Save the Children: Humanitarian supply chain disruptions are severely impacting children around the world.

According to CCTV news, Jean-Cedric Maulus, head of the global transportation and logistics department of the United Nations Children's Fund, said at a routine press conference in Geneva on the 2nd that since the escalation of tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran on February 28th, children around the world have been severely affected by disruptions in the global humanitarian supply chain. Maulus said that in the nearly 100 days since the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, the global supply chain has continued to be congested. Now, the shipping time for routes around the Cape of Good Hope has increased by 2 to 4 weeks, and air transportation capacity on Middle East routes has become tight, with port congestion occurring in Africa and other regions. Maulus explained that the rising costs of humanitarian goods transportation and logistics, particularly related to children, have had a significant impact. Increased transportation costs mean less funding available for life-saving goods for children. For example, in Nigeria, rerouting the transportation of syringes for a polio vaccination project for 12 million children cost an additional $200,000, representing a 56% increase in transportation costs. Maulus stated that the global transportation and logistics department of the United Nations Children's Fund is currently utilizing alternative routes for air, land, and sea transportation, procuring supplies in advance, diversifying suppliers, and promoting local production of goods.