Founded in 1946, UNICEF is one of the primary organisations of the United Nations. The organisation was made primarily to help children across the nations affected by World War Due to poverty worldwide, especially in developing and poor countries, UNICEF has broadened its efforts and vision. The organisation promotes child welfare worldwide.
In poor and developing countries, children face many problems due to poverty, so the organisation keeps its eyes to help children in all ways possible. From providing food to medical assistance and education to fitness, the organisation keeps an eye on poor children’s complete growth and development. In order to achieve its goals, it funds various social services and other local child welfare organisations. Vaccination campaigns are one of the major works UNICEF does in the welfare of poor children.
Definition of UNICEF
The United Nations General Assembly has tasked UNICEF to advocate for the preservation of children’s rights, assist them in meeting their basic requirements, and provide them with the opportunity to attain their full potential.
The United Nations Children’s Fund, established in 1953, mirrored the organisation’s larger objective. In 1965, UNICEF received the Nobel Peace Prize. The company’s headquarters are in New York City. It is a United Nations body established to promote the health and nutrition of children and mothers across the globe.
UNICEF Expansion
If you ask anybody at UNICEF, they will tell you that it no longer stands for United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, which was the organisation’s original full name when it was founded in 1946.Â
They expanded UNICEF’s mission in 1950 to include the long-term needs of children and women in underdeveloped nations worldwide. When they reduced their name to the United Nations Children’s Fund in 1953, UNICEF became a permanent component of the United Nations system. UNICEF, on the other hand, has kept its original acronym.
What is UNICEF India?
UNICEF is wholly dedicated to collaborating with the Indian government to ensure that every child born in this vast and diverse nation has the best possible start in life, thrives, and develops to their full potential.
Since 1949, UNICEF has advocated for the rights of children and young people in India through its Indian subsidiary UNICEF India. The organisation started its operations in India with three employees and opened an office in Delhi three years later. It is now active in 16 Indian states, advocating for children’s rights.
What does UNICEF do?
As mentioned, UNICEF focuses on more than a single aspect of children’s welfare. It looks after all the basic and important requirements. From education to nutrition, health, vaccinations, mental health, medical assistance for pregnant mothers, sanitation, and many more. The organisation’s goal is the complete development and growth of a child.
As it is a UN organisation, it is active in almost all UN-recognised countries. It focuses on some of the world’s most demanding locations, to help the world’s most vulnerable children and young people.
UNICEF operates on the convention of an Act established in 1989Â which is the Rights of the Child Act. It upholds and focuses on the right of getting the best healthcare facilities and treatment, including rehabilitation for children. Government and private donations are used to fund UNICEF’s programs.
Headquartered in New York, UNICEF has 34 National Committees, a research centre in Florence, a shared services centre in Budapest, seven regional offices, a supply operation in Copenhagen, and additional offices in Brussels, Geneva, Seoul, and Tokyo. One of the interesting facts about UNICEF is that 85% of the employees work in the field to help the needy.
10 Ways How UNICEF Helps the World
Here are some instances of how UNICEF collaborated with partners in 2017 to help children all across the world:
- UNICEF and partners provided incentives to 2 million teenage girls to select alternatives to child marriage.
- In crises, UNICEF and partners helped 8.8 million children, including 4.2 million females, access education.
- UNICEF and partners provided learning material to over 12.5 million children.
- In 102 countries, UNICEF and partners responded to 337 situations.
- UNICEF and partners assisted in delivering 25 million live babies in health facilities with competent birth attendants.
- UNICEF and partners helped 22 million people get better sanitation.
- In emergency cases, UNICEF and partners treated more than 4 million children for severe acute malnutrition.
- In 40 countries, UNICEF and partners assisted in registering 141,000 unaccompanied and separated children on the move.
- In 15 countries, UNICEF and partners assisted in the release of over 10,000 children from armed forces and organisations and the reintegration of over 12,000 children into their communities.
- UNICEF and partners increased their efforts to help disabled children and young people better.
Partnership with UNICEF
UNICEF strives to defend children’s rights and ensure their futures in some of the world’s most difficult-to-reach regions. But we can’t do it by ourselves. In over 190 nations and territories, we collaborate with the public sector, commercial sector, and civil society. Learn more about UNICEF’s partnership options, whether you’re a company or an individual supporter.
Conclusion
UNICEF’s name was abbreviated to the United Nations Children’s Fund when it became a permanent component of the United Nations organisation in 1953, reflecting its aim of addressing the long-term needs of children and women in developing nations worldwide. UNICEF, on the other hand, has kept its original acronym.