UNICEF marks 60th anniversary in Copenhagen as demand for emergency supplies for children hits record high

COPENHAGEN/NEW YORK, October 5, 2022 – UNICEF is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its work distributing essential supplies to the world’s most vulnerable children from the Global Supply and Logistics Center in Copenhagen.

In recent years, supplies such as medical instruments, medicines, hygiene products, school supplies and sanitary equipment have been sent from this center in the Danish capital at a record pace in response to the growing number of crises. humanitarian organizations around the world, including those in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Pakistan, South Sudan, Ukraine or Yemen, without forgetting the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Children’s humanitarian needs have never been greater, which is why the work of the UNICEF Global Supply and Logistics Center in Copenhagen has never been greater,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “The best way to celebrate this important milestone is to redouble our efforts to reach all children at risk and provide them with essential supplies that can help them survive crises and rebuild their lives.” From UNICEF, we thank the government and people of Denmark for their support in this vital task, and we look forward to continuing to deliver emergency supplies for the next 60 years, wherever and whenever they are needed.”

So far this year, 480,000 metric tons of emergency supplies have been distributed from this humanitarian depot, including 1,400 convoys sent in response to the war in Ukraine loaded with 10,484 metric tons of supplies. The shipments include more than 800,000 emergency kits, such as midwifery kits, medical supplies and hygiene kits for families.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Logistics and Supply Center is leading supply, transportation and logistics for COVAX, a global initiative to ensure equitable access to vaccines against COVID-19. Since the first shipment in February 2021, the Copenhagen hub has facilitated the safe delivery of 1.7 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 146 countries and territories, as well as millions of syringes, cold storage kits and personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.

As part of the 60th anniversary commemorations, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Liam Neeson visited the warehouse last week and helped pack supplies for the children of Afghanistan.

“When an emergency strikes – and children are forced to leave their homes, schools and communities – supplies sent from UNICEF’s warehouse in Copenhagen can make the difference between life and death,” he told Liam Neeson. “From oxygen kits, water purification tablets, mosquito nets and volleyballs to entire schools, UNICEF seamlessly delivers its supplies to children around the world to enable them to survive and thrive. The center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, non-stop.”

Established in 1962, the office and warehouse space – now the largest humanitarian warehouse in the world – was donated by the Danish government to UNICEF to house its global supply and logistics operations. Since then, tens of thousands of cargo planes, ships, trucks and trains have left Copenhagen with countless tons of vital supplies destined for children living in conflict zones and places affected by natural disasters and other global emergencies.

In total, UNICEF’s Supply and Logistics Center delivered $7.181 million worth of goods and services to children and families in 160 countries and territories last year.

###

Notes to the editors

Next Friday, October 7 at 4:30 p.m., Her Royal Highness The Princess of Denmark and UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, will participate, together with partner organizations, in an event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of UNICEF’s Supply Division in Denmark, organized in cooperation with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Interested media are invited to register to participate in the event. To do so, they can contact Stephanie Brickman, Communications Officer, UNICEF Supply Unit, by phone (+45 40 87 48 76) or email (sbrickman@unicef.org).

The event will be held at the UNICEF supply depot: Oceanvej 10-12, 2150 København.