Despite generous support from our donors, 50 per cent of UNICEF’s response remained unfunded in 2025. Urgent additional support is needed in 2026 to sustain and scale lifesaving services for the most vulnerable children.
In 2025, the MENA region faced overlapping crises including conflict, displacement, economic collapse, disease outbreaks, and climate shocks, placing children at risk and disrupting access to services.
Middle East and North Africa offers a comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of one of the world’s most complex and dynamic mobility landscapes where labour migration, protracted displacement, environmental stressors and socioeconomic transitions converge.
The Sudan crisis has become the world’s largest displacement and protection emergency. Since April 2023, some 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes, of whom nearly 12 million remain displaced —7.3 million within Sudan and over 4.2 million across borders into the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda
Since the outbreak of armed conflict in Sudan on 15 April 2023, Africa Region faced a large-scale humanitarian crisis marked by one of the most significant displacement movements in recent years. Millions of people fled the violence, crossing into Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda.
Despite urgent needs, 62 per cent of UNICEF’s response remains unfunded. Without timely support, the most vulnerable children risk missing access to critical, lifesaving services.
According to a statement by the UN Spokesperson, and the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, civilians remain cut off without access to food and clean water, and public health is deteriorating amid outbreaks of diseases like cholera.
There are now 12.0 million forcibly displaced due to the outbreak of conflict in Sudan since April 2023, including 7.7 million internally and 4.1 million in neighbouring countries.
Latest data from IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) shows a 13% drop in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sudan since January 2025, now standing at 10.1 million.
Due to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan with more than 124 million forcibly displaced, out of which 3.4 million fled into neighbouring countries, the Federation-wide Emergency Appeal was revised, increasing the total funding ask from the initial CHF 42 million to CHF 47.5 million and extending the operation end date to December 2025.
As of 15 May 2025, UNHCR estimates that over half a million – 501,126 – Syrians have crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024. This brings up the total of 861,966 Syrian individuals that have returned to Syria since the beginning of 2024.
As of 8 May 2025, UNHCR estimates that some 481,730 Syrians have crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024. This brings up the total of over 842,570 Syrian individuals that have returned to Syria since the beginning of 2024.
More than 22 months have passed since the escalation of conflict in Sudan in April 2023. Health is the sector with the third highest people in need as per the Humanitarian Needs Response Plan 2025 (HNRP).
Since October 7, 2023, hostilities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have escalated to unprecedented levels, resulting in immense humanitarian needs in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).
On 18 October 2023, IFRC launched the Middle East Crisis Emergency Appeal to support the coordination and scale-up of response to the crisis, in addition to the readiness activities in neighbouring countries.
