UNICEF launches emergency appeal for women and children

UNICEF yesterday launched an appeal for over US $136 million in emergency assistance for some 48 million children and women victims of war, violence and extreme poverty in 20 countries. “The entire picture of war in the world has changed. Children and women are not only the first casualties in armed conflicts, but are deliberately targeted and forced to take part,” UNICEF Executive Director, Carol Bellamy said in a statement. Her appeal is not only for funds, but for the UN Security Council to heighten recognition of the needs of children and women in emergency situations. “Armed conflicts, the HIV-AIDS pandemic and poverty have heavily impacted on the lives of women and children in the East, Central and Horn of Africa region. The situation is grave,” UNICEF’s Regional Programme Planning Officer, Joan Csete, told IRIN. “Keeping children and their mothers alive was an uphill task for us last year. The problem is enormous.”