Our Mission | UNICEF USA
 

Helping every child thrive, all over the world

Over eight decades, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has built an unprecedented global support system for the world’s children. UNICEF relentlessly works day in and day out to deliver the essentials that give every child an equitable chance in life: health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world’s most vulnerable children. Together, we have helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization.

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What UNICEF is doing

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, defend their rights and help them reach their full potential — from early childhood through adolescence.

Core components of UNICEF's global operations include:

CHILD PROTECTION — saving and protecting children in conflict, preventing violence against children, ending child trafficking and protecting children from the impacts of climate change

CHILD SURVIVAL  — immunization and disease outbreak response (COVID-19,Ebola, HIV/AIDS), nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs

EDUCATION — supporting schools and improving access to learning

EMERGENCY RELIEF — protecting the rights of child refugees and migrants, addressing food crises, meeting the urgent needs of children and families affected by earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and other natural disasters

GENDER EQUALITY, EMPOWERMENT and INCLUSION —  including advocating for children with disabilities

INNOVATION — accelerating efforts to develop, deploy and scale innovative solutions in humanitarian work

Visit the UNICEF data hub for details on UNICEF program activities and impact by country.

What UNICEF USA is doing

UNICEF USA supports UNICEF — and other efforts in support of the world's children — through advocacy, education and fundraising in the United States.

UNICEF USA's Impact Fund for Children provides opportunities for social impact investors seeking to make a difference in the survival and development of children.

Learn more about how UNICEF USA's Advocacy team, based in Washington, DC, is speaking up on behalf of the world's children — urging decision-makers in government and other sectors to implement policies and budgets that support and empower them.

Visit the UNICEF USA Action Center to join active advocacy campaigns. When you speak up for children, legislators will listen. 

Visit the UNICEF USA Child Friendly Cities Initiative home page for more about how UUSA is providing a framework to help local government officials prioritize the needs of young people and to elevate their voices in local governance.

Visit the UNICEF Kid Power online hub to learn how this unique philanthropic platform is empowering kids to help their peers around the world — while helping themselves grow stronger mentally, physically and academically.

Visit the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF homepage to connect with others and participate in this legacy event.

Support UNICEF programs by shopping online for unusual, handcrafted goods at the UNICEF Market. Or send lifesaving supplies to kids in need with a UNICEF Inspired Gift.

Stories About Our Mission

On January 15, 2022, a satellite image captures an explosive eruptions of the underwater Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano near the island nation of Tonga.
Underwater Volcano Erupts, Plunging Tonga Into Crisis
UNICEF is working with partners to rush emergency supplies to help children & families in the remote island nation.
Thirteen-year-old Ashutosh Chhetry received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, delivered by UNICEF via COVAX, in Lalitpur District, central Nepal on December 14, 2021.
Getting COVID-19 Vaccines to the Most Vulnerable in Nepal
In Nepal, thirteen-year-old Ashitosh can breathe easier now that he's been vaccinated against COVID-19.
UNICEF delivered a shipment of 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Rwanda's Kigali International Airport on January 15, 2022 containing the billionth dose delivered to 144 countries through COVAX.
COVAX COVID-19 Vaccine Deliveries Hit 1 Billion Doses — and Counting
Mission Unstoppable: The most ambitious vaccination campaign in history forges ahead in 2022, with UNICEF leading on procurement and supply.
Women and children in Coka village, Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, wait to be seen by a UNICEF-supported mobile health and nutrition team.
Harsh Winter in Afghanistan Intensifies Needs for the Most Vulnerable
Support is urgently needed to help fund UNICEF's emergency nutrition, health and protection services in the country amid multiple crises.
Nilam Bamaniya, a 23-year-old general nursing midwife, holds a vaccine carrier filled with vaccine doses for a COVID-19 vaccination session at a UNICEF-supported public health center in Samlaya, Vadodra, Gujarat, India on July 20. 2021.
Why We Need Equitable Vaccine Delivery Now
To end the pandemic, the whole world must have access to COVID-19 vaccine doses. As part of COVAX, UNICEF is working to make that happen.
Six-year-old Asal is excited for her first day of formal education with other children staying in a temporary reception center for migrants and refugees in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2021.
Schools Should Be the Last to Close and the First to Reopen
Keeping schools safe and open must be a global priority. The harms to children from being out of school are severe and can last a lifetime.
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