An average of four children are killed per day in the Yemen conflict since it escalated in 2015, says the United Nations.

The escalation has brought the number of children casualties – killed or injured to 11,000.

This was disclosed after the executive director of the UN Children’s Fund, Catherine Russell, visited the region to launch UNICEF’s $10.3 billion Humanitarian Action for Children Appeal.

The policy would reduce the conflict’s intensity, especially in ways that directly affects children. 

It also aims to provide access to safe drinking water, sanitation, nutrition, education, health and protection services for children in crisis-torn parts of the world. 

“Thousands of children have lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands more remain at risk of death from preventable disease or starvation,” Ms Russel said.

“They all need immediate support as basic services have all but collapsed,” she added. 

Yemen has one of the most dire humanitarian situations in the world, with three-quarter of the population (more than 23.4 million), which over 50 per cent are children, in urgent need of help and safety. 

According to UNICEF, 2.2 million children are severely malnourished, including nearly 540,000 children under the age of five who suffer acute malnutrition.