38m children in need of aid in MENA, UNICEF says

Some 38 million children and adolescents require assistance in the Middle East and North Africa region, the United Nations children’s charity told AFP.

The region accounts for half of UNICEF’s worldwide humanitarian response appeals – “a significant increase since 2011” due to the political and economic developments which resulted from the Arab Spring protests and subsequent changes in regimes, UNICEF Regional director Ted Chaiban said.

“The region is also home to the world’s worst youth unemployment rates – 25 percent in the Middle East, and 29 percent in North Africa,” he added.

According to the World Bank, the MENA region has to create 300 million new jobs by 2050 to meet the needs of its large youth populations.

In 2020, UNICEF reported that nearly 15 million children between 5-14 years old were not able to reach school in the MENA region, and ten million are in school but at risk of dropping out.

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