are facing a funding cliff with life-threatening consequences,” said Rania Dagash-Kamara, WFP Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation. “Emergency feeding programmes not only save lives and alleviate human suffering, they bring greatly needed stability to fragile communities, which can spiral downwards when faced with extreme hunger.”    Today, global hunger is skyrocketing as 343 million people face severe food insecurity, driven by an unrelenting wave of global crises including conflict, economic instability, and climate-related emergencies.    In 2025, WFP’s operations are focused on supporting just over one-third of those in need - roughly 123 million of the world’s hungriest people - nearly half of whom (58 million) are at imminent risk of losing access to food assistance.    Last year, WFP teams helped feed more than 120 million people in 80 countries, delivering urgent food aid to hunger hot spots and frontline crises around the world.    As WFP works to quickly adapt its operations to current low funding levels, it is alerting donors that its 28 most critical crisis response operations are facing severe funding constraints and dangerously low food supplies through August.    The 28 programmes span: Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, South Sudan, Chad, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Uganda, Niger, Burkina Faso, DRC, Yemen, Mali, Bangladesh, Venezuela, Haiti, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Ukraine, Malawi, Burundi, Ethiopia, Palestine, Central African Republic, Jordan, and Egypt.    Below are a few examples of these programmes.    Sudan: WFP requires nearly US$570 million to support over 7 million people per month in Sudan where a looming pipeline break will hit as early as April. Famine was first confirmed in Zamzam camp near the embattled city of El Fasher and has since spread to 10 areas across North Darfur and the Western Nuba mountains. In Sudan 24.6 million people do not have enough to eat.    Delays in funding to deliver emergency food assistance, emergency nutrition and emergency logistics will cut a vital lifeline for millions with immediate and devastating consequences for vulnerable populations, who in many cases are just one step away from starvation.    Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): WFP requires US$399 million to feed 6.4 million as escalating violence by militia groups in the east has already displaced more than a million people. Food and nutrition assistance across the DRC is vital to stabilize the region and reach the most vulnerable who have already been displaced by conflict multiple times.    Palestine: WFP emergency response requires approximately US$265 million over the next six months to provide support to nearly 1.4 million people in Gaza and the West Bank.    An additional US$34 million is urgently needed for 3-month shock-responsive cash transfer assistance to support 40,000 families in the West Bank. The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical with over 2 million people fully dependent on food assistance – most of them displaced, without shelter and income.    Syria: WFP requires US$140 million to provide food and nutrition assistance to 1.2 million people every month. Without new funding, WFP faces a pipeline break in August which would cut off food assistance to one million of the most severely food-insecure individuals. Any disruption in life-saving assistance threatens to erode stability and social cohesion during a critical moment when millions of Syrians try to return home.    Lebanon: WFP requires US$162 million to feed 1.4 million people as severe funding shortfalls are already disrupting food assistance to vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees – fostering instability and heightened social tensions. With an ongoing economic crisis and government transition in Lebanon, food insecurity continues to rise with one in three already facing acute hunger.    South Sudan: WFP requires US$281 million to provide food and nutrition assistance to 2.3 million people escaping war, climate extremes, and an economic disaster - plunging them into a severe hunger crisis. South Sudan has also seen more than one million people arrive, fleeing from the war in Sudan.    Nearly two-thirds of the people in South Sudan are acutely food insecure. New funding for WFP’s crisis response activities in South Sudan is needed now to preposition life-saving food ahead of the rainy season.    Myanmar: WFP requires US$60 million to provide life-saving food assistance to 1.2 million people. Without immediate new funding a pipeline break in April will cut off one million from all support. Increased conflict, displacement and access restrictions are already sharply driving up food aid needs as the lean season is expected to begin in July when food shortages hit hardest.    Haiti: WFP requires US$10 million to feed 1.3 million as brutal violence by armed groups has caused record levels of hunger and displacement. Half the population is facing extreme hunger and a quarter of the children under the age of five are stunted.    More than a million people have been forced from their homes, including a record 60,000 in just one month this year. WFP has been providing hot meals and cash assistance to displaced people, but without new funding, that lifesaving assistance could be suspended in the coming weeks.    Saheland Lake Chad Basin: WFP requires US$570 million to reach 5 million people with life-saving food and nutrition assistance. Without new funding a pipeline break is expected in April. Millions of the most vulnerable people in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Nigeria in need of emergency support also face dire consequences as the June to August lean season approaches. At current funding levels, five million people risk losing critical support from WFP in the months ahead.    * The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.    http://www.wfp.org/news/tens-millions-risk-extreme-hunger-and-starvation-unprecedented-funding-crisis-spirals Visit the related web page
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