SEVENTY-ONE YEARS AGO, ON DECEMBER 1946, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS, WHICH HAD JUST BEGAN OPERATING AND WAS LITTLE OVER ONE YEAR OF LIFE – IT WAS FOUNDED IN OCTOBER 1945 – CREATED THE UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S EMERGENCY FUND (UNICEF). IN LESS THAN HALF A CENTURY THE WORLD WAS LIVING THE SECOND POST-WAR, EACH OF THESE WARS OF UNPARALLELED VIOLENCE FOR THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF CHILDREN WHO WERE SUBJECT TO ALL SORTS OF DEPRIVATIONS IN NEARLY EVERY COUNTRY AND WHERE BOTH WORLD WARS OR CRISES ASSOCIATED WITH THEM WROTE DOWN THE SADDEST PAGES IN HUMAN HISTORY.
In accordance with the intentions of the United Nations, UNICEF would provide universal assistance to all children at risk without discrimination of race, creed, nationality, social status or political belief. In 1950, his mandate, which was provisional, was extended indefinitely and UNICEF action became global. Less than a decade after being founded in 1953, it became a permanent part of the United Nations system and its name was simplified for United Nations Children’s Fund, while maintaining the acronym for which it is still known.
Mandated to advocate and promote children’s rights, to help meeting their basic needs and to created opportunities for each child to reach their full potential its actions over seven decades have been praised by everyone and have provided an invaluable contribution in order to make the Convention on the Rights of the Child not just a mere letter of intent but rather, and to the best of their possibilities, a life-saving endeavour. Building on the idea that there is no human development as long as there is a child who does not see his/her rights respected, UNICEF’s efforts focus on changing the mentality of the world community in order to achieve the vision of peace and social progress enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
After all these years, and despite the fact that UNICEF activity has been able to minimise considerable damages and contributed to significant improvements in the lives of millions of children around the world, the numbers are still little encouraging, as Anthony Lake, managing director of this organisation, stated on UNICEF’s International Day. On that occasion Lake exemplified and referred to the control of HIV infections in children through transfer from mother to child at birth and access to drinking water. Some studies estimate that, even in 2040, the target date within the Millenium Development Goals it is still not certain whether it will possible to provide HIV infected children access to retroviral drugs.
In order to address the critical situation we are in UNICEF wishes to strengthen its relationship with governments, the agency’s main partners, with the aim of expanding partnerships it has established with nearly everyone, from Heads of State and ministers to mayors and all the communities where it develops some type of work. UNICEF, in the 190 countries and territories where it has a presence works in close contact with those who know the field, with international and national NGOs, youth groups, women’s organizations, religious groups who operate at community and family level, a process that seeks the involvement of the whole society in order to create a more friendly world for those who have less conditions to defend themselves: children.
As the main organisation focusing specifically on children, UNICEF works with governments and local organizations on long-term development programs in the health, education, nutrition, water and sanitation sectors. In emergencies situations, whether natural or man-made, UNICEF seeks to mitigate the impact on children by providing them access to vital basic care and services. In addition to providing humanitarian assistance to children and affected communities, the organization also provides prolonged support to help families rebuild their lives after emergency situations.
Recently, UNICEF’s message has been anchored in hundreds of “Goodwill Ambassadors” and prominent supporters, bringing together personalities from the most diverse areas such as actors, musicians, athletes, artists, among others, who put their visibility to the service of children and the message of the organization and stimulate the enthusiasm of millions of donors around the world who help this organisation with voluntary contributions thereby ensuring UNICEF funding.
A UNICEF IN PORTUGAL
The Portuguese Committee for UNICEF was established in April 1979 and is one of the 34 national committees in developed countries.
UNICEF in Portugal started with a small group of volunteers, led by Mrs Maria Violante Vieira, whose main activity consisted in the sale of UNICEF cards alluding to various themes. This activity has evolved over more than four decades, establishing a firm presence around the country and sharing the message and mission of the organization, highlighting the agency’s different areas of intervention, from education to health, from child protection to nutrition.
The Portuguese Committee is currently monitoring public policies with an impact on the lives of children, promoting children’s rights, and organizing debates and awareness-raising activities with children and young people in schools and associations in the context of its activity of education on the importance of rights. It also works to raise awareness among the Portuguese on the problems affecting children throughout the world by mobilizing resources to finance UNICEF programs in more than 160 developing countries and territories and to respond to humanitarian emergencies affecting children and their communities.
INTERNATIONAL UNICEF DAY
UNICEF International Day is celebrated on 11 December, the day it was founded on December 1946. UNICEF publishes every year its reference report “The World Situation of Childhoold”, which is always dedicated to a specific theme of great impact for children. This year the organization decided to launch this important publication on this date to remind us that, despite the progress made, much remains to be done and that only through joint and structured efforts can it reach all children in a meaningful and lasting way.
For UNICEF, besides the public debate to raise awareness on the importance of children’s rights around the world, it is also important to increase the efforts to raise funds through individual donors or organizations that acknowledge the importance and dimension of the task of protecting children from conflicts around the world. Contrary to what we may think this body depends entirely on voluntary contributions and does not receive any direct funding from the UN.
ACCESS TO THE INTERNET IS ALSO A RIGHT
UNICEF most recent report entitled “The State of the World’s Children 2017: Children in a Digital World,” underlines the importance of children’s e-inclusion, as well as developing mechanisms to ensure their online security. With the goal of transforming the digital world into a more secure and accessible space for all children, UNICEF, in addition to universal access, is also committed to working with the various stakeholders, from governments to educational communities, to protect children from dangers the digital world brings with it. Currently, according to the report, one in three children has access to the Internet, but 346 million children and young people have no opportunity to connect, figures that have nevertheless already affected the lives of children, whether through the uninformed use of new technologies or the increasing significance of exclusion. For UNICEF, digital technology must be a right for all children so they may have access to the same opportunities, but at the same time it is important to develop a culture of security enabling them to defend themselves from the digital dangers that often jump into the physical world. The report notes that these problems include the lack of awareness of governments and the private sector, which “have not kept up with the accelerating pace of change, exposing children to new risks, harming and leaving behind millions of disadvantaged children.”
One of the major objectives is that the 346 million children who do not have access to the web will have the opportunity to reduce inequalities and their ability to participate in an increasingly digital economy.
