BACKGROUND

2023 was again a year marked by high-profile humanitarian crises, from the continuation of the war of aggression against Ukraine to the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. The global attention given to these crises demonstrates what is possible when the international community rallies behind a crisis. This is in stark contrast with the daily reality for the millions of people suffering far from the spotlight. Too many humanitarian emergencies have been neglected, due to a lack of media attention, international political will and/or humanitarian funding, leading to extremely high levels of humanitarian needs that remain unaddressed.

Children are often disproportionately affected by humanitarian crises because of their inherent vulnerability. Armed conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies expose millions of girls and boys to unthinkable forms of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect, affecting their survival, growth and development. They face the risk of death or injury, malnutrition and disease, mental health issues, loss of homes and education, displacement and separation from their families. Children in conflict zones are furthermore at risk of falling victims to one or more of the six grave violations against children in armed conflict. Today there are over 460 million children living in conflict zones [1]; an estimated 1 billion children, nearly half the world’s children, live in countries at extreme vulnerability to the impacts of climate change; at least 43.5 million children are displaced from their homes [2], the highest number ever recorded; and 8 million children under age 5 in 15 crisis-hit countries at risk of death from severe wasting [3], 224 million crisis-affected children and adolescents are in need of urgent education support. Out of them, as many as 72 million are out of school (53% of which are girls), and close to 127 million are in school, but not achieving minimum proficiency in math or reading[4]; Yet, the plight of children is often overlooked, and their situation is particularly dire in crises that are critically underfunded.

Learn more about 13 emergencies that need more attention and support in 2024 on UNICEF

In continuation of our joint efforts to put a spotlight on the needs of the children whose suffering remains largely unnoticed, the European Union and UNICEF will organize for the second year in a row, a series of meetings to put underfunded crises at the forefront. The series will highlight the severe situation faced by children in some of the major humanitarian crises in the world, and illustrate the impact that underfunding has on children in various areas, such as protection; nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene; education; and mental health & psychosocial support.

OBJECTIVES

Concretely, the series aims to:

1. Focus on the plight of children whose suffering rarely makes international headlines, who receive no or inadequate assistance, and who rarely become the centre of attention for international diplomacy efforts;
2. Raise attention by demonstrating the operational reality, the severity and scale of humanitarian needs in five severely underfunded crises, and specifically the negative impacts this has on children, zooming into sectors that are most relevant for the wellbeing and protection of children affected by a humanitarian crisis;
3. Advocate for more (financial) support to address the humanitarian needs of these children, including by expanding the donor base, and by demonstrating the important role of anticipatory action, cooperation and quality funding, etc.

FORMAT

• The discussion series will be hosted by the European Union and co-organised with UNICEF and will consist of a panel that will update participants on the current needs, gaps and challenges, followed by a Q&A and discussion on what is needed from the international community to improve the situation;
• For each meeting, a UNICEF Emergency / Country Director will brief. The EU and UNICEF also aim to invite two UN and/or NGO Representatives to join the panel, ideally from the field, when possible;
• The discussion series shall consist of five country-focused discussions at the PR/DPR level;
• The series will be open to select UN Member States, humanitarian donors, UN agencies, the Red Cross and Crescent Movement, humanitarian NGO’s, civil society, regional organizations, and academia with a keen interest in the topics discussed;
• The series aims to target a broad audience to ensure a diverse group of UN Member States are invited and take part in the discussion;
• The events will take place approximately every four weeks.

KEY MESSAGES: Meeting on the DRC

See also: OCHA 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for the DRC and UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children 2023 - DRC

[1] UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children 2023

KEY MESSAGES: Meeting on the Rohingya Crisis

See also: Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis Joint Response Plan 2023 and UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children 2023 - Bangladesh​

KEY MESSAGES: Meeting on Haiti

See also: UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children 2023 - Haiti

EU-UNICEF

KEY MESSAGES: Meeting on Palestine

KEY MESSAGES: Meeting on DRC and Sudan

EU-UNICEF

KEY MESSAGES: Meeting on the Central Sahel

UNICEF