Today in History: UNICEF is founded in the aftermath of WWII
It was founded as an organisation to help provide relief and support to children living in countries devastated by the war.
On this day in 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, the General Assembly of the United Nations voted to establish the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef).
After the food and medical crisis of the late 1940s had passed, Unicef continued its role as a relief organisation for the children of troubled nations and during the 1970s grew into a vocal advocate of children’s rights. During the 1980s, Unicef assisted the UN Commission on Human Rights in the drafting of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
After its introduction to the UN General Assembly in 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child became the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, and Unicef played a key role in ensuring its enforcement. Of the 184 member states within the United Nations, only two countries have failed to ratify the treaty – Somalia and the United States.
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