The United Nations

The Second World War had brought great misfortune on children. So in 1946 the UN founded the International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF. At first it helped the children of Europe, who had suffered most from the war, and then it began helping children in Asia, Africa and South America too. In 1965 UNICEF received the Nobel Peace Prize. Today UNICEF vaccinates children against dangerous diseases, brings clean drinking water, and fights hunger and illiteracy. Money for UNICEF comes from states and charitable people, and greeting cards are also sold. This custom began in 1949: the Czech girl Jitka Samková drew a picture to say thank you for help, and the fund’s staff put her picture on a card. In 1989 the UN adopted the “Convention on the Rights of the Child”. It says that everyone under 18 is a child, that children have the right to live, to grow up healthy and to study; it forbids using children as cheap labour or as soldiers. Uzbekistan joined this Convention and works with UNICEF on vaccination, delivery of vaccines and help for people of the Aral region. In 2007 the law “On guarantees of the rights of the child” was adopted.