Focus: GS-III Disaster Management, GS-II International Relations
Why in news?
Assam’s flood-displaced this year have had a taste of the kind of camps the United Nations runs for the Rohingya in Bangladesh, Kurds in Syria and other conflict refugees across the globe.
Details
- With COVID-19 in the backdrop, the floods in Assam have had a severe impact on children’s well-being and disrupted routine services for children and women.
- UNICEF provided technical support to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in the development of the policy guidelines for managing the CFSs (Child-Friendly Spaces).
- UNICEF also carried out swab sample tests of the relief camp inmates regularly.
UNICEF
- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is a special program of the United Nations (UN) devoted to aiding national efforts to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children.
- It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.
- UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, striving to establish children’s rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children.
Areas where UNICEF operates include:
- Child Development and Nutrition;
- Child Protection;
- Education;
- Child Environment;
- Polio Eradication;
- Reproductive and Child Health;
- Children and AIDS;
- Social Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation;
- Advocacy and Partnership;
- Behaviour Change Communication;
- Emergency Preparedness and Response.
UNICEF is funded exclusively by voluntary contributions, and the National Committees collectively raise around one-third of UNICEF’s annual income.
- UNICEF began its work in India in 1949 with three staff members and established an office in Delhi three years later.
- Nodal Ministry for working with UNICEF in India is Ministry of Women and Child Development.
-Source: The Hindu
