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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the leading intergovernmental organization for child protection and support. But how much do you know about this UN agency? What does UNICEF do?
In this article, we will show 5 things that you should know about UNICEF and what the organization stands for – crucial information if you ever want to start a career at such an impactful IGO!
In pursuit of its mission, the OpenIGO network has prepared a comprehensive eBook (Landing your dream job at the United Nations), as well as support and guidance services, with the aim of highly increasing your chances of success in these competitive selection processes.
These services include revising your application documents (curriculum vitae/resume and cover letter) and a mock interview, as per the United Nations model. We also offer a range of packages that combine the eBook with different services!
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#1 UNICEF was created in the aftermath of World War II
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was founded in the year of 1946, in the aftermath of World War II. The UNICEF’s mandate was established with the following mission statement: To help children and young people whose lives and futures were at risk – no matter what role their country had played in the war.
After the devastation caused by World War II, up to 20 million children were in desperate need of emergency assistance. Half of all babies were dying even before their first birthday.
In response to this, the United Nations General Assembly created UNICEF in 1946. Two years later, the organization granted food and other items to 5 million children in 12 countries.
In 1950, UNICEF’s mandate was expanded in order to address the long-term needs of children living in developing countries.
#2 UNICEF has won a Nobel Peace Prize
In 1965, only 19 years after its founding, UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in appreciation of the agency’s work on behalf of victims of armed conflicts.
During UNICEF’s first field operations in Europe shortly after the end of World War II, it stated that no child was to be dubbed an “enemy child”. In the 1960s, UNICEF aided children living in poor countries with no differentiation on the basis of race, creed, nationality, or political ideology.
While accepting the Nobel Prize for Peace, Henry R. Labouisse, then Executive Director of UNICEF, said that the biggest threat to peace was the “slow war of attrition which poverty and ignorance now wage against 800 million children in the developing countries.”
#3 UNICEF has an outstanding global presence
UNICEF is present in more than 190 countries and territories over the world. More than 120 country offices work with host governments in order to develop five-year plans aimed at realizing the rights of children and women.
Seven regional offices lead the work of the country offices and supply technical assistance as required. The Supply Division, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the main point of distribution of the agency, supplying essential items, like vaccines, for children in poorer countries.
Lastly, UNICEF operates the Innocenti Research Center in Florence, Italy, to reinforce the research capabilities of the organization and to advance the effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Would like to know more about UNICEF internship opportunities? Then check our UNICEF Internships overview:
#4 UNICEF created an innovative system for citizen engagement
In 2007, UNICEF’s Innovation Fund developed a platform focused on empowering adolescents to hold governments accountable and to report social problems such as sexual exploitation or shortages of drugs in clinics.
The platform is called U-Report, and it allows anyone to publish information in real-time in SMS format. Uganda was the pioneer country to implement UNICEF’s creation, quickly turning into a success that was exported to Zambia and Nigeria in the following years.
By 2015, U-Report had already reached a total of one million reporters in 15 countries around the world. By the end of that same year, Ukraine became the European country to join the U-Report initiative.
#5 UNICEF is the only UN agency devoted exclusively to children
As the only agency within the UN System devoted exclusively to children, UNICEF has an important role to play in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Established in 2000 at Millennium Summit of the United Nations, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals. They are:
| Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) |
|---|
| To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger |
| To achieve universal primary education |
| To promote gender equality and empower women |
| To reduce child mortality |
| To improve maternal health |
| To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases |
| To ensure environmental sustainability |
| To develop a global partnership for development |
Since these goals were meant to expire by the year of 2015, they were replaced by the currently dominant goals of international development’s agenda: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In pursuit of its mission, the OpenIGO network has prepared a comprehensive eBook (Landing your dream job at the United Nations), as well as support and guidance services, with the aim of highly increasing your chances of success in these competitive selection processes.
These services include revising your application documents (curriculum vitae/resume and cover letter) and a mock interview, as per the United Nations model. We also offer a range of packages that combine the eBook with different services!
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR UN JOBS PRODUCTS & SERVICES?
UN Jobs – Products and Services
