Press Centre
July 1999 - December
1999
'Humanitarian favouritism' threatens lives
of most needy
Wednesday, 22 December 1999: Humanitarian favouritism is threatening
the lives and future of the most needy children and women in the developing
world, UNICEF warned today at the launch of its annual humanitarian
appeal for children and women in countries in crisis.
UNICEF aids Venezuela flood victims
Tuesday, 21 December 1999: Floods and mudslides in Venezuela, resulting
from weeks of torrential rains, have left thousands dead, tens of thousands
unaccounted for and an estimated 150,000 homeless, according to information
coming from UNICEF Caracas.
Actress Susan Sarandon appointed UNICEF Special
Representative
Monday, 13 December 1999: Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon
has been appointed a Special Representative of the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF) and today represented the agency at the New York launch
of The State of the World's Children
2000, a comprehensive assessment of the world's children at
the turn of the millennium.
UNICEF report says world has not done enough
for children
Monday, 13 December 1999: Speaking at the international launch of The
State of the World's Children 2000, UNICEF's year-end survey,
Executive Director Carol Bellamy said that, throughout the developing
world, HIV/AIDS, armed conflict and deep poverty are reversing gains
made over the past century and endangering the survival, development
and protection of millions of children.
Children showcased on world's airwaves
Thursday, 9 December 1999: This Sunday, more than 2000 television stations
around the world will air programming by and for children that showcases
how "kids are changing the world", in UNICEF's eighth annual
International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB).
AIDS:
The children left behind
Wednesday, 1 December 1999: Throughout sub-Saharan Africa and around
the world, the damage being wrought by HIV/AIDS has a new face -- the
millions of children who have been orphaned by the pandemic, left behind
to struggle not only with their personal losses but with the stigma
and discrimination that often accompany AIDS.
Immunization: New hope for children
Wednesday, 24 November 1999: The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization
(GAVI) is a new partnership including UNICEF, WHO, The World Bank, The
Bill and Melinda Gates Children's Vaccine Program, Rockefeller Foundation,
the vaccine industry, bi-lateral agencies and others dedicated to encouraging
the expanded availability and use of traditional and new vaccines in
developing countries.
UNICEF sees hope in tackling AIDS pandemic
Tuesday, 23 November 1999: HIV/AIDS continues to wreak a path of devastation
through sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions, with nearly
34 million people now living with the virus and more than half a million
children infected this year alone.
Brazil's TV Cultura wins its second International
Council/UNICEF Award
Monday, 22 November 1999: TV Cultura (Brazil) has won the International
Council/UNICEF Award for its outstanding contribution to the 1998 International
Children's Day of Broadcasting.
Gates Foundation joins UNICEF in fighting newborn deaths
Sunday, 21 November 1999: The U.S. Committee for UNICEF received today
a $26 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The
gift will be used in the fight to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus
(MNT) by 2005. Tetanus was responsible in 1998 for nearly 250,000 deaths
in developing nations.
Ten years on... and every day counts for Convention
Saturday, 20 November 1999: Marking the 10th anniversary of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child today in Oslo, UNICEF hailed the massive
political support of the Convention which in just a decade has resulted
in unprecedented gains for children worldwide.
UNICEF steps up effort in Orissa
Wednesday, 17 November 1999: UNICEF has stepped up its relief activities
in the Indian state of Orissa, releasing $3 million from its Emergency
Fund to finance programmes in health, education, nutrition, water &
sanitation, and child protection services.
UNICEF speeds aid to Turkey's children
Monday, 15 November 1999: Calling the earthquake that hit Turkey on
Friday night "a calamity for Turkey's children," UNICEF has
rushed tents, blankets, sleeping bags and wood stoves into the affected
area but cautioned that physical relief is just the beginning.
Why the Convention on the Rights of the Child
matters
Thursday, 11 November 1999: UNICEF said today that despite disappointments
and missed opportunities, the "world is a better place" because
of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the groundbreaking human
rights treaty that was adopted by the UN General Assembly 10 years ago
next week.
Children paying a price for freedom
Thursday, 4 November 1999: Ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall,
UNICEF has found that contracting economies, fraying social welfare
nets and the spread of armed conflict have lowered living standards
for a majority of the 150 million children in Central and Eastern Europe
and the former Soviet Union.
Call for all parties in Caucasus conflict to
protect children and women
Tuesday, 2 November 1999: UNICEF is enormously concerned by the reports
coming from the Northern Caucasus that in the midst of the terrible
armed conflict innocent children and women are being killed.
UN agencies issue joint statement for reducing
maternal mortality
Thursday, 28 October: Four United Nations agencies committed to
promoting women's health have joined forces to fight maternal mortality,
announcing a joint Statement on priority actions aimed at reducing the
number of women who will die from pregnancy and childbirth.
Support for Timor urgently needed
Wednesday, 27 October 1999: UNICEF today urged the international community
to put its full weight behind ongoing relief efforts in East and West
Timor, where as many as 400,000 displaced people are facing worsening
health conditions from an early onset of monsoon season.
UNICEF urges debt relief for Ecuador
Wednesday, 27 October 1999: Ecuador urgently needs the help of the international
community in its efforts to reduce its enormous debt burden, including
the country's recently announced initiative to embark on a global renegotiation
of its external debts.
Major immunization drive begins in East Timor
Tuesday, 19 October 1999: The United Nations Children's Fund and partner
agencies today completed the first phase of a major immunization campaign
aimed at preventing an outbreak of measles and other life-threatening
diseases in East Timor.
UNICEF hails awarding of Nobel Prize to Médecins
Sans Frontières
Friday, 15 October 1999: The United Nations Children's Fund welcomes
the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Médecins Sans
Frontières as a strong endorsement of the need to protect civilians
and provide immediate relief in natural disaster and on all sides of
armed conflict.
Julius Nyerere, teacher of tolerance
Thursday, 14 October 1999: UNICEF today issued the following statement
on the death of Julius Nyerere, former President of Tanzania: The death
of President Julius Nyerere is one of those moments which makes time
stand still. It's not just the riveting end of an era; it's the silencing
of a voice which, uninterrupted for five decades, never abandoned principle,
never abandoned purpose, never abandoned vision.
Governments should protect humanitarian workers
Wednesday, 13 October 1999: UNICEF called today for a sea-change in
the way the international community handles the protection of humanitarian
aid workers. The call came one day after the killings in Burundi of
the UNICEF Representative and a staff member from the World Food Programme.
Malaria campaign calls for a bednet for
every African child
Wednesday, 13 October 1999: Sixty million African families will be provided
with insecticide-treated mosquito nets over the next five years, as
part of a massive effort to protect children from often-fatal bouts
of malaria.
UNICEF, WFP mourn losses in Burundi
Tuesday 12 October 1999: UNICEF and the World Food Programme expressed
deep regret and sorrow at the deaths of staff members from both agencies
today in Burundi.
UNICEF: Will the six billionth child survive?
Tuesday 12 October 1999: On the day statisticians estimate the world's
six billionth child will be born, UNICEF said that the child's chances
of surviving to adulthood are at risk.
Millions
log on to historic NetAid web concert
Monday, 11 October 1999: Millions of people around the world on Saturday
tuned in to the three NetAid concerts held in London, Geneva and New
Jersey to promote the NetAid
website and help channel support and activism to the global fight
against poverty. Read more about it at the United Nations Development
Programme website.
Ibero-American writers issue historic manifesto
for children
Monday, 4 October 1999: Ibero-America's leading intellectuals issued
a moving and outspoken Manifesto today, which challenges governments
and citizens throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to put aside
their differences and establish a "Social Pact" for the region's
192 million children and adolescents, warning of the dire consequences
for all if business as usual continues.
UNICEF delivers new relief items to West Timor
Monday, 27 September 1999: Using two Hercules C-130 transport planes
chartered from the Indonesian Air Force, UNICEF delivered 28 tonnes
of baby food, tents, jerry cans and water tanks to Kupang, West Timor
on Sunday. It was UNICEF's third large delivery of relief supplies to
the island in four days.
Hugh
Downs and "20/20" on IDD
Monday, 27 September 1999: In his final appearance as co-anchor of the
ABC News program "20/20," Hugh Downs reported on the global
campaign to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), the single
greatest cause of preventable brain damage and mental retardation in
the world. He also reported on the global campaign to eliminate IDD,
which is led by UNICEF and its many partners, including Kiwanis International.
UNICEF expresses concern over violence in West
Timor
Friday, 24 September 1999: UNICEF is very alarmed about the continued
violence and threats to East Timorese who have fled to West Timor and
urges immediate action to ensure safe access to the displaced populations
by humanitarian organisations.
Women
face increasing post-communism inequality
Wednesday, 22 September 1999: Women are facing increasing inequality
across the countries of Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet
Union, according to a new report from the UNICEF Innocenti Research
Centre in Florence, Italy. See also the full
text of UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy's statement.
UNICEF worker in Somalia dies of gun wound
Friday, 17 September 1999: With profound sorrow and regret, UNICEF
laments the passing away of Dr. Ayub Sheikh Yerow who died from a gun
shot wound at 7.30 Thursday morning (local time) in a North Mogadishu
hospital.
UNICEF mounts Timor relief operations
Thursday, 16 September 1999: The grave situation in East and West
Timor has put hundreds of thousands of children and women in immediate
peril, UNICEF said today. As many as 500,000 people have been displaced
from their homes and are now facing severe nutritional and health risks.
Some 75,000 are estimated to be under the age of five.
UNICEF issues challenge on HIV/AIDS pandemic
Wednesday, 15 September 1999: The countries of sub-Saharan Africa
need a massive infusion of resources if they are to make any significant
headway against the growing pandemic of HIV/AIDS, UNICEF Executive Director
Carol Bellamy said today.
Carol Bellamy outlines goals after reappointment
Monday, 13 September 1999: UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy
outlined some of her goals for the agency after being re-appointed for
a second five-year term today by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi
Annan.
UNICEF condemns violence in East Timor
Tuesday, 7 September 1999: The indiscriminate targetting of civilian
populations in East Timor, in particular children and women, is an outrageous
response to the peoples' free choice for independence, UNICEF said today
in a statement.
Schooling seen as solution to child labour
Friday, 3 September 1999: As children head back to school, UNICEF
has embarked on a 29-nation initiative to combat child labour with pilot
programmes aimed at providing schooling to millions of children presently
forced to work full time.
Kosovo schooling faces great challenges
Thursday, 2 September 1999: As children around the world head back to
school this month, youngsters in Kosovo have also begun attending classes,
but UNICEF said today that much remains to be done to return normal
schooling to the children of the war-torn province.
Plight of child war victims takes centre stage
Friday, 27 August 1999: The adoption of a United Nations Security Council
resolution on children in armed conflict is a groundbreaking decision
which puts the plight of tens of millions of children victimized by
war at the centre of the international peace and security agenda, UNICEF
said today.
UNICEF announces recovery plan for Turkey's
children
Friday, 27 August 1999: After an exhaustive four-day assessment of needs
in the earthquake-devastated towns of western Turkey, UNICEF today announced
a series of new relief measures aimed at speeding the recovery of children
and families.
UNICEF plea: Protect Angola's children
Monday, 23 August 1999: UNICEF told the United Nations Security Council
today that three decades of war have left Angola's children without
the most basic guarantees of human security and without the essential
services all children need to survive, grow and develop.
UNICEF speeds aid to Turkey's children
Friday, 20 August 1999: A UNICEF flight carrying 27 metric tons of special
relief supplies targeting the needs of children will land in Ankara
this afternoon, the first stage of an effort to ensure that the youngest
of Turkey's earthquake victims get the help they need.
U.S.
Committee for UNICEF announces corporate partners to support "trick-or-treat
for UNICEF" month
 August
17, 1999: In support of the time-honored tradition of "Trick-or-Treat
for UNICEF," Turner Network Television (TNT), Universal Studios,
TIME for Kids, Coinstar and CVS/pharmacy have pledged to promote this
popular campaign through unique initiatives aimed at increasing awareness
and encouraging donations.
Iraq surveys show 'humanitarian emergency'
Wednesday, 12 August 1999: The first surveys since 1991 of child and
maternal mortality in Iraq reveal that in the heavily-populated southern
and central parts of the country, children under five are dying at more
than twice the rate they were ten years ago. UNICEF Executive Director
Carol Bellamy said the findings reveal an ongoing humanitarian emergency.
UNICEF, Oxfam call for new funds and faster
debt relief
Thursday, 29 July 1999: Wealthy nations must honour the Cologne Initiative
and speed debt relief to countries that make a commitment to reduce
poverty, UNICEF and Oxfam said today in a joint paper.
Child health worsens even as polio cases ebb
Thursday, 22 July 1999: Even as the global assault against polio, one
of the most feared childhood diseases, enters its final phase, the health
of children across the planet is more precarious today than a decade
ago, when ambitious goals were set for the defeat of many childhood
illnesses, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported today.
Conflict in Sudan hinders vaccinations
Tuesday, 20 July 1999: Heavy fighting in the western Upper Nile region
of Sudan is preventing a measles campaign from reaching close to 50,000
children under five in the towns of Baw, Duar, Koch, Leer, and Nhialdiu.
UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to respect a period of tranquility
and open air access.
The UN takes aim at small arms
Tuesday, 20 July 1999: Small arms and light weapons killed three million
people over the last decade and inflicted more lethal damage than missiles,
tanks and mortars, UNICEF and the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs
stated today. No fewer than eight of every ten people killed were children
and women.
East Timor truce allows immunization
Friday, 16 July 1999: Despite escalating violence in East Timor, a 'truce'
has been quietly observed this week, allowing thousands of children
to be immunized against potentially deadly childhood diseases. Under
an initiative negotiated by UNICEF, factions fighting over whether the
territory should become independent from Indonesia are supporting 'weeks
of tranquility' so that East Timorese children and women can safely
access immunization and other health services.
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