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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) appealed for $ 2.5 billion to provide life-saving emergency assistance to nearly 39 million children in the Middle East and North Africa during of the year 2021.
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the Middle East is home to the largest number of children in need in the world. “This is largely due to man-made crises, including armed conflict, poverty and economic stagnation. This appeal aims to provide essential humanitarian assistance to children and continue to meet the enormous needs resulting from the Corona pandemic. “, he added.
The response to the crises in Yemen, Syria and Sudan has the lion’s share of that call. In Syria, 4.8 million children need help after a decade of war, one of the longest and most brutal wars in recent times. And 2.5 million Syrian refugee children live in neighboring countries, according to United Nations data.
In Yemen, 12 million children are in need of assistance, almost the total number of children in Yemen. In Sudan, 5.3 million children face many challenges, including due to the floods considered the worst in a century, political transition and economic crisis.
“We see that there is fatigue with funding long-term crises, such as those occurring in Yemen and Syria,” Shaiban says. “These conflicts are resolved through a political channel and a diplomatic process. And until a solution to these conflicts is found, the world cannot turn a blind eye to the needs of children.” Those affected by two conflicts are among the most horrific conflicts in modern history. “
UNICEF has referred to other crises that have swept through the Arab region over the past year. In Lebanon, an economic collapse accompanied by an increase in coronavirus cases and the terrible explosion in the port of Beirut in August left nearly 1.9 million children dependent on aid.
UNICEF confirmed that the bulk of the funds requested in the appeal will go to support children’s education, followed by the provision of water, sanitation, health, nutrition and psychosocial support to combat mental health.
Source: News Now
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