Helping children since 1946
UNICEF was brought to life in December 1946 by a unanimous vote at the first session of the UN General Assembly.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, as it was then known, was to provide short-term relief to children in post-World War II Europe. Then as now, UNICEF was funded entirely by voluntary contributions. But once the immediate post-war needs of Europe’s children had been seen to, many thought UNICEF should cease to exist...
1946-1959: An agency for children is born
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ahmed Bokhari, argued passionately that children around the world faced an ongoing spiral of disease and poverty that hindered global development, and that UNICEF’s mission was as invaluable as ever. His argument prevailed.
By the time UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations in 1953, the seven-year-old organisation was active in some 100 countries.
In 1959, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child stated that the hunger, poverty, disease, discrimination and ignorance endured by millions of children was a violation of their basic rights, and the landscape of children’s lives was changed forever.
1960-1979: The development decades
UNICEF was to provide more than just humanitarian relief. In the 1960's and 1970's additional areas of focus included nutrition and health, and education and family issues. In this period:
- Half of UNICEF’s spending was being dedicated to learning.
- UNICEF was in the global spotlight in 1965 as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
- The advent of inexpensive strategies – such as providing micronutrients, iodine, vitamin A and iron supplementation – proved effective in saving young children's lives.
1980-1989: The silent emergency
Despite decades of humanitarian work, by 1980 some 15 million children were still dying of preventable causes each year. At this time, the ‘Child Survival Revolution’ began:
- ‘Days of Tranquility’ were launched by UNICEF to immunise children in conflict zones.
- ‘Education for all’ became a rallying cry for global development.
- Children and women found their lives increasingly engulfed by war and violence – and the expanding HIV/AIDS pandemic.
1990-1999: Recognising child rights
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1990, went on to become the most universally adopted international treaty in history.
Also during this decade: The World Summit for Children brought together the largest-ever gathering of world leaders. Conflicts and genocide put children at risk from landmines, starvation and trafficking, and denied their right to a childhood.
2000-2006: Children at the heart of development
The Millennium Development Goals, set forth in 2000, have served as a blueprint for global development toward 2015.
Since the start of the new century:
Youth participation came to the fore at the UN Special Session on Children and the HIV/AIDS pandemic has affected children’s lives as never before, posing new challenges to social progress.
Today and Beyond
What began as a temporary experiment 60 years ago has grown to become the world’s leading agency for children. Today, UNICEF is active in over 190 countries, uniting people and partners to make the world a better place for future generations.
Sixty years is but a blink of an eye in the course of history, but in that brief span of time the world has become a different place entirely for children. With the Millennium Development Goals as our guide, UNICEF will continue to evolve and respond to the challenges children face in a complex yet wondrous world.