NEW YORK: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed a major new partnership with the United States worth more than $218 million, aimed at strengthening emergency response and saving the lives of children affected by humanitarian crises worldwide.
The 12-month agreement between UNICEF and the US State Department’s Bureau for Disaster and Humanitarian Response is designed to enhance rapid emergency action, improve nutrition services, and expand support for vulnerable children in some of the world’s most severe crisis zones.
Officials said the initiative is one of the largest child-focused humanitarian partnerships in recent years and will significantly boost UNICEF’s capacity to respond to natural disasters, conflicts, and health emergencies.
The programme will focus on rapid deployment of aid teams, expansion of nutrition interventions, and improved coordination across humanitarian operations. Priority regions include Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Ukraine, along with other high-risk countries facing acute child malnutrition.
UNICEF said the funding will help it respond faster to emergencies and strengthen local systems for delivering life-saving assistance. The organisation highlighted that global humanitarian needs are rising while available resources are becoming increasingly limited.
As part of the nutrition component, UNICEF expects to screen more than 4.4 million children for malnutrition. Nearly 950,000 children suffering from severe wasting are expected to receive treatment under the programme.
The initiative will also support the global supply chain of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a critical treatment used to combat severe child malnutrition in emergency settings.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described the partnership as a timely intervention, noting that it will improve response speed, strengthen cooperation with local partners, and expand access to essential nutrition services for children at highest risk.
She said the investment reflects continued US commitment to child welfare and humanitarian support in collaboration with UNICEF.
In addition to emergency response, the partnership aims to improve coordination within the global humanitarian system, strengthen data-driven decision-making, and support integrated efforts in health, education, water, sanitation, and child protection services.
UNICEF emphasized that the funding will also reinforce its role as a leading global humanitarian agency working across more than 190 countries to protect and support children in need.
