Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
- East Asia and the Pacific is the world's most disaster-prone region and faces escalating climate-induced crises.1 In 2024, more than 1.5 million children were directly affected when Typhoon Yagi hit the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam in September, 2 while El Niño-induced drought conditions in the first half of the year exacerbated food insecurity and water shortages.
- UNICEF partners with governments, civil society and the private sector to enhance childsensitive emergency preparedness and response. A key priority is to strengthen national and local responders’ capacities to lead inclusive and disaster- and climate-risk informed humanitarian action. UNICEF promotes accountability to affected populations, genderbased violence prevention and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.
- UNICEF requires $64.2 million to support child-sensitive emergency preparedness and response actions in the region. This funding will enhance life-saving health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and protection support, ensuring swift action during crises and safeguarding vulnerable children and communities.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
In East Asia and the Pacific, children are exposed to more frequent and intense climate and environmental hazards than anywhere else in the world. 7 The region endures extreme storms, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and droughts, while also grappling with human-made emergencies caused by conflict and intercommunal violence. The compounding effects of these crises erode children’s coping strategies, deepen inequality and harm their potential to thrive.
In 2024, floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Yagi directly affected more than 1.5 million children in Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam, 8 compromising their access to clean water, education, health care, food and shelter and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks and child protection concerns.
Women and children were hardest hit when El Niño caused record heatwaves and severe drought. In the Pacific Islands, 35,000 people – including 17,131 children – were affected by extreme water shortages, 9 and in Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta, 88,000 children needed humanitarian assistance. 10 Timor-Leste’s drought left 27 per cent of the population (360,000 people) severely food insecure.
Mongolia experienced its most severe dzud 12 in 50 years, affecting more than 188,000 people, including 80,000 children; 13 even harsher conditions are forecast for the 2024–2025 winter. In Papua New Guinea, a catastrophic landslide displaced thousands and left children without access to education, psychosocial support and school feeding programmes.
Myanmar's conflict continues to force millions from their homes, leaving 6 million children in need of humanitarian assistance. 15 More than 66,100 people have fled to neighbouring countries, 16 including Thailand, where around 15,000 refugees are living in informal border settlements.
As climate change intensifies disasters across the region, children and women, including those with disabilities, face escalating displacement and restricted access to water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition, education and protection services – pushing already vulnerable and marginalized communities further into crisis.