The organization is mandated by the United Nations
General Assembly and active in 190 countries through
national programmes and Committees.
We work with local communities, organisations
and governments to make a lasting difference
to children’s lives.
Our global reach allows us to share knowledge across
borders while our local presence – almost 85 per cent
of UNICEF staff work in developing countries – means
we can deliver assistance where it is needed most.
With our worldwide presence, UNICEF is ready
to respond rapidly wherever disaster strikes, delivering
life-saving help for children.
UNICEF works to establish children’s rights as enduring
ethical principles and international standards
of behaviour towards children. UNICEF believes that
every child should have clean water, food, health care,
education, and a safe environment in which to grow up.
UNICEF upholds the UN Convention on the Rights
of the Child and works to hold the international
community responsible for their promises to children.
UNICEF mobilizes political will and material
resources to help countries, particularly developing
countries and responds in emergencies for the most
disadvantaged children – victims of war, disasters,
extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation
and those with disabilities.
UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free
of discrimination, promoting the equal rights of women
and girls and supporting their full participation
in the political, social, and economic development
of their communities. UNICEF is not funded by the UN.
Instead, we rely on voluntary donations to fund
our work for children worldwide.
