Children's Fund (UNICEF)

My name is Emma Dudrick and I’m a junior at Hamilton Central. This will be my third year of Model UN and my first year being a conference leader. Outside of MUN I’m part of Hamilton’s theater program, our yearbook staff, and I’m class V.P. If you have any questions about UNICEF feel free to contact me at my email ([email protected]) I’m looking forward to a great conference! ​ ​

Introduction: ​ UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) was founded by and ​ Maurice Pate in 1946 to provide support to children who faced hardships following World War II. We later became an official part of the UN in 1953. On our website, UNICEF states that we “work for a world ​ in which every child has a fair chance in life.” Our motto is “UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet our basic needs and to expand our opportunities to reach our full potential.”

General Overview: UNICEF believes that “All children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential - to the benefit of a better world.” We give humanitarian relief to children living in crisis’ or harsh conditions. Our goal is to provide for underprivileged children. UNICEF works towards a world where all children have adequate resources and are out of harm’s way.

UNICEF receives funding in many ways, mainly in charitable donations. We also receive money from organisations, including corporate partners, event organisers, charitable trusts and foundations, ​ ​ ​ ​ government departments and other grant-making bodies. However, UNICEF receives no funding from the UN budget.

UNICEF provides shelter, food, and medicine to children and their families around the world. We work against child mortality and have helped to lower child mortality around the world. We provide funding for schools and work towards gender equality, especially in allowing girls to receive education. We work to help children affected by HIV and AIDS. We also protect children from exploitation, abuse, and violence.

Providing Aid: UNICEF gives aid by providing medical assistance to children who have no other access to it. We provide free vaccines to women and children in developing countries. UNICEF also prevents malnutrition around the world by improving feeding for infants, treating malnutrition, responding to nutrition emergencies, and preventing obesity.

UNICEF provides education to end cycles of poverty and prevents child labor. We help to educate girls and prevent child marriages. We work to reestablish education for children in conflict after an emergency. We aim to start schools as well as aid underfunded schools in developing nations.

UNICEF raises awareness for any issues that affect children, including education, the protection of children, HIV/AIDS, immunization, gender inequality, child marriage, and nutrition.

Major Countries UNICEF is Involved in: UNICEF is active in almost every country in the world, with the exclusion of the Bahamas, Latvia, Mauritius, Brunei Darussalam, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Cyprus, Malta, and Singapore.

Syria: We have been recently involved in the refugee crisis by providing food, clothing, and shelter for refugee children and our families. We have created the children of Syria website1 to spread awareness for the hardships Syrian children face. We have also started the No Lost Generation initiative, which aims to give Syrian children an uninterrupted education and allows them to heal. We do this by providing opportunities for education and access to mental health professionals.

Iraq: Due to crisis in Iraq the number of displaced children has been rapidly growing and refugee camps have become overcrowded and dirty. UNICEF works to provide safe water and sanitation for the children and give them access to education, protection, health and nutrition services. We also provide Child-Friendly Spaces where children can play, learn, and get access to psychological help,

Timeline of Key Recent Events: ● 1990 The Convention on the Rights of the Child becomes international law. ​ ● 1990 The first-ever World Summit for Children. ​ ● 1994 UNICEF and UNESCO invent the ‘school-in-a-box’ which is meant to allow children to ​ continue their education at least 72 hours after an emergency. ● 2002 The UN Special Session on Children occurs ​

Past Missions: UNICEF helped children all across Europe following World War II. Many children were in need and many wouldn’t survive their first birthday. In 1960 the world child mortality rate was 18.2% and today it is 4.3% UNICEF provided food and clothing to needy children. We also provided security for children displaced during the war.

UN Involvement: UNICEF is an NGO set up by the UN and is a part of the UN. However we receive no funding from the UN. We were involved in the World Summit for children in 1990. In 2002, there was a UN special session on children. This was the first time ever that children had been addressed by the UN.

1 http://childrenofsyria.info/ ​ ​

Bibliography:

"UNICEF." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. http://www.unicef.org/about/60years/ ​

@unicef. "Education." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. http://www.unicef.org/education/ ​ ​ ​

@unicef. "Who We Are." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. http://www.unicef.org/about/ ​ ​ ​

By the Weekend, Dozens of Schools in and around Damascus Were Full of Displaced Families. "Syrian Crisis." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 2016. http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/syria/70207_67185.html ​

"Syria: Humanitarian Air Drops 'still in the Planning Stage' – UN Agency." UN News Center. UN, 2016. Web.