United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, was originally known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. The United Nations General Assembly created it on December 11, 1946, to provide food and health care to nations affected by the Second World War. Ludwik Rajchman, a Polish doctor, is credited with establishing UNICEF, and he served as the organization’s first chairman from 1946 to 1948. (Suen 67). Rajchman proposed the appointment of American Maurice Pate as the first executive director, a role he held from 1947 until his death in 1965. In 1950, UNICEF got an extended mandate to deal with long-term wants of children and women mostly in the developing countries. In 1953, UNICEF was confirmed as a permanent member of the United Nations System thus expunging the words “international” and “emergency” from its name but maintaining the initial acronym (Adamson 56).
Political structure and organization of the institution
UNICEF in managed by an Executive Board that provides intergovernmental sustenance and close oversight to the organization with regards to the overall policy guidance from United Nations General Assembly in unison with the Economic and Social Council. The Executive Board assesses the activities that UNICEF normally commends its policies, financial budgets, and programs. The board encompasses 36 members thus presenting the five key regional segments which are the member constituents of the United Nations. The board works in association with Bureau that includes the President and four Vice-Presidents, whereby each has representation in the five regional sectors. The board meets thrice in every calendar year (Suen 37).
Role of the institution in the current world affairs
The role of the United Nations Children’s Fund has never changed since its inception. The role of the body is the provision of the humanitarian and developmental support to children and mothers, especially in the developing nations. UNICEF undertakes and campaigns for vaccination in many developing counties since it is the most successful and cost-effective method to safeguard children’s wellbeing and future (Suen 23). The organization acknowledges that through elevating vaccine coverage, there could be a possible prevention 1.5 million deaths yearly. It also acknowledges that rate of global vaccination has dwindled in the recent past. It acknowledges that there are countries where children mortality is exclusively high due to the absence of multitudes of essential vaccines amongst the children. The children also face numerous deprivations resulting in poor health, unfortunate water, and sanitation amenities. Such conditions leave children vulnerable to cholera, pneumonia, typhoid, dysentery, and measles. The organization ensures inclusion of the children and women secluded in camps due to war and conflicts. The organization has its headquarter in New York City (Adamson 52).
My opinion about the institution
My opinion about UNICEF is that people should increase donations towards it so that it can attain its target of humanitarian services to women and children especially held in warzones areas and famine afflicted regions. During wars and famine children and women are the most affected. Timely support through the provision of drugs and foods is very fundamental to ensuring reduced fatalities and deaths in the process. Access to vaccines should be increased amongst developing nations since health ministries or departments spent portions of the budget to treat preventable diseases. The world should unite to shun conflicts and ensure the provision of food to women and children (Adamson 23).

Works cited

Suen, Anastasia. Unicef: United Nations Children’s Fund. New York: PowerKids Press, 2002. Print.
Adamson, Peter. Jim Grant: Unicef Visionary. Florence, Italy: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2002. Print.