UNICEF

UNICEF

UNICEF

Introduction

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was founded in the year 1946 as an International Children's Emergency Fund by the United Nations, in order to provide emergency relief to children in need across post-war Europe. After the fund became an official element of the United Nations system of organizations in the year 1953, the name was shortened to the current version, although the familiar acronym stuck (Tickner, 1992, pp.123-133).

UNICEF is currently headquartered in New York City, and raises funds from government and private donor contributions in order to provide long-term developmental assistance and disaster relief to developing countries, with a particular programming emphasis on children and mothers. About two-thirds of UNICEF's operating funds come from government contributions, with the rest raised through donations.

The UNICEF program was initiated from the World War II that created a huge impact on various countries. The program was focused on providing emergency health care and food to the children in those countries which were devastated and highly affected with the war. It has been participating regularly in programs and activities that facilitate the children all around the world (Suen 2002, pp. 04).

The firm relies on the government and private donors to meet the fund requirements which are further on allocated to the program to facilitate the children all over the globe. The organization is accountable to the government and has been formed by the collaboration of many countries, which are a part of the United Nations (Khalegian 2005, pp. 183). UNICEF is the force that is driving and helping in building the rights of the children all over the globe. The organization has shown great concern for the children over years and has the global authority for taking decisions related to the children. The organization is in collaboration with various other organizations who add up to the uniqueness in the programs of UNICEF, and apart this UNICEF has an influence over these organizations in making decisions. This makes the organization unique from other and unique to work with the young ones (UNICEF 2010, pp. 28).

The public face of UNICEF is the UNICEF National Committee. There are 37 such National Committees in developed countries around the world, each of them an independent, nongovernmental organization (NGO) responsible for not only raising the private donations that account for a third of UNICEF's funding, but also for acting as the voice of charity (West, 1999, pp.56-6). The National Committees bring public attention to issues concerning the rights and safety of the world's children, and the effects on children of international issues like poverty, natural and human-made disasters, war, and child-jeopardizing practices like child labour and sex trafficking. National Committees are also responsible for connecting and partnering with appropriate local groups that can further UNICEF's interests—whether doctors and other professionals available to volunteer their labour, school groups that can help with fundraising, or media organizations (Mango, 2003, pp.99-105).

Mission & Vision

The mandate of the organization is outlined in its mission statement. UNICEF is authorized by the ...