United States capitol building

Advocate for UNICEF

We need informed and committed advocates to help ensure every child is healthy, educated, protected and respected. Join our efforts and learn how to get active in your community.

Advocate with Congress to put children first 

UNICEF is the world's leading voice for children and works relentlessly to shape a better world for every child. In support of that vital work, UNICEF USA advocates for funding and policies that improve outcomes for children globally and advance U.S. foreign policy interests. 


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.

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.

Help us by sending a message to your Senators and Representative in support of vital funding for UNICEF.

20-year-old Edna Maunde smiles as her daughter, 2 year 4 months old Christina Cosmas eats RUTF at their home in Mavila Village, Zomba, southern Malawi on Thursday, 8 June 2023.

Call On Congress To Invest In UNICEF

At a UNICEF-supported school in Aden, Yemen, students received back-to-school supplies at the start of the school year.

Give Every Child The Opportunity To Thrive

Together, we can remind Congress that UNICEF's work is critical to building a safer and more prosperous future for children — around the world and here at home.

When you speak up for children, legislators will listen.