Working together

Private companies secure and extend resources for children

UNICEF raised approximately $142 million in gross proceeds through the corporate sector including corporate alliances, in 2005; success is best measured in the lasting improvements that were made in children’s lives.

Engaging the corporate sector in the broadest sense involves the growing trend towards developing and strengthening social-responsibility strategies within companies, linking those strategies with UNICEF priorities and keeping children as the main focus in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

The role of the private sector as a vital partner was highlighted on a global level in 2005, when leaders attending the World Summit at United Nations Headquarters reaffirmed the importance of the private sector in generating new investments, employment opportunities and financing for development. They called for strengthening the links between the public and private sectors to address the special needs of developing countries.

Unprecedented response

In 2005, the response of corporate partners to UNICEF’s urgent emergency-relief appeals and longer-term development programmes was unprecedented. Among contributions that provided comfort and sustenance were an in-kind donation by IKEA of 335,000 quilts, valued at more than $2 million, delivered to children and families affected by the South Asia earthquake. The education of nearly 1.5 million African children on how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS was made possible by an $870,000 donation from Barclays.

Corporate logistical expertise helped ensure the successful delivery of life-saving supplies and assistance to families affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami. In Guinea-Bissau, a $2 million agreement with the Baugur Group, FL Group and Fons, three Icelandic companies, funded educational projects that will give nearly 100,000 girls and boys the opportunity to go to school. The private sector was also an essential part of the launch of the global Unite for Children. Unite against AIDS Campaign.

UNICEF enjoys an impressive array of allies who share the goal of securing child rights and making a world fit for children. The inspiring outcomes of these alliances in 2005 illustrate the powerful impact of the private sector and UNICEF working together to fulfill our obligations to children.