UNICEF USA Advocacy: How We Work
UNICEF USA's Advocacy team, based in Washington, D.C., urges the U.S. Government and other decision-makers to take action to protect and empower children. Learn more about how to get involved.
Advocating for children makes a difference
Advocacy means, literally, to speak up on behalf of someone in need. For UNICEF USA, it means speaking up with and for children to ensure that every child is healthy, educated, protected and respected.
To do that, UNICEF USA's Advocacy team urges decision-makers in all sectors – governments, corporations, schools, communities — to implement policies that prioritize children.
When we advocate, we create sustainable results for children at home and abroad.
UNICEF USA’s advocacy priorities
UNICEF USA believes every child should be healthy, educated, protected and respected. Our advocacy emphasizes the importance of investing in development and humanitarian assistance and elevates youth voices in governance and decision-making.
Our priorities include:
Child protection: Safety for every child
- Encouraging governments at all levels to protect children from violence and alleviate the circumstances that force families to flee their homes
- Calling for greater investment in mental health services that support the well-being of children and adolescents globally and in the U.S.
Child poverty: Opportunity for every child
- Increasing access to education for children — especially those living in conflict zones or displaced by conflict — to provide stability and counter extremism
- Mobilizing support for programs that help lift children and families out of poverty, including those that expand access to healthy foods, affordable care and education
Effective global partnership
- Public-private partnerships support UNICEF's work and help us maximize investments in children
Child-centered governance
- Ensuring that young people are included in policymaking
Our guiding principles
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, UNICEF USA is strictly nonpartisan. Our unwavering focus on results for children has helped secure strong bipartisan support for UNICEF in the U.S. Congrewss and across the country.
Our advocacy campaigns are built on three principles:
- We are child-focused.
- We are nonpartisan.
- We are results-oriented.
