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News Note

Life-Saving Supplies for Children:
UNICEF Celebrates 40 Years of Operations in Copenhagen

COPENHAGEN, 4 October 2002 - On October 5 UNICEF celebrates 40 years of supplying the world's children from its global warehouse and distribution center in Copenhagen.

In 1962, the Government of Denmark offered free office and warehouse space to UNICEF to accommodate its global supply operations. Since then, thousands of cargo planes, ships, trucks and trains have left Copenhagen with millions of tons of UNICEF supplies. Ranging from basic vaccines to water drilling rigs, the materials shipped from Copenhagen have helped save children's lives and improve their communities in more than 160 countries and territories.

"UNICEF's Supply Division in Copenhagen has become a global centre of knowledge on improving the lives of children," said Alan Court, Director of UNICEF's Supply Division. "The materials we procure for our country offices and their partners contribute significantly to the fulfilment of children's rights, including their right to basic health care, good nutrition, safe drinking water, decent sanitation, quality education, and recreation."

Court said emergency relief operations are a major part of the workload in Copenhagen. "Our warehouse enables UNICEF to respond to emergencies anywhere in the world within 24 hours. We always have sufficient relief supplies on hand to cover the immediate needs of at least 200,000 people," he said. Over the last few years, the supply center in Copenhagen has delivered thousands of tons of relief supplies to children facing natural disaster or conflict in places like Afghanistan, Turkey, India, Sudan, East Timor, the Balkans, and many others.

In 1963, UNICEF Supply Division had a turnover of $2.3 million. In 2001, UNICEF procured nearly $600 million of supplies throughout the world. These commodities included over 2.5 billion vaccines, $34 million worth of educational supplies (books, pens, chalk boards, and the like), 5 million vitamin A capsules and 1.6 million mosquito nets. Vaccines and immunisation supplies, followed by water and sanitation equipment, medical supplies, and educational supplies constitute the main commodity groups.

UNICEF buys from hundreds of suppliers all over the world. Eight of UNICEF's top supplier countries are also places where UNICEF supports programmes for children (such as India, Turkey and South Africa). In 2001, the main recipients of UNICEF supplies were India, Iraq (including supplies procured under the Oil for Food Programme), Pakistan and Kenya.

The UNICEF warehouse is a dominant feature in its Copenhagen neighbourhood. Covering some 25,000 square meters (the equivalent of three football fields), the warehouse dispatched over $54 million worth of supplies in 2001. For the children of Afghanistan alone, following the tragic events of September 11, the Copenhagen warehouse sent out 27 charter flights over 15 weeks. The warehouse also stocks some items for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Red Cross. The offices, which are part of the same building, also hosts the Danish National Committee for UNICEF.

"I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the government and people of Denmark for hosting our operations in Copenhagen," Court said. "Our offices here are a symbol of the very strong collaboration between Denmark and UNICEF for the well-being of the world's children."