UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched its Humanitarian Action for Children 2026 appeal on Wednesday, seeking 7.66 billion U.S. dollars to provide life-saving support to 73 million children in 133 countries and territories next year.

As global funding cuts intensify and basic services collapse, humanitarian needs for children continue to surge, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, at a daily briefing.

Announced and anticipated funding cuts by donor governments are already limiting UNICEF's ability to reach millions of children in dire need, Haq said, adding that severe shortfalls in 2024 and 2025 are forcing UNICEF to make impossible choices.

For example, across UNICEF's nutrition programming alone, a 72 percent funding gap in 2025 forced cuts in 20 priority countries, and in education, a shortfall of 745 million dollars has left millions more children at risk of losing access to learning, protection and stability, he said.

"UNICEF urges governments and donors to increase flexible, multi-year financing, support local partners, uphold humanitarian principles and ensure access to children in need," Haq said.

In a press release, UNICEF said that among the 73 million children, 37 million are girls and over 9 million have disabilities.

"Around the world, children caught in conflict, disaster, displacement and economic turmoil continue to face extraordinary challenges," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in the release. "Their lives are being shaped by forces far beyond their control: violence, the threat of famine, intensifying climate shocks, and the widespread collapse of essential services."

The current global funding crisis does not reflect a decline in humanitarian need, but rather a growing gap between the scale of suffering and the resources available, said Russell, warning that "while UNICEF is working to adapt to this new reality, children are already paying the price of shrinking humanitarian budgets."

According to UNICEF, more than 200 million children will require humanitarian assistance in 2026. ■