Beyza Binnur Donmez
02 June 2026•Update: 02 June 2026
Global disruptions to transportation routes triggered by the Middle East conflict are increasing humanitarian costs and delaying lifesaving aid for children worldwide, a UNICEF official warned on Tuesday.
Jean-Cedric Meeus, the agency's chief of global transport and logistics, told reporters in Geneva that nearly 100 days into the latest regional escalation, the impact on global supply chains is extending far beyond the Middle East.
"Increased transport costs mean less money for the lifesaving supplies children need," Meeus said, warning that the combined effects of rising logistics expenses and a global funding crisis are forcing humanitarian agencies to make increasingly difficult decisions.
He said maritime diversions around the Cape of Good Hope are adding two to four weeks to shipping times, while air freight capacity has tightened and port congestion has spread across Africa and beyond.
According to UNICEF, air freight costs for vaccines from India to Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have risen by 50 to 70%, while trucking costs for nutrition supplies from Kenya to Somalia, South Sudan and Congo have increased by 30%.
Sea freight for education materials from China to Yemen and Mozambique, he added, has also surged by 100 to 150%.
"Cumulatively, we estimate that these disruptions could delay critical supplies by up to four to six months," Meeus said.
He warned that delays in the delivery of vaccines and nutrition supplies could mean "the difference between life and death" for children in crisis zones.
Despite the challenges, UNICEF is maintaining aid deliveries through alternative transport routes, expanded local production and partnerships with other UN agencies, he said, adding that humanitarian organizations cannot absorb mounting costs indefinitely.
