Over 12 Million Children Harmed by Conflict in MENA as UNICEF Sounds Alarm

In what UNICEF calls an unprecedented child protection crisis, at least 12.2 million children have been killed, maimed, or displaced by armed conflict in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) over the past two years — the equivalent of one child displaced every five seconds and one child killed or maimed every fifteen minutes.

This staggering figure underscores the worsening conditions for children across the region, where nearly 110 million children currently live in countries affected by conflict. With essential infrastructure under attack and humanitarian support dwindling, millions of young lives are at risk, both physically and psychologically.

“A child’s life is being turned upside down the equivalent of every five seconds due to the conflicts in the region,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “Ending hostilities – for the sake of children – is not optional; it is an urgent necessity, a moral obligation, and the only path to a better future.”

A Region in Perpetual Crisis

MENA has long been home to protracted conflicts, from Syria and Yemen to the State of Palestine, Libya, and Sudan. However, the cumulative effect of escalating violence, economic collapse, climate stress, and political instability is now hitting children with unbearable force.

According to UNICEF reports:

• Over 12 million children have been displaced by conflict and insecurity.

• Nearly 20,000 children have been killed, with more than 40,000 maimed by airstrikes, shelling, landmines, and gunfire.

• Homes, schools, and hospitals — often considered sanctuaries — are increasingly targeted, leaving children with no safe spaces.

The impacts are compounded by psychological trauma, loss of access to education, and the breakdown of health and social services. Many children are not only witnesses to violence but are also being recruited by armed groups, forced into early marriage, or trafficked.

Rising Humanitarian Needs Amid Shrinking Resources

UNICEF estimates that 45 million children across the region will require humanitarian assistance in 2025, up sharply from 32 million in 2020 — a 41% increase in just five years.

But while the needs have soared, funding to meet those needs is dwindling:

• As of May 2025, Syria faces a 78% funding gap for UNICEF’s humanitarian operations.

• In the State of Palestine, that gap stands at 68%.

• Overall, UNICEF’s regional funding is projected to decline by up to 25% by 2026, a loss of nearly US$370 million.

This would directly jeopardize life-saving programs such as:

• Treatment for severe malnutrition

• Vaccination campaigns against preventable diseases

• Provision of clean and safe drinking water

• Emergency education and psychosocial support for traumatized children

“As the plight of children in the region worsens, the resources to respond are becoming sparser,” Beigbeder warned. “Conflicts must stop. International advocacy to resolve these crises must intensify. And support for vulnerable children must increase, not decline.”

UNICEF’s Urgent Call to Action

UNICEF has issued an urgent appeal to:

1. All parties to conflict: End hostilities immediately and comply with international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and infrastructure.

2. Influential Member States: Use diplomatic leverage to pressure warring factions toward ceasefires and peace negotiations.

3. Donor nations and the private sector: Maintain or increase financial commitments to protect children and deliver humanitarian aid.

4. New partners and philanthropists: Step forward to fill funding gaps, especially in underfunded crises where millions of lives hang in the balance.

No Time Left for Delay

The numbers may be staggering, but each statistic represents a child — a girl pulled from the rubble of a collapsed school in Gaza, a boy who lost a limb to a landmine in Yemen, a toddler living in a freezing refugee camp in northern Syria.

These children face not only immediate threats to life and health, but also the long-term erosion of hope and opportunity. Education has been disrupted for millions. Health care access has collapsed in conflict zones. Clean water and nutritious food are increasingly out of reach.

“Half of the region’s 220 million children already live in conflict-affected countries,” Beigbeder noted. “We cannot allow this number to rise. Every day of delay costs more young lives and puts the future of the region at risk.”

In the face of growing instability and shrinking global attention, UNICEF’s message is clear: without urgent action, funding, and a renewed global commitment to peace, an entire generation is at risk of being lost to violence and neglect.