The official account of @UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell — a champion #ForEveryChild, everywhere.
New York, NY
Joined January 2018
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UNICEF works with community leaders & partners to address the urgent needs of over 1.2M Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar–from nutrition to education, water & sanitation.
We’re grateful to Bangladesh, host communities & our donors. As needs rise, the world must not look away.
In the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, I met worried mothers at a UNICEF-supported nutrition center. They fear for the survival & health of their children as needs outpace funding, while malnutrition reaches emergency levels.
UNICEF is responding but much more is needed.
Children must always be protected!
Across Sudan, children continue to face deadly violence after more than three years of conflict.
UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Children must be protected wherever they are, at all times.
Details: unicef.link/4yulKaA
ALT At least 12 children, some as young as two, were reportedly killed in two separate incidents in Sudan's West Kordofan and Khartoum states in recent days.
Great visit to Bangladesh to meet with children, families, officials and partners.
Providing children with the health, education and protection services they need, including against early marriage, is the best investment in the country’s future.👇
unicef.org/bangladesh/en/pre…
In Korail, the largest informal settlement in Dhaka, I met 14yr old Bushra. She told me how community leaders from a UNICEF supported child protection hub saved her from marriage. She's now in school & wants to be a pilot. Nearly 1 in 2 girls in Bangladesh is married before 18.
Met amazing children in Korail, Dhaka. They come to a Child Wellbeing Center to read, draw and play.
UNICEF, in partnership with the Government, supports thousands of families in Dhaka’s densely populated informal settlement with child protection, health & sanitation services.
At a UNICEF supported health clinic in Korail, 19yr old Farzana had just given birth to a baby girl. She’s one of thousands of women who receive pregnancy care and support from a midwife to safely deliver. It's helping to address the high rate of maternal mortality in Bangladesh.
Honored to meet State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam in Dhaka.
We discussed the importance of preventing child marriage & further strengthening our collaboration to ensure every child in Bangladesh has the opportunity to grow up healthy, educated & protected.
Baby Asante survived Ebola but lost her mother and father. Her foster parent, Francine Birungi, says Asante cannot lose her future. Here is how she is helping to ensure that Asante is healthy and cared for.
At just two weeks old, Asante’s life turned upside down.
She lost both of her parents amid the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and contracted the disease herself.
But her story didn’t end there.
Baby Asante survived Ebola and her recovery has been marked by weekly visits to a UNICEF-supported hospital, thanks to her foster mother, Francine.
“Today, seeing her smile makes me feel good,” she says.
The lives of children and young people must be at the heart of any discussions on the global economy, new technology, including AI, and job creation. Decisions will shape their lives, opportunities, and futures.
#IMFMeetings #WBGMeetings
Great to join today’s discussion at the #HumanCapital Ministerial Conclave at the #WBGMeetings on skills in the AI age and how AI can improve learning while remaining safe and equitable.
For UNICEF the principle is clear - AI is the technology, learning is the outcome.
Excellent meeting with G7 development ministers today.
UNICEF is grateful to Minister Éléonore Caroit for her leadership, and for the support of G7 members in strengthening health services and child survival efforts–especially for the most vulnerable children.
#WBGMeetings
Pleased to meet Brigitte Réthier & Christian Krämer of @KfW_FZ_in. As needs outpace resources, strategic partnerships remain essential to protect services & build resilience for children. I look forward to furthering UNICEF’s collaboration with Germany & KfW to deliver at scale.
A pleasure to meet with leaders from Thailand’s business community and thank them for being champions for children.
We discussed ways to further invest in children to ensure they are healthy, educated & provided with the right skills & opportunities for the jobs of the future.
In 34 countries, home to 1.1B children, governments spend more on interest payments than on health.
When debt is unsustainable, children often pay the highest price. Children must be placed at the center of debt & economic policymaking.👇
#WBGMeetings
unicef.org/press-releases/re…
Over 2.6M girls in Afghanistan have been denied a secondary education since 2021.
UNICEF continues to support primary education and community-based learning for girls and for boys.
But girls' rights to secondary and higher education must be restored.👇
unicef.org/stories/five-year…
While Syria remains polio-free, that protection cannot be taken for granted.
In 2026, health teams reached over 771K children in priority areas with oral polio vaccine. Sustained immunization and surveillance are vital to reach every child and prevent polio’s return. #EndPolio
Girls like Rachana are impressive champions for positive change, which will benefit children and communities.
#IDG2026 #GirlGoals
Rachana, 17, from Nepal is proving that girls can lead the fight to end child marriage.
As a facilitator in a UNICEF-supported programme, she’s helping girls build the skills and confidence to stay in school.
Here’s how she has already helped stop three child marriages. #IDG2026 #GirlGoals
unicef.link/4cT7uA8
Catherine Russell retweeted
UNICEF is deeply saddened by the deaths of at least 139 people, including 15 children, after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti late last week.
Read the statement by @EvaUNICEF, UNICEF's Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa: unicef.org/esa/press-release…
Every child has the right to good mental health services. Yet too many children lack the support needed.
In connection with #WorldMentalHealthDay, UNICEF urges governments & partners to invest in mental health & engage children and youth in shaping decisions that affect them.
