GENEVA: The UN children's agency is launching a $2.8 billion appeal to help children caught up in humanitarian emergencies this year.

UNICEF Geneva's director of emergency programs, Sikander Khan, says about a quarter of that appeal will target education, which the agency considers a "life-saving measure for children" when war has shuttered many schools.

The appeal is part of a broader funding drive led by the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, which targets 76 million people in 63 countries.

The largest single chunk of UNICEF's appeal — $1.16 billion — targets Syria and neighboring countries that have taken in millions of refugees from Syria's war. The appeal hopes to help some 6.7 million Syrian children inside and outside Syria, including 5 million who would receive educational support.