Child rights

As the world faced multiple crises — natural disasters, climate change, rising poverty and inequality that affect the most vulnerable and the COVID-19 pandemic — UNICEF took a leading role in ensuring global recovery, challenging systemic inequity around the world and prioritizing investments for children., 2010 , A magnitude 7 earthquake kills nearly 160,000 people and displaces more than 1 million people from their homes in Haiti. UNICEF leads the international response on behalf of children. A mother receives antibiotics at a medical tent for displaced earthquake survivors in Jacmel. Haiti, 2010. Haiti, 2010: A mother receives antibiotics at a medical…, 2012, In joining the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), UNICEF commits to greater transparency in all its work, so that its methods can be understood. UNICEF hosts the first Forum of the Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities. A child delegate is interviewed. United States, 2012: A child delegate is interviewed at the Forum of…, 2014, UNICEF launches the first version of UNICEF Innovation RapidPro – an open-source platform for sharing real-time data across health, education and youth engagement platforms. A health worker checks cholera alerts from RapidPro on a mobile phone. Burundi, 2015: A health worker checks cholera alerts from RapidPro on a mobile phone in Nyanza Lac. On…, 2015, Mobile technology makes the distribution of medicine and supplies faster and more accurate. This becomes especially important during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.   The UNICEF Office of Innovation inspires new and creative approaches, partnerships and technologies that can improve the lives of children. Adolescent girls read text messages.…, 2016, UNICEF is at the forefront of fighting Zika virus, which causes microcephaly in the womb and can impair the physical and intellectual development of babies.  A mother holding her baby up. Brazil, 2016. Alice (15) holds her 4-month old baby born with microcephaly in Recife., 2018, Generation Unlimited, a global partnership of policy-makers, CEOs, civic leaders, and philanthropists is launched at the United Nations General Assembly. It’s aim is to expand education, vocational training, and employment opportunities for young people. Generation Unlimited logo UNICEF, 2019, More than 1.5 million children in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe are left without homes, schools, health centres, food or protection in the wake of Cyclone Idai. UNICEF brings safe water and sanitation kits, vaccination and screening for malnutrition, and psychosocial support them. A boy carries an infant Mozambique, 2019. Helcio Filipe Antonio…, 2020, As the COVID-19 pandemic grips the world, UNICEF plays a key role in the United Nations’ global response to the crisis and as part of the global vaccine distribution plan — COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX). We are leading efforts to procure and supply COVID-19 vaccines so that all countries have fair and equitable access to the…

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. The international agreement explains who children are, all their rights, and the responsibilities of governments to protect and fulfil these rights. All the rights are connected, they are all…

Find out how UNICEF brought nations together under the banner of children’s rights., 1989, 159 United Nations Member States adopt the Convention on the Rights of the Child , the most universally approved human rights treaty for the protection of children.   “The best interests of children must be the primary concern in making decisions that may affect them.” Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Audrey…, 1990, The World Summit for Children, convened by UNICEF, brought together an unprecedented number of heads of state to rally around the cause of children and adopt the Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children. A poster for The World Summit for Children 1990 featuring three children holding up the world. The World Summit for…, 1993, By the end of 1993, life expectancy in the developing world has increased by about a third since the end of World War II. Infant and child death rates have been halved, the proportion of children starting school has risen from 50 per cent to 75 per cent, and the number of rural families with access to safe drinking water has risen from just 10 per…, 1994, UNICEF and UNESCO invent and distribute School-in-a-Box, a global effort to support uninterrupted education for children in humanitarian crises.  Children write on chalkboards United Republic of Tanzania, 1994: Children write on chalkboards provided by UNICEF and UNESCO at a temporary school for Rwandan refugees., 1995, At the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, world leaders renew their commitment to the rights of women and girls. Women in a circle show the palms of their hands. South Africa, 1998: Women factory workers show their calloused and scarred hands., 1995 to 2005  , “When the lives and rights of children are at stake, there must be no silent witnesses.” Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director (1995–2005). Carol Bellamy speaks with children at a school. UNICEF/UNI35120/Chalasani Carol Bellamy speaks with children at a school receiving support from UNICEF. Somalia 2000., 1996, The Graça Machel report,  Impact of Armed Conflict on Children , describes the devastating effects of war on children and advocates for their special protection.  , 1998, UNICEF adopts a human rights-based approach to programming, placing human rights principles at the centre of its work. Boys in class at Al-Bainia Primary School. Yemen, 1998. Yemen, 1998: Boys in class at Al-Bainia Primary School in the village of Al-Bainia, in southern Yemen., 1999, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) intervene to deliver vaccines and other urgent health services for children in conflict. Refugees rest inside and outside a red car. Albania, 1999: Two refugee boys from Kosovo, one sleeping with his head on the other's…, 2002, A special session of the United Nations General Assembly – the first dedicated exclusively to children – reviews progress on the goals set by the 1990 World Summit for Children. A child delegate addresses the United Nations General Assembly. United States, 2002: A child delegate addresses the United Nations General Assembly during the Special…, 2004, UNICEF and partners organize a rapid humanitarian response to a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean. An eight-year-old child stands on what remains of her home following a tsunami. India 2005. India, 2005. An eight-year-old child stands on what remains of her home following the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004., 2005 to 2010, UNICEF launches the “Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS” campaign to mobilize resources and accelerate action for children vulnerable to HIV and AIDS.  Children hug at the launch of the "Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS" campaign. Sudan, 2005: Children attend a local launch of the “Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS” campaign.…

Across the globe, children in conflict zones are trapped in living nightmares

With new knowledge backed by data, UNICEF increased the urgency of its appeals – healthy children need essential resources., 1980  , “We need to give children’s essential needs a ‘first call’ on society’s resources.” James Grant, UNICEF Executive Director (1980–1995). James Grant raises the United Nations flag on a relief truck leaving Nairobi. UNICEF/UNI98144/James Kenya, 1989: James Grant, UNICEF Executive Director, raises the United Nations flag on a relief truck leaving…, 1982, UNICEF launches the Child Survival and Development Revolution, a drive to save the lives of millions of children each year. Special emphasis is placed on four low-cost measures: growth monitoring, oral rehydration therapy, promotion of breastfeeding, and immunization (together they are sometimes referred to by the acronym GOBI). A series of…, 1983, To accelerate advances in education, UNICEF endorses a joint primary education and literacy programme with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Students wait outside their elementary school in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia, 1986. Ethiopia, 1986: Students wait outside their elementary school in Addis Ababa., 1985, A cease fire in El Salvador’s civil war, based on the UNICEF-supported concepts of "children as a zone of peace" and "periods of tranquility" for humanitarian assistance, allows for three days of mass immunization of children. This approach is later applied in Lebanon (1987), Sudan (1989), Iraq (1991), and elsewhere with increasing frequency into…, 1986, The publication of the report Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances raises awareness of the need for child protection. A road sign near Jalalabad camp warns people of the presence of landmines. Afghanistan, 1991. Afghanistan, 1991: A road side board warns people about presence of landmine near the Jalalabad camp for displaced persons from…, 1987, Developing countries are hard hit by global economic crises. The landmark report Adjustment with a Human Face calls for national programmes and policies to protect the rights of women and children especially during economic downturns. Cover of the report Adjustment with a Human Face featuring a boy carrying a large basket on his shoulders. Volume…, 1988, The International Child Development Centre is established to oversee research for children at the historic Innocenti building in Florence, Italy. “We must find ways to improve our abilities to be creative, to be highly effective professionals, and to be good managers and mobilizers.” Jim Himes, Director of the International Child Development…

From the smoke and ashes of World War II, a refugee crisis emerged unlike any the world had seen. Out of this destruction, UNICEF was created to ease the burden of the world’s most vulnerable children., 1946, The International Children’s Emergency Fund (ICEF) is created by the UN Relief Rehabilitation Administration to help children affected by World War II. ICEF is for child health purposes generally and aid is to be distributed to all children, without discrimination.  On 11 December 1946, a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly brings…, 1947 to 1965, During his 18 years as Executive Director, Maurice Pate expanded UNICEF’s work to meet the needs of children in a more holistic way. He also strengthened consensus that the needs of children surpass politics.   “There are no enemy children.”  Maurice Pate, UNICEF Executive Director (1947–1965). UNICEF Executive director Maurice Pate sits with…, 1947, The first private contribution to UNICEF is received. To this day, UNICEF relies on millions of supporters to help to make a difference in the lives of children. In the same year, the first UNICEF National Committee is established in the United States. National Committees are a supportive network of independent charities that raise funds to…, 1949, The first UNICEF greeting card is issued. Selling UNICEF cards soon became one of the organization’s largest and most enduring fundraising activities. UNICEF National Committees will play a key role in the sale of billions of cards during the next seven decades. Drawing of dancing children by seven-year-old Dzitka Samkova. United States, 1949:…, 1950, Due to the “necessity for continued action to relieve the sufferings of children” the United Nations General Assembly extends UNICEF’s mandate ─ emphasizing the organization’s support for children outside of Europe. A student in Suwon, Repluc of Korea, prepares to drink her daily ration of milk. Republic of Korea, 1950: A student in Suwon prepares…, 1953, UNICEF becomes a permanent United Nations agency. The words ‘International’ and ‘Emergency’ are dropped from the official name but the acronym is retained. UNICEF’s projects in water, sanitation and hygiene seek to reduce preventable childhood diseases and death. Campaigns to eradicate yaws, leprosy and trachoma are highly effective.  A health…, 1954, Beloved United States entertainer Danny Kaye becomes UNICEF’s "Ambassador at Large". Danny Kaye visits his former primary school in Brooklyn, New York. United States, 1954: Danny Kaye visits his former primary school in Brooklyn, New York, where he encourages students to help raise funds for UNICEF., 1956, Between 1956 and 1957, more than 13,000 maternal and child welfare centres receive UNICEF supplies and technical training in 102 countries.  A child is tested for tuberculosis. The Philippines, 1956: A mobile vaccination team in Batangas tests children for tuberculosis., 1957, UNICEF launches new nutrition programmes. Communities are trained in vegetable gardening, fish pond management, poultry and livestock breeding, and receive education about nutrition. A boy feeds his family’s chickens. Thailand, 1955. Thailand, 1995: A boy feeds his family’s chickens., 1959, The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child defines children’s rights to protection, education, healthcare, shelter and good nutrition. A doctor tests children for tuberculosis in New Delhi, India. India, 1956: A World Health Organization doctor tests children for tuberculosis in New Delhi. Children who test negative for the disease…, 1961, UNICEF expands its focus to include children’s education. Aid for education programmes are launched globally and continue for years to come.  Two boys reading in a temporary school in Pakistan. Pakistan, 1988: Boys at a temporary school in a camp for Afghan refugees in Peshawar., 1964, The Bellagio Conference (or The International Round Table on Children and Youth in Development Planning) in Bellagio, Italy focuses on ways to link children's well being to national development plans. Following the Bellagio conference, UNICEF pivots from being a relief fund to an international development agency with technical expertise in all…, 1965, The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to UNICEF for the "promotion of brotherhood among nations". The Nobel Peace Prize designation recognizes work for children as work for peace. "The welfare of today’s children is inseparably linked with the peace of tomorrow’s world." Henry Labouisse, UNICEF Executive Director (1965–1979). Henry Labouisse receives…, 1967, Amid much controversy, UNICEF aid for family planning is approved. Family planning support is provided within the context of maternal and child health.   Twins are delivered in Ankara, Turkey. Turkey, 1973: Twins are delivered in Ankara. UNICEF support included the provision of midwife kits, vitamins, medical equipment and weaning food., 1968, UNICEF provides aid for mothers and children in civil conflicts in Nigeria and Viet Nam, upholding its philosophy of non-political and non-discriminatory aid. Packages are prepared in Ubulu, Nigeria, for distribution in the Biafra region. Nigeria, 1969: Packages are prepared in Ubulu for distribution in the Biafra region. Each package contains…, 1971, The UNICEF Executive Board expands its aid work to include services "benefiting children in urban slums and shantytowns," increasing the organization’s reach and depth over the years. Two children stand in the street. India, 1992: UNICEF works with governments to reduce child homelessness in cities.   United Nations agencies mobilize to provide…, 1973, UNICEF expands aid for non-formal education (outside regular schools), particularly for rural children and youth. Boys enter a training centre. Republic of Dahomey (now Benin), 1969: Boys enter a training centre where they receive education in agronomy in addition to traditional academic subjects., 1975, The Mark II water pump is invented, transforming village life. Children collect water at a Mark II handpump. India, 1980: Within 10 years of its development, the Mark II water pump is used in UNICEF water programmes around the world., 1978, The Alma-Ata conference, jointly convened by WHO and UNICEF, focuses world attention on primary healthcare and emphasizes community-based approaches to family health as the keys to achieving an acceptable level of health throughout the world. A girl is vaccinated while sitting in her mother's lap. Turkey, 1985: A child is vaccinated during the…, 1979, Due to its non-political status, UNICEF is able to lead the United Nations and Red Cross in major relief and rehabilitation operations across Kampuchea, now Cambodia. A boy holds a drawing showing the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime. Kampuchea (now Cambodia]), 1980: A boy in a camp for people displaced by civil conflict shows one of his…

The children of Benin bring art to the streets

A new UNICEF initiative celebrates fathers around the world

Water and children in a changing climate

Creating a healthier environment for children by confronting open defecation

As fighting displaces families in South Sudan, UNICEF works to deliver life-saving aid

After years of violence, children in the Central African Republic dream of a normal life