+ 10.05.2011 + UNICEF released the Humanitarian Action for Children Report (HAR) 2011 today, requesting $1.4 billion in its annual appeal to donors to assist children and women caught in the throes of crises. This year’s appeal highlights 32 countries and emphasizes the increasing importance of strengthening the resilience of communities.

“Investing in children and building the resilience of countries and communities living on the edge  not only shortens their road to recovery, but also helps them to manage anticipated risks before a  crisis strikes and to mitigate loss when it does,” said UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Hilde  Johnson.

The world witnessed overpowering humanitarian crises in 2010: flooding in Pakistan submerged  one-fifth of the country; the earthquake in Haiti claimed over 200,000 lives and displaced millions;  the parched earth and lack of food across the Sahel continues to threaten hundreds of thousands  of children with severe acute malnutrition.

These emergencies claim the headlines, but there are many more lesser-reported crises affecting  the lives of children and families.

Around the world, drought, famine, violent conflict, and long-term displacement are a reality for millions of people. These humanitarian crises have dire consequences for children, among them  recruitment into armed forces, sexual violence, and the loss of basic services such as water, health  and education.

The unprecedented scale of the disasters in Haiti and Pakistan in 2010 triggered an extraordinary  global response from all humanitarian organizations and partners. Yet it also underscored the need  to strengthen preparedness and risk reduction in the communities that are hit repeatedly by crisis.   Granting vulnerable communities the skills to face and withstand risk is an increasingly important  component of humanitarian action, and an area to which UNICEF is deeply committed.

In 2010, for example, UNICEF revised its Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action  to uphold the rights of children and women in crises.  Key changes to the agency’s humanitarian  policy now place a stronger emphasis on preparedness before the onset of a crisis, strengthening  the link between humanitarian action and development, and highlighting the importance of  disaster risk reduction.

UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children Report 2011 presentscrises that require exceptional  support. It shows where urgent action is imperative to save lives, to protect children against the  worst forms of violence and abuse, and to ensure access to basic services, such as water and  sanitation, health, nutrition and education.

“After a year of devastating natural disaster and human tragedy, it has never been more timely to  strengthen the resilience of people and communities who are placed in harm’s way again and  again,” said Johnson.

The 32 countries targeted in this appeal have been prioritized based on the scale of the crisis, the severity of its impact on children and women, the chronic or protracted nature of the crisis, and the potential to bring about life-saving and long lasting results.

UNICEF 2011