Funding for Other Resources (emergency)
UNICEF relies on voluntary contributions to uphold our mission of reaching every child.
Before, during and after humanitarian emergencies, UNICEF is present on-site, providing vital assistance and hope to children and their families. Other Resources (emergency) consist of funds designated for particular emergency response requirements and forecasts.
Through collaboration with our partners, we mobilize resources to safeguard children worldwide, including those in the most remote and challenging locations.
The initial 2022 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal, issued in December 2021, requested $9.4 billion to assist 190.8 million children in need in 145 countries and territories. By the end of 2022, the total humanitarian requirement had risen to $11.74 billion owing to new or deteriorating crises, including the war in Ukraine, floods in Pakistan, drought in the Horn of Africa and other worsening protracted emergencies for children, 20 in addition to the need to accelerate equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines. New appeals were also created for Djibouti and Sri Lanka, bringing the total number of appeals to 55.
In 2022, 43% of UNICEF's appeal for Humanitarian Action for Children was committed. Other Resources (emergency) contributions to UNICEF amounted to US$4.25 billion, a 43% increase compared with the commitment in 2021. Public sector funding continued to be the primary source of funding received in 2022, at $3.16 billion. The top resource partners were the United States (US$ 985 million), the US Fund for UNICEF (US$ 311 million), Germany (US$ 259 million), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (US$ 229 million) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – OCHA (US$ 224 million).
Sources of humanitarian funding include public and private sector partners, humanitarian pooled funds managed by OCHA such as the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPF).
For UNICEF and its partners to achieve a wider impact for crisis-affected communities and meet their emergency needs, flexible and multi-year funding support is critical. UNICEF calls on partners to provide the maximum amount of flexibility, which is critical for all emergency appeals. The Global Humanitarian Thematic Funding is the most flexible form of funding to UNICEF after Regular Resources. This type of funding more than tripled in 2022, reaching $119.8 million. Global humanitarian thematic funding contributed to the UNICEF response in the Horn of Africa and Sahel countries; ensured timely response to cholera outbreaks in Haiti, the Syrian Arab Republic and Uganda; and provided UNICEF responses to natural disasters in the East Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and Caribbean regions with timely funding to cover critical gaps. This funding allowed UNICEF to respond rapidly and strategically to humanitarian crises in 2022 which made a difference for millions of children.
UNICEF’s humanitarian response
In 2022, UNICEF and partners responded to 442 humanitarian emergencies in 128 countries:
In 2022, UNICEF and partners responded to 442 new and ongoing humanitarian emergencies in 128 countries. Aligned with the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, UNICEF continued to focus on providing an array of services and support to the affected populations, especially children in need for humanitarian assistance, respond to public health emergencies like Ebola and Marburg virus diseases, cholera outbreak, continue to tackle the impact of the COVID-19 and numerous consequences on children’s lives, and address vulnerabilities caused by the climate change and natural disasters.
Some of the major humanitarian crises we responded to in 2022 include:
In the wake of war in Ukraine, UNICEF helped nearly three million children and caregivers cope with the traumas of war and displacement through mental health and psychosocial interventions. Over 108,000 families benefited from case management and social support services, while 352,103 women and children were supported through gender-based violence prevention and response services. UNICEF-backed mobile teams provided integrated services to over 930,000 beneficiaries in 2022, with nearly 39,000 (including 9,313 children and 29,539 adults) referred to specialized health, social, and legal institutions.
The Horn of Africa has experienced its worst drought crisis in 40 years, affecting 36.3 million people, including 20.2 million children, and causing food insecurity for 23 million. In response, UNICEF, in collaboration with the World Food Programme and other partners, provided nutrition services in regions like Somalia and Burkina Faso. In Somalia, over 1 million children received therapeutic care for wasting through expanded nutrition services. Burkina Faso's response, amidst climate crises and conflict, included partnerships for preventive and curative care, treating over 107,000 children with severe wasting, 17,500 of whom were reached using community-level approaches. UNICEF reached 70% of its 2022 target for children experiencing severe wasting in Burkina Faso, maintaining good recovery (91.5%) and low mortality (2.8%) rates. These efforts, involving governments, NGOs, private sector and civil society, showcase the power of collaboration in tackling nutrition crises.
In Pakistan, UNICEF incorporated early childhood development strategies into primary health care, WASH, and education services. This involved providing early childhood development information in health kits and facilitating access to resources for frontline workers through a digital platform. Moreover, early childhood development kits were distributed, benefiting over 10,000 children in temporary learning centers in Sindh Province. Looking ahead, UNICEF aims to further prioritize early childhood development in humanitarian situations by fostering policy environments, supporting parents and caregivers, and building frontline worker capacity.
Haiti has been grappling with widespread social unrest and gang-related violence since September 2022, creating a multifaceted crisis. Fuel shortages have hampered basic services, including health care and water supplies, with nearly half the population being acutely food insecure by October 2022. Amid this turmoil, a cholera outbreak emerged, affecting primarily children who constituted 40% of all cases. In response, UNICEF deployed rapid response teams, partnered with non-governmental organizations and local health officials to contain the outbreak, and reached over 86,000 people with cholera supplies and kits. Half a million litres of water were distributed to over 22,000 people, while 355 suspected cholera cases were referred for treatment. Notably, UNICEF spearheaded a cholera vaccination campaign targeting 1.64 million people, and by the end of 2022, almost a million individuals had been vaccinated.
Top 10 donors to Other Resources (emergency), 2022
| Rank* | Resource partner |
Total US$, million |
| 1 | United States of America | 985 |
| 2 | United States Fund for UNICEF | 311 |
| 3 | Germany | 259 |
| 4 | GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance | 229 |
| 5 | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)* | 224 |
| 6 | European Union | 207 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 160 |
| 8 | Japan | 146 |
| 9 | German Committee for UNICEF | 128 |
| 10 | United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF | 85 |
* Contributions received from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs include $197 million related to the Central Emergency Response Fund, and $27 million related to humanitarian country-based pooled funds.
**The above ranking is based on the figures of ‘contributions received’.