UNICEF Executive Board, First Regular Session 2026, Agenda item 6: Update on UNICEF humanitarian action
Statement by Estonia, delivered by Ms. Ingrid Kressel, Director of the Division of Development Cooperation, MFA Estonia
New York, 12 February 2026
Thank you, Mr. President,
Estonia aligns itself with the statement delivered by Oman and would like to add following in our national capacity.
Estonia welcomes the update on UNICEF humanitarian action presented under agenda item 6 and appreciates the frank assessment of the increasingly challenging operating and funding environment. The combination of escalating humanitarian needs, protracted conflicts, climate-related emergencies and significant funding constraints requires difficult choices, and we commend UNICEF for its efforts to prioritize life-saving interventions while remaining firmly anchored in its child rights mandate.
We remain deeply concerned by the situation of children affected by armed conflict and violence across multiple contexts. In particular, we wish to highlight the continued humanitarian impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, where children continue to being killed and maimed every single day. Children are first victims of the deliberate attacks by Russia on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure that causes disruption of essential services-. During the especially harsh winter conditions with temperatures reaching -20 and below, many are left without heating and electricity. We call on Russia to stop bombing energy and heating systems, schools and hospitals in Ukraine. We also want to underline again that thousands of Ukrainian children illegally abducted and deported to Russia should be returned as soon as possible. – At the same time, we are also alarmed by the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Sudan and by the scale of civilian suffering, including among children, in Gaza, where children would like to study in warm and safe classrooms, but are struggling to learn in cold, wet and dark tents. These crises underscore the urgent need to uphold international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of children and civilians at all times.
We also underscore the importance of safe, timely and unhindered humanitarian access, as well as the protection of humanitarian and health personnel. Attacks against humanitarian workers and violations against children are unacceptable and must not become normalized.
Finally, Estonia welcomes UNICEF’s continued emphasis on working with and through national systems, strengthening preparedness and resilience, and linking humanitarian and development action where possible. We call on UNICEF to align its humanitarian work fully with the ongoing humanitarian reset initiative and thus contribute fully to the UN80 process. We reiterate the importance of predictable, flexible and multi-year funding to enable UNICEF to respond effectively to both acute emergencies and protracted crises.
Estonia has been continuously funding UNICEF over years, ver the last 5 years with over 4.4 million euros. Besides education and innovation, our priorities are equal treatment of girls and children in armed conflicts. We´ve been contribution to UNICEF´s work in Syria and Afghanistan, Ukraine and Georgia, and we have responded, of course, to the humanitarian needs of children in Gaza.
Estonia remains a committed supporter of UNICEF’s humanitarian mandate and looks forward to continued constructive engagement
Thank you.