The number of pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women suffering from acute malnutrition has soared from 5.5 million to 6.9 million – or 25 per cent – since 2020 in 12 countries hardest hit by the global food and nutrition crisis, according to this new report by the UNICEF.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the most water-stressed region in the world. According to 2018 data, 14 of the 17 most water-stressed countries globally were in the region, including the top six.

This report outlines the polycrisis in which the world finds itself — multiple, simultaneous shocks with strong interdependencies, intensified in an ever-more integrated world — along with eight trends that will shape child rights and well-being in the coming year.

In 2021, an estimated 1.9 million babies were stillborn at 28 weeks of pregnancy or later, with a global stillbirth rate of 13.9 stillbirths per 1,000 total births. These losses, however, are not experienced uniformly.

The COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters and ongoing conflict have deepened inequalities among children in Europe and Central Asia, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in this report, calling for more robust support for boys and girls at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

UNICEF released the Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region with a special focus on Egypt. The Index highlights the vulnerability of children living in many countries in the region to the impacts of climate change.

559 million children are currently exposed to high heatwave frequency, according to this new research from UNICEF. Further, 624 million children are exposed to one of three other high heat measures - high heatwave duration, high heatwave severity or extreme high temperatures.

Of the 164 million unregistered children under 5 worldwide, more than half (around 91 million) live in Africa, according to this new statistical update on birth registration in Africa, published by UNICEF in partnership with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

This new UN report shows that women’s and children’s health has suffered globally, as the impacts of conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change converge with devastating effects on prospects for children, young people and women.

Children cannot live on staple grains alone; they need to eat a diverse range of nutritious foods. Child Food Poverty - A Nutrition Crisis in Early Childhood sounds the alarm on the state of child food poverty – a situation where young children are not fed the minimum number of food groups they need in early childhood.