Media Centre

Plan International Australia welcomes the Australian Government signing onto the Glasgow Statement at COP28 yesterday, ruling out funding of overseas fossil fuel projects. This is a positive step to a clean energy transition to help ensure a clean and healthy environment for children and young people. 

After a pause in fighting for just one week, Plan International is devastated by the resumption of violence in Gaza over the weekend and the shocking number of civilians and children being killed in a matter of days. Following the week-long pause and the release of 110 hostages from Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners, hopes held out by humanitarian agencies of a permanent and lasting ceasefire were crushed when Israel’s bombardments across the Gaza Strip resumed on Friday 1 December.

Since 7 October, 11,078 people, including over 4600 children, have been killed in Gaza. We demand a complete and unconditional ceasefire, immediately. In 41 days 11,078 people, including over 4,600 children, have been killed according to the United Nations. No conflict should ever reach this point.  

We are horrified to learn of the bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza last night, where 50 people are reported to have been killed and hundreds injured. Refugee camps should be a place of safety and civilians, especially children, must be protected and never a target.