Ministry Statements & Speeches:
New Zealand welcomes the annual report on UNICEF humanitarian action.
In a year characterised by surging global crises, reductions in humanitarian funding and worsening risks to the safety and security of humanitarian workers, we acknowledge the incredibly difficult context in which UNICEF and its staff faithfully protect the rights and well-being of all children in humanitarian emergencies.
New Zealand is pleased to have supported UNICEF’s humanitarian responses to Typhoon Yagi in Viet Nam, to flooding in Bangladesh, and to the conflict related crises in Gaza and the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria in 2024.
The Pacific is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. As a Pacific country, New Zealand commends UNICEF’s recent responses to significant disasters in the region, working alongside affected Pacific countries. In 2024, this included responding to the May Enga landslide in Papua New Guinea, and the December Port Vila earthquake in Vanuatu. We also acknowledge UNICEF’s work in other Small Island Developing States.
New Zealand welcomes the strategic priorities outlined in the annual report, and we are encouraged by UNICEF’s commitment to engage constructively in the Humanitarian Reset, and to deliver efficient and effective results for children.
New Zealand remains committed to supporting UNICEF’s humanitarian action for children and young people.