Dec 05, (V7N) - The UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) launched a $9.9 billion fundraising appeal on Wednesday to provide vital assistance to millions of young people affected by wars and other global crises in 2025. UNICEF's Executive Director Catherine Russell stated that the scale of children's humanitarian needs is at a historically high level, with an increasing number of children impacted every day by conflict and crises.

The funding will aim to assist 109 million children and will focus on providing access to primary healthcare, mental health services, clean drinking water, education, malnutrition screening, and efforts to address gender-based violence. UNICEF also highlighted that 213 million children across 146 countries are projected to require humanitarian aid in 2025, marking an astoundingly high figure for global child welfare.

This appeal is launched amid a chronic funding crisis affecting humanitarian operations worldwide. In 2023, UNICEF’s previous fundraising appeal for $9.3 billion fell short, reflecting the ongoing challenges in meeting the needs of vulnerable children globally.

Among the largest fundraising targets, UNICEF has set Afghanistan as the primary recipient, with a funding requirement of over $1 billion, followed by Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Palestinian territories, and Lebanon, which are also major areas of focus for humanitarian support.

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