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| Patrick McCormick, Spokesperson for UNICEF, addressing reporters in Geneva [PHOTO: UNifeed] |
Geneva: The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, said that it is "deeply concerned", that in Syria and the surrounding region, "we may be or are looking at one of the biggest humanitarian emergencies in the last decades."
Patrick McCormick, Spokesperson for UNICEF, said that, in addition to desperately needing food, shelter, water and sanitation, children caught up in the violence in Syria are most likely to miss out on their education, being unable to return to school when the new term is due to start in the next couple of weeks.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 1.2 million people are displaced in Syria, with more than half of those being children. Nearly 230,000 others have left Syria and become refugees in neighbouring countries.
UN officials have repeatedly said their efforts in the area are underfunded and they are looking for more resources. -UNifeed