United States International Childrens Emergency Fund - Research Paper Example

UNICEF served that purpose adequately. “For the postwar period 1946 to 1950, the "emergency needs approach" meant swift action to meet the food, clothing, and health needs of children, particularly in Europe” (Nobelprize.org). UNICEF spent $112000000 to provide as many as five million children with different clothing articles in twelve different countries along with vaccinating eight million children to fight tuberculosis. UNICEF also distributed various kinds of facilities among these countries.

Children were provided with meals on daily basis. From 1951-1960, UNICEF adopted the approach of long-range benefit along with meeting the emergency needs. Several campaigns were carried out in order to improve the children’s health in general and reduce their susceptibility to yaws, tuberculosis, malaria, and leprosy. In the same decade, UNICEF also formulated several provisions for the improvement of environment, and devised programs for education of mothers. In the 1970s, UNICEF had been working for children’s well-being for quite some time and was all set to advocate their rights.

In the 1980s, UNICEF played an important role in the attempts of UN Commission on Human Rights to formulate the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (History.com), which was readily approved as the most effective human rights treaty in the whole history in 1898, after it was introduced to the UN General Assembly. UNICEF had played a decisive role in the enforcement of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Of all 184 member states of UN, United States and Somalia were the only two countries that did not approve the treaty.

The two countries had different reasons for non-ratification of the treaty. Somalia’s government was not recognized internationally. Accordingly, it was not in a position to ratify the treaty. On the other hand, although US was an original signatory of this treaty, yet US had reservations on the effect of the treaty on the parent-child relationship and the national sovereignty. UNICEF – Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize: It was on 26 October 1965, when UNICEF received the Nobel Peace Prize (“UNICEF History”).

Nineteen years after its establishment, UNICEF got this Prize for promoting brotherhood and unity among different nations of the world, which is essentially a fundamental condition of the Nobel's will as well as appearing on the stage of the world as “a peace-factor of great importance” (“UNICEF History”). Several events led UNICEF to this entitlement that include but are not limited to improved coalition among governments, various non-governmental agencies and private organizations and the people all over the world in general.

This provided them with more opportunities that could be availed to upgrade the lifestyle of children everywhere in the world. Henry R. Labouisse, the Executive Director of UNICEF expressed what achieving the Nobel Peace Prize meant to the UNICEF in these words: To all of us in UNICEF the prize will be a wonderful incentive to greater efforts in the name of peace. You have given us new strength. You have reinforced our profound belief that each time UNICEF contributes.to giving today’s children a chance to grow into useful and happier citizens, it contributes to removing some of the seeds of world tension and future