UNICEF Australia ANNUAL REPORT 2014 CONTENTS
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UNICEF Australia ANNUAL REPORT 2014 CONTENTS About UNICEF 01 Chief Executive and President reports 02 Our Work in Australia 03 Child Rights Convention 08 There in an Emergency 10 Child Health and Survival 14 Child Protection and Social Inclusion 19 Our Education 22 Our People 24 Our Supporters 28 Financial Overview 31 Summarised Financial Reports 32 Front cover: © UNICEF/ETHA_2014_00099/Ose Hama, 8, attends class in Afar region of Ethiopia in April 2014. Inside back cover: © UNICEF/BANA2014-01619/Mawa Students play during their school break in Rangamati, Bangladesh, in August 2014. This Annual Report is printed on Sovereign Offset which is FSC certified. Containing fibre sourced only from responsible forestry practices, this stock is ISO 14001 EMS accredited and made with elemental chlorine free pulps. Designed by Boheem. © UNICEF/BANA2014-00626/Mawa ABOUT UNICEF ABOUT UNICEF UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund. It works in 190 countries and territories with a focus on the lives of the most disadvantaged and excluded children. In 2014, UNICEF celebrated the 25th anniversary of However, while the progress is remarkable, the the United Nation’s commitment to child rights and world needs new ideas and approaches to ensure the global achievements for children over this time. the Convention becomes a reality for every child, everywhere. Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, (CRC) every girl and boy has the right to survive It is UNICEF Australia’s mission to advance the and be healthy. Today, far fewer children die rights of all children, to raise resources for the before their fifth birthday than 25 years ago. organisation’s work and increase awareness of what UNICEF does. The Convention guarantees every child’s right to an education. Today, more children go to school In Australia, UNICEF works with government and than when the Convention was adopted. advocate partners to defend children’s rights and support international development programs. A child’s right to an adequate standard of living was also affirmed in the Convention. The UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary proportion of people living in extreme poverty has contributions of individuals, businesses, fallen and billions more have access to improved foundations and governments. drinking water sources and sanitation facilities. UNICEF Australia | 1 CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND PRESIDENT REPORTS UNPRECEDENTED YEAR OF NEED FOR CHILDREN For children impacted by conflict in the Middle East – in Syria, Iraq and Gaza – and the African nations of South Sudan, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic, 2014 was a tragedy. Ebola too has claimed and changed the lives of children in West Africa and created an enormous challenge for affected nations and the global effort to restore good health. should acknowledge that hundreds of children were To each and every one of these emergencies UNICEF released from formal detention into the community, this responded, despite the unprecedented call on resources group continues to advocate for an end to the current created. UNICEF Australia supported our colleagues mandatory and indefinite detention of children and in the field by responding to the extraordinary funding families on and off-shore. needs, while further building the foundations for growth which will see significant increases in pledge donors, The unheralded and disproportionate cuts to Australia’s corporate partnerships and major donors. Foreign Aid programs in 2014 have had, and will continue to have, major adverse repercussions. The positive Our Young Ambassador program reached a new level momentum achieved over the past decades in reducing with publication of the collated views of more than 1,500 child mortality and supporting the welfare and eduction of of Australia’s children and young people. On the 25th millions of children is at risk of slowing. Consequently it anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child makes the work of UNICEF through National Committees, we considered there was nothing more important than to with our direct engagement with public and corporate give Australia’s youth an opportunity to be heard. partnerships, more critical than ever. During the year UNICEF Australia was instrumental in The extraordinary collective efforts of the UNICEF bringing together heads of Australia’s child rights and Australia team, supported by our dedicated Board of humanitarian organisations to strengthen and unify the Directors, continues to inspire me and the Executive sector’s response to Children in Immigration Detention. Management, as we strive to realise the rights of every This is an issue of extreme concern, and although we child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged. © UNICEF Australia/Adam Liaw | UNICEF Australia Chief Executive Norman Gillespie enjoys a play session with children at an early Dr Norman Gillespie childhood care and development centre in Thet Ke Kan village, in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. UNICEF Australia Chief Executive 2 | Annual Report 2014 CHILDREN’S CONVENTION A REMINDER TO DRIVE SUCCESS A baby born in 2014 has a dramatically improved OUR chance of living to see its fifth birthday and, overall, children born in 2014 will be more likely to survive and thrive than those of past decades. WORK IN With that positive outlook, UNICEF Australia moved into 2014 with ambitious plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF Australia’s AUSTRALIA Young Ambassadors asked Australian children and young people what was important to them and fed more than 1,500 responses to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and National Children’s Commissioner Megan Mitchell. The world made a promise to children Our Young Ambassadors are one example of the when it adopted the Convention on the people who volunteer their time, energy and expertise to UNICEF Australia. Our National Ambassadors; Rights of the Child: an internationally the workplace ambassadors at Qantas, Starwood understood commitment for the human rights and IKEA; our Change for Good volunteers at the of all children. Qantas Jet Base; and the many skilled interns who supplement our day-to-day operations are vital to us For the past 25 years, the Convention on the meeting our aims and deserve our great thanks. Rights of the Child has driven extraordinary Both I and my fellow Board directors consider it a outcomes for children, the majority of them privilege to work with a dedicated senior management focussed on health and survival, protection team. They, in turn, are supported by equally dedicated and education and equality. staff members that understand the importance of giving children the best possible start in life. UNICEF Australia believes Australia’s children are well protected under the Convention, On behalf of the Board I wish to thank Chief Executive but holds concerns for Indigenous children, Officer Norman Gillespie and his staff for their commitment to UNICEF. children in detention – both immigration detention and juvenile detention – and for Thanks also goes to my fellow Board members who children who are living in out-of-home care, so generously volunteer their time and expertise to ensure UNICEF Australia meets its objectives. My or where provisions for care at home or with peers help ensure Australia is playing its proper role in their family fail to protect them. helping the world’s most disadvantaged children. And finally, thanks goes to the many Australians and Australian businesses who give life to the work we do to uphold children’s rights around the world. With the same optimism that we started 2014, these ARTICLE 13 individuals, families and workforces have driven our Children have the right to be shown, success, and it’s their continuing support we will need over the ensuing years. share and shape ideas and information, as long as it causes no harm. John Stewart UNICEF Australia President UNICEF Australia | 3 THINGS THAT MATTER UNICEF Australia has been active in putting children at the forefront of its advocacy for children globally, in our region and here at home. In marking the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF Australia asked Aussie children and young people about the world they lived in, what was important to them, what made them feel safe, what they worried about, who they worried about and whether they felt included in decisions affecting them. Their answers made up the Things That Matter report, shared by UNICEF Australia with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, in Geneva, and government leaders protecting the rights of children in Australia. Download the Things That Matter report at www.unicef.org.au/thingsthatmatter CRC@25 In every region of the world, the CRC has inspired changes in laws to better protect children, altered the way international organisations see their work for children and transformed the way children are able to take an active role and participate in their communities and societies. To celebrate 25 years of a global Convention to protect the rights of every child, actor and UNICEF Australia National Ambassador Callan McAuliffe travelled to youth music festival Splendour in the Grass and asked festival-goers, along with other Aussie kids and young people, to join with UNICEF and make a video celebrating the rights of Australia’s children and young people. You can view the video at www.unicef.org.au/everychild Pele, 15, learned about the rights she 4 | Annual Report 2014 can enjoy as a Torres Strait Islander. INDIGENOUS RIGHTS OUR WORK IN AUSTRALIA Young Indigenous teenagers were brought together by community artists Desert Pea Media and UNICEF Australia to produce a uniquely Australian interpretation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Taking a complex legal document, the teens reimagined the wording and brought power, passion and rhythm to a creative and cultural demonstration of their rights for themselves and their peers.