ABSTRACT
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, to which it reports through the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The UNICEF Executive Board consists of 36 States elected by ECOSOC. UNICEF was originally created to meet the emergency needs of children in Europe and China after the Second World War. Through its extensive field network and in partnership with governments, local communities, non-governmental organizations, and other UN agencies, UNICEF works to provide basic services in primary health care and immunization, nutrition, education, water supply, and environmental sanitation. Since 1993 primary environmental care activities have become a component of more and more UNICEF-assisted country programmes. In the cities UNICEF addresses the needs of poor mothers and children through its urban basic services programmes and the Child Friendly Cities initiative. UNICEF is unique among UN organizations in that it relies entirely upon voluntary contributions to finance its activities.
