About UNICEF EAPRO
When did UNICEF start working in the East Asia and Pacific region?
The United Nation’s Children’s Fund began in December 1946 as a relief agency to ease the suffering of children affected by World War II in Europe and Asia. Over the following decades, UNICEF’s work evolved to cover the growing needs of young people in developing countries, becoming the world’s largest agency for children. (And in so doing, the word ‘Emergency’ was dropped from its original name though the acronym remained the same.)
In 1948, a regional office was set up in Manila, though it was moved a year later (March 1949) to Bangkok, which was closer to the region’s centre. At that time, Burma, Ceylon, China, India, Indo-China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Siam and UK Territories comprised what was called the UNICEF Asia Regional Office. In 1962, that office separated into the South Central Asia Regional Office and the East Asia and Pakistan Regional Office. In 1989 Pakistan and Bangladesh became part of the South Asia region, with the regional office being renamed the East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, or EAPRO.
What were the issues confronting children when it began?
In 1949, none of the Governments in the region had existed for more than a decade and many others were still under colonial administration. The ravages of World War II had left many countries devastated. At the time, there were some 250 million children in the region; nowadays there are some 580 million children. The most common causes of death and disability in 1949 were tuberculosis, malaria (1 in 5 babies dying) and yaws (a disfiguring boil affliction). Millions of children were suffering from disease that could be prevented or treated and living in dire conditions that could be improved.
EAPRO programming in the 1950s concentrated on food distribution and immunization – single-purpose projects in nutrition, health and sanitation. In the 1960s it shifted to long-term planning focused on development and by the 1970s the emphasis grew to entail basic services. In the 1980s, UNICEF globally expanded its focus to counter what was then called a “silent emergency” in which some 15 million children were dying of easily treatable and preventable diseases. The “GOBI” approach, an acronym for growth monitoring, oral rehydration, breastfeeding and immunization, became the basis of the child survival and development revolution that characterizes UNICEF’s work today.
Where does UNICEF work in the region?
We work in:
Cambodia
China
DPR Korea
Indonesia
Lao PDR
Malaysia
Mongolia
Myanmar
Pacific Islands
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Viet Nam
How long does each country programme last?
UNICEF signs a partnership agreement with individual governments for its country programmes for a specified period of time, or ‘programme cycle’. The UNICEF Executive Board approves each programme cycle, which can span two to five years.
The current cycle of country programmes is as follows:
2003-2007
Pacific Islands
Papua New Guinea
2005-2007
Malaysia
2005-2009
Philippines
2006-2007
Timor-Leste
2006-2010
Cambodia
China
Indonesia
Myanmar
Viet Nam
2007-2009
DPR Korea
2007-2011
Lao PDR
Mongolia
Thailand
What is the role of the Regional Office?
The Regional Office is a hub for information, guidance, coordination and expertise for UNICEF Country Offices across the region. It also supports these Offices in their efforts to mobilize much-needed resources.
The Regional Office advocates at the regional level for the realization of children’s rights through investment in children and child-centred social policies. It liaises with major intergovernmental bodies on region-wide children’s issues, such as the other UN agencies, civil society organizations, bi-lateral and multilateral institutions and donors. Part of its current mission is to build and strengthen regional partnerships for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the World Fit for Children goals and the realization of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The staff of the Regional Office include specialist advisers on child protection, communication, early childhood development, education, emergencies, health, HIV and AIDS, immunization, monitoring and evaluation, nutrition, planning and social policy.
The office is headed by Regional Director, Anupama Rao Singh, who took up her post in November 2004.
Regional Directors of UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office:
Dr. Michael Watt, 1948-1949
Mr. Spurgeon (Sam) Keeny, 1950-1963
Mr. Brian Jones, 1964-1969
Mr. Yehia Darwish, 1970-1974
Mr. Roberto Esguerra Barry, 1975-1979
Mrs. Titi Memet Tanumidjaja, 1980-1984
Mr. Ahmed Mostefaoui, 1985-1988
Mr. Daniel J. Brooks, 1989-1994
Mrs. Pratima Kale, 1995-1997
Mr. Kul C. Gautam, 1998-2000
Mrs. Mehr Khan Williams, 2000-2004
Ms. Anupama Rao Singh, 2004-present
