UNICEF in 2011: The year in review
2012-01-18
NEW YORK/ HONG KONG, 18 January 2012 – From famine in the Horn of Africa to flooding in Pakistan and uprisings across the Middle East, 2011 was a challenging year for families in the developing world. Extreme weather, rising food prices, and political conflict displaced millions and pushed families to desperation as they struggled to stay alive, and to keep their children from disease and starvation. And as the global economic downturn continued, humanitarian agencies were challenged to meet growing needs with fewer financial resources.
The world’s largest refugee camp sprang up in Dadaab, in north-western Kenya, to cope with the hundreds of thousands of families who aved harrowing dangers to walk from Somalia. Abdile Mohammed made the journey, which nearly killed his son, Aden, 3. “I experienced hardship,” he said after he reached Kenya and received life-saving treatment for Aden. “I was alone day and night.”
he said. “We don’t even have anything to put on the ground and sit.”
In Athens, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Special Olympics to uphold the rights and dignity of children with disabilities. “By strengthening the partnership between Special Olympics and UNICEF, we will help to protect these rights for more children with disabilities,” he said at the event.
“Thanks to the strong support from donors around the world since famine was declared in July, thousands of children’s lives have been saved,” said UNICEF Representative in Somalia Sikander Khan.
UNICEF will continue to build on its successes in the coming year. Its commitment to the most disadvantaged children will remain at the heart of its agenda as it devises new methods and tools to ensure a better future for all children.