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UNEP and UNICEF agree to strengthen cooperation

Wednesday, 5 March 1997: UNICEF today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two organizations in areas fundamental to the attainment of sustainable development.

Signed by the Executive Directors of both organizations, Elizabeth Dowdeswell for UNEP and Carol Bellamy for UNICEF, the agreement is designed to address issues connecting the human and physical environment and the health and well-being of the world's children.

Cooperation covered by the agreement fall under three broad categories, namely, advocacy in areas of common concern; scientific and technical cooperation on programme activities; and collaboration within the various United Nations system-wide initiatives or inter-agency mechanisms. The ultimate objective is to support programme implementation through the best scientific and environmental information that bears on children and child health, especially at the field level in developing countries.

In signing the agreement, Ms. Dowdeswell remarked: "With more than 12 million children dying annually from preventable causes, it is imperative that the relationship between environmental degradation and the health of our children be understood. The new UNEP-UNICEF agreement will help in the search for solutions, particularly in the developing world."

Ms. Bellamy commented: "Health problems in both urban and rural areas -- diarrhoeal disease, respiratory illnesses, malaria -- are daily reminders of how vulnerable children are to their environment. With UNICEF and UNEP working together in stronger partnership we can help ensure that the right of children to a healthy environment is a goal that can be achieved."

The Agreement will serve not only as a joint commitment for cooperation in support of the respective and complementary missions of UNEP and UNICEF but also as the framework within which to develop specific cooperative initiatives for practical implementation at the field level. It also responds to the call from Governments for enhanced effectiveness and improved UN system-wide cooperation, building on the comparative advantage of both organizations.

UNEP, celebrating its 25th anniversary, is the principal environmental body within the UN system. It promotes international cooperation and provides policy guidance and coordination in the field of environment, a mission reaffirmed by Agenda 21 and strongly endorsed at UNEP's Governing Council session last month.

UNICEF, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is the UN agency dedicated to the welfare of children and works with other UN agencies, Governments and non-governmental organizations to provide opportunities for the full development of children through community-based services in primary health care, nutrition, basic education, and safe water and sanitation in over 140 developing countries. In all its work, UNICEF is guided by the principles enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child -- including standards protecting children from all forms of exploitation and abuse. This synergistic partnership extends UNEP's environmental policy guidance role to the country level through UNICEF's operational activities.

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