Committee Overview

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was created in 1946 in response to famine and disease affecting children in Europe. The goal of UNICEF, at that time, was to provide these children with food, health care, and clothing. In 1953, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) extended the mandate of UNICEF indefinitely, establishing UNICEF as a permanent fixture of the UN. The committee’s early projects included campaigns to combat and eliminate the treatable mass diseases of the time like tuberculosis, yaws, and leprosy. After the UNGA passed the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, UNICEF had an official UN document around which to frame its goals. In 1961, UNICEF expanded its goals beyond improving children’s health and nutrition to also include education. Around this time, the committee also developed its modern theory on aid, which promotes a holistic approach to addressing the needs of children.

Topic A: Eliminating Child Abuse and Domestic Violence

Domestic violence can take many forms. It can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological. No matter how it takes place, domestic violence can have a profound impact on children’s development and social skills, interfering with their future. Children in homes with violence often face physical injury or serious neglect at a rate 1,500 percent higher than the international average. Those who grow up with domestic violence are six times more likely to commit suicide and 50 percent more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Domestic violence in childhood is also correlated with difficulty learning, lower IQ scores, deficiencies in visual-motor skills, and problems with attention and memory. Along with the previously listed issues, domestic violence can also significantly alter a child’s body, aging them prematurely by 7–10 years. In summary, attacks on children today shape the rest of their lives. As the foremost international body working to protect children, UNICEF is responsible for fighting this widespread issue wherever it is seen. With so many children at risk, UNICEF has a responsibility to create dynamic and sustainable solutions for the benefit of all children.

Topic B: Ensuring Children's Health Through Improved Immunization

Vaccines are proven to save lives, but too many children across the world remain unvaccinated. Immunization is one of the world’s most effective health methods against diseases that formerly claimed millions of lives. Immunization allows children to grow up healthy and reach their full potential. However, many people still choose not to vaccinate their children because they fear the possible effects of even the most well-proven vaccines. Vaccines are about more than just health, however. For example, vaccinated children have been shown to perform better at school because they miss fewer days to preventable illnesses. In 2021, over 25 million children missed out on life-saving vaccines. Most of the children that don’t have access to vaccines are the most vulnerable and live in the more marginalized communities. For example, in West and Central Africa, almost half of the children in the poorest households have received zero vaccine doses. Furthermore, there is an incredibly high disparity between high and low-income countries regarding booster vaccines for COVID-19. One of UNICEF’s most enduring missions has been the vaccination of all children. In this committee, delegates must find modern policy solutions to this age-old problem and ensure every child has a bright and healthy future.