Where Are The Headquarters Of UNICEF Located?

UNICEF headquarters in New York. Editorial credit: Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com.
UNICEF headquarters in New York. Editorial credit: Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com.

UNICEF is an acronym for the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund. It is headquartered in New York City, United States. The United Nations General Assembly formed it in 1946. During this time, UNICEF used to be called the United Nations Children Fund. Its primary purpose was to provide healthcare and food to the needy children and mothers in third world countries. This organization was created immediately after World War II and aimed at helping children and mothers who had been affected by the war. It has remained functional since then. The founder of UNICEF was Ludwik Rajichman who was a Polish physician. He is said to have served as the first chairman of the UNICEF.

The UNICEF is a charitable organization, hence it relies on funds from private donors and government institutions. According to the 2015 statistics, UNICEF collected a total income of about US$5,009,557,471 of which government institutions provided two-thirds of the income while private donors contributed the rest of the revenue through national committees. Although the headquarters of this organization is in the United States, there is a need to have other offices across the host nations to have a smooth running of operations. This organization has over 150 country offices and 34 National Committees that are mandated with the task of accomplishing its mission via programs that are developed with the host governments. Notably, seven regional offices worldwide are used to provide technical assistance to the county's offices.

The UNICEF’s supply division is built in Copenhagen, and it serves as the main point of distribution of the essential items such as antiretroviral medicines for mothers and children who are suffering from HIV, vaccines, educational supplies, and emergency shelters. Through this work, the organization has received international recognition. In 1965, it won the Noble Peace Prize. It also won the Prince of Asturias Award in 2006.

Despite being an internationally recognized organization, the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund only serves 191 countries around the globe. Each of these countries has offices that are used to carry out the mission of UNICEF’s via the application of a unique program of cooperation that is developed within the host administration. These offices, located in the various countries, are controlled and managed by the UNICEF headquarters that is in the United States. The UNICEF headquarters is responsible for shaping the global policy of children and plays a significant role in monitoring and guiding all its work through the 36-member executive board. The board is comprised of government representatives.

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