UNICEF Essay Sample

History of UNICEF

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The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is amongst the United Nations Programs. The organization was founded in 1946 just after the end of World War II by the United Nations General Assembly. This was after the European children faced famine and were infected by diseases. The General Assembly created it to provide food, health care, and clothing to the affected young ones. About eight years later, UNICEF became a permanent part of the UN. Its decree was extended by the UNs General Assembly. The new obligations included global campaigns against yaws, discovering diseases affecting children all over the world, and how to cure them using penicillin. UNICEF has a threefold mission statement: to ensure that basic nutrition, health and education needs of children are met, secondly, to give children the opportunity to expand their potential and lastly to form a global ethical standard of conduct toward children (Suen, 2002). UNICEF was established for humanitarian and progressive support to children and mothers. UNICEF uses life-cycle identifying the particular importance of early childhood development and adolescence. Its programs focuses mostly on disadvantaged children and women in our society including those living in fragile contexts, those with disabilities, those who are affected by rapid urbanization and those affected by environmental and natural disasters.

UNICEF Area coverage and the programs

UNICEF operates in more than 190 countries worldwide. It is active in Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia and the Pacific, east and southern Africa, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and also including west and central African countries. UNICEF programs include Humanitarian response that has been the primary work of UNICEF since it first came into practice. Through this program, UNICEF responds a vast number of children worldwide who are affected by the detrimental effects of natural disasters, fragile environments, conflicts, and epidemics. Child survival and development is the second program; this provides for evidence-based child survival, nutrition and creating a healthy environment for the children and women (Adamson, 2002). The basic education and gender equality program that caters for free compulsory quality education for every child from all over the globe. UNICEF also, through the HIV/AIDS and children offers awareness about HIV and how to prevent HIV infections through mother-to-child Transmission.

The program for child protection fights for child rights and protects them from violence, manipulation, and abuse. The sixth program is the policy advocacy and partnerships, this provides for data, analysis of policies, leveraging of resources and child participation (UNICEF, 2015). UNICEF promotes the education of girls making sure they graduate from primary schools that are the basic, and it benefits them in their day to day life.

The 2014 annual report observed a considerable improvement in its program. For instance, through emergency response, 2132 tent classrooms have been set up for over 200000 children and over 1700 classrooms repaired for children affected by wars, natural disasters and poverty all over the world (UNICEF, 2015). In 2014 also, over 7310 personnel were trained on emergency topics to help respond appropriately in case of emergencies (Adamson, 2002). In a quest to enhance hygiene, over 300 villages were mobilized on how to build their lavatories while UNICEF built sanitary toilets for over 310000 people internationally (Adamson, 2002). UNICEF also trained 12 NGO partners in the Philippines on hygiene and sanitation. Through the WASH program, over 1300000 families worldwide provided with access to clean water.

The nutrition program has observed a significant achievement, 80% of children who were treated with severe acute malnutrition recovered while over 70000 personnel were trained in infant and young children feeding to eradicate malnutrition (UNICEF, 2015). Close to two million children were vaccinated against measles, and routine vaccination covered 28700 children who were under one-year-old in more prioritized areas. In a fight to save mothers, over 1600 personnel were trained in maternal and neonatal health care. The child protection program has seen that over 70000 children from all over the globe access psychological support and 5000 service providers were trained with child protection skills and knowledge (UNICEF, 2015). All this numbers show the success UNICEF has achieved in its program.

UNICEF also supports country programs that lead to helping children with governments. It supports various ways, for instance, through personnel and funds (UNICEF, 2015). UNICEF has generated and shared evidence in the critical areas of child welfare in support of policies benefiting our children. These programs are accelerating to achieving the Millennium development goals that supposedly have an end-date of 2015.

Guide Star listing and the financial position

Guide Star is the site that manages financial information for IRS-registered nonprofit organization worldwide. UNICEF has a profile listed at the Guide Star, its latest 990 forms were posted in 2014 (Adamson, 2002). UNICEF revenue emanates from exclusively voluntary contribution from the public and also private sectors. This income is either restricted or unrestricted to specific programs, according to contractual terms. UNICEF observed a rise in revenue during the year 2014; the amount exceeded the $5 billion mark. This implies the confidence placed to it by over 130 governments all over the globe to help fight for and protect children and provide for their varied needs.

UNICEF Annual Report

UNICEF publishes an annual report every year, and it's posted on its website. The annual report analyzed the progress UNICEF is making to achieve its goals and missions. It also contains the financial information useful to its partners, donors, and the general public (UNICEF, 2015). UNICEF has comprehensive and trusted financial resources. UNICEF has various sources of revenue including governments, the private sector and non-governmental organization and inter-organization arrangements. All these resources are categorized in regular resources and other resources. Regular resources are the ones that a government or a private institute has promised or contracted to contribute after a period supporting a particular project. Other resources include the donations and contribution obtained from different sources other than the regular ones. UNICEF also gains a sizeable percentage of income from the sale of greeting cards and products. In 2014, regular resources represented a quarter of all the revenue received ($1.326 billion) whereas the other resources totaled $3.843 billion (UNICEF, 2015).

Other resources include thematic funding that supports the success of premeditated programs results by countenancing thorough preparation, sustainability and hoards in operation costs for UNICEF. In 2014, it received $1.5 billion for humanitarian support; this marked an increase of 19% as compared to the previous year (UNICEF, 2015). Over the years, UNICEF revenue and income is observed to rise. The figure below illustrates the financial development of UNICEF.

UNICEF income has improved remarkably from the year 2005. In the year 2014 the total revenue increased by 6% due to increase in revenue from emergency responses.

Source: (UNICEF, 2015)Social Media Involvement

To realize this increment in revenue, UNICEF had strong strategic plans to increase it awareness and to sell their idea of protecting and improving the lives of children. This was achieved by involvement in social media platforms. Using these platforms to air their programs, encouraging the global internet community to support their programs through donations (Communication, 2005).These social media podiums include their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram accounts and YouTube channel. UNICEF has a full directorate of marketing and communication that manages these social media accounts and promotes its program in media houses and the internet. The team is determined and has a strategic plan that leads them to achieve the goals of the organization. They have a responsive website where good willing citizens of the world can access in inquire information about how they can donate or volunteer.

Special Events held by UNICEF

Apart from social media involvement, UNICEF hosts special events to funds for its programs and projects. They include tournaments, galleries, special dinners, and luncheons (UNICEF, 2015). For instance, the Drive for zero golf classic is an annual event that is organized by UNICEF, it syndicates its belief in zero and a golfers aspiration to shoot the lowest round probable (Suen, 2002). This event raises crucial funds for UNICEF lifesaving mandate while providing entertainment for spectators and the players too. UNICEF Message of Hope was a Gala held by UNICEF in partnership with the Kiwanis International to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. The resources raised will be used to care for over half a million women and their newborns the pain of this disease. The UNICEF childrens champion award dinner held annually to honor individuals who strive every day to help UNICEF achieve their long-term goals, also to raise funds UNICEFs work all over the world. Other events include the UNICEF Greenwich Luncheon, The UNICEF Experience, The UNICEF Ball Presented by Baccarat, and The UNICEF Next Generation Photo Benefit (Suen, 2002).. The main aim of these events is to create awareness and to encourage and gather help from donors to fund their projects; projects of eliminating children and women deaths globally from preventable causes. UNICEF achieves a lot from this events and fundraisers as it adds up as a crucial source of revenue. Also, as part of the Global Movement for Children, which is a coalition determined to improve the living standards of every child, UNICEF plays a part in events such as the United Nations Special Session on Children where they embolden the youth to express and participate in the decisions that influence their lives.

Organization structure of UNICEF

Structurally, UNICEF has the divisional type of structure. It is divided into regional directors from the five operational regions. The ROSA (Regional Office for South Asia), the CEE/CIS (Central and Eastern Europe/Commonwealth of Independent States), MENA (Middle East and North Africa), EAPRO (east Asia and Pacific region office), ESARNO (East and South Africa regional office), TACRO (The Americas and Caribbean Regional Office), and WCARO (West and Central Africa Regional Office). All these offices have a director with a team of officers who manage UNICEFs programs in their regions (Suen, 2002). UNICEF provides for a fully dedicated docket to fundraising and partnership. Its headed by a director who manages the fundraisers and makes partnership deals with other organizations. UNICEF encourages a lot of willing citizens of the world to volunteer for their programs in order to help eradicate child deaths that are preventable. It appoints goodwill ambassadors and phas supporters, young leaders and staff who all contribute to the great work of UNICEF.

The Executive Board of UNICEF

The board of directors comprises of the overall chair who is also the CEO and is the head of UNICEF. The current executive director and CEO is Anthony Lake, who was appointed on May 2010 preceding Ann Veneman. Anthony Lake is the sixth Executive Director of UNICEF. The Bureau, which constitutes the five officers, each one...