Unicef ​​had never requested so much aid: 5.3 billion for the world's crises

Note to readers:

In addition to the chronic humanitarian crises that plague much of the world, that of covid-19 has been added, which has worsened even more the health, social and economic consequences of wars and catastrophes for the population, and especially for childhood.

“When a devastating pandemic coincides with conflict, climate change, disasters or displacement, the consequences for children can be catastrophic,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, following the launch of the largest appeal for funds ever. made the international organization in its history (5,292 million euros) to reach more than 190 million children in 149 countries.

• Unicef ​​launches the largest request for funds in its history before the record of children who need help

• The 'post-covid' challenges facing the new generations

• The UN asks to reopen schools to avoid a "generational catastrophe"

2021 will mark 10 years of the war in Syria and six of the conflict in Yemen.

In these two countries alone there are almost 17 million children in need of humanitarian aid, according

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The critical situation in these two territories has been compounded by the ravages of the pandemic.

Covid-19 and its consequences have also hit other regions that were previously living in emergency: in the Democratic Republic of the Congo there have been several outbreaks of Ebola and measles;

The central Sahel region, made up of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, is experiencing an unstable situation of drought, forced displacement and food insecurity that has plagued the area for years and has left 7.2 million children at risk.

"Armed violence, extreme poverty, hunger and now the covid-19 is making the population have to flee," says Lorena Cobas, head of Emergencies at Unicef ​​Spain, who warns that it is a circumstance that occurs in more places of the world.

If we talk about Latin America, the situation in Venezuela, which in 2019 entered the list of countries in emergency for the first time, has not stopped worsening in the last six years, with 4.3 million children who have fled to the regions from around.

To reach all these places in emergency, the organization has calculated that it needs 6.4 billion dollars (5.292 million euros) to support essential programs for vulnerable children and families during 2021.

And new humanitarian crises have emerged in 2020. The most recent are armed struggles in Ethiopia's Tigray region, which have left 2.8 million people in urgent need of help, according to the organization's tally.

In the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique, more than 425,000 people, including 191,000 children, have been displaced as a result of clashes between non-state armed groups and the army.

UNICEF estimates that 36 million children, the highest number to date, are displaced due to conflict, violence and disasters.

Hurricanes Eta and Iota have devastated vulnerable communities in Central America, and tropical storms in East Asia (in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia) have affected 2.6 and 13.4 million children, respectively.

The importance of going back to school

Although covid-19 has not manifested itself as a disease that directly affects childhood, it has been a setback for the lives of children, especially the most vulnerable.

Routine childhood immunization services have been disrupted in more than 60 countries, while nearly 250 million students around the world continue to be affected by COVID-19 school closings.

In August, the UN warned of the "generational catastrophe" that meant keeping classrooms closed, with the threat that 24 million students at all levels would leave the education system.

“Education is not a second-rate right;

Boys and girls have to be able to continue studying, not only because of the repercussions on their future, but also because the school gives them the tools to know what they can face, ”Cobas explains.

The expert from the international organization also warns of the other threats that the closure of educational centers entails.

“There is a very high risk that many of these children will not go back to school, and that is extremely dangerous, not only for the future of an entire generation, but also for the society of a country.

Furthermore, child marriage can increase in this context, in order to have one less mouth to feed in families that do not have resources, ”Cobas responds.

A network so that the vaccine against covid-19 reaches everyone

Part of this request for humanitarian aid made by Unicef ​​for 2021 will be destined to the distribution and supply of the vaccine against covid-19.

The international organization, together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), informed the main airlines of the world last November about the requirements for distribution and analyzed the ways to transport the doses, in addition to the 1,000 million syringes that must be transported by sea.

This effort also responds to the agreement of the World Health Organization and the Vaccination Alliance (GAVI, in its acronym in English) that through COVAX, a platform of rich and poor countries that seek to join efforts in research, negotiation of prices and distribution, its objective is to provide the 187 members with 2,000 million vaccines in 2021, also to the 92 low and middle-income members who cannot afford to purchase them.

In this appeal and to encourage donors to contribute, UNICEF highlights what is achieved with their contributions.

In 2020 alone, according to their data, they managed to treat 1.5 million children for severe acute malnutrition;

3.4 million children have been vaccinated against measles;

1.8 million health workers have received personal protective equipment;

45.5 million households have benefited from new or existing social assistance measures provided by governments to respond to the pandemic and 2.5 million covid-19 test kits have been delivered in 56 countries.

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