UNICEF was set up to help children in the after the Second World War.
UNICEF
The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund – UNICEF – was created on 11 December 1946 at the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
UNICEF's mandate (its goal) was to help children "on the basis of need, without discrimination because of race, creed, nationality, status or political belief".
At first, UNICEF was only a temporary emergency organisation. It was set up to provide aid to children affected by the Second World War. From 1947 to 1950, UNICEF shipped over 319 million tons of milk, clothes and school supplies to children in Europe and China. It worked with the Red Cross to provide vaccinations for tuberculosis (TB) and helped to improve health and welfare provision for children.
In Banda Aceh, Indonesia, UNICEF is working to help children to get their lives back together after the Tsunami.
UNICEF/HQ05-0323/Josh Estey
But even when the European emergency was over, there was still plenty of work to do, so UNICEF started to work with developing countries in Africa, the Middle East and South America. In 1953, after lots of discussion, the UN General Assembly voted to make UNICEF permanent.
UNICEF dropped the words 'International' and 'Emergency' from its name but it kept the acronym 'UNICEF'.
Where does UNICEF work?
UNICEF has programmes in more than 150 countries, territories and areas. There are 36 National Committees in wealthier countries that raise money for programmes in developing countries and create an understanding about children's rights, working to ensure that everybody knows how important it is to be aware of international issues.
UNICEF's headquarters are based in New York in the US. It is there that all UNICEF's policies and key decisions are made. Ann M Veneman is the Director of UNICEF.
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Is UNICEF still only an emergency organisation?