Guiding Framework
Mandate
UNICEF assistance is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, under the four main groups of rights – survival, development, protection and participation of children. UNICEF works with governments, other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to achieve these together with other goals and plans of action set up by the United Nations. More specifically, the Millennium Development Goals and the mandate “A World Fit for Children.”
Guiding Framework
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was developed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in November 1989. The Convention is a legally binding set of standards and obligations that each State Party acknowledges and agrees to implement.
Underlying principles of the CRC:
• Universality and non-discrimination
• Best interests of the child
• Respect for the views of the child
• Rights to survival, development and participation
Millennium Development Goals
By 2015 all 189 United Nations Member States have pledged to:
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve mental health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDs, malaria and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
“A World Fit for Children”
A World Fit for Children is the outcome document adopted at the United Nations General Assembly’s Special Session on Children in May 2002.
The document includes a Plan of Action for the first decade of the new millennium (2002 -2010) in which the steps to be taken for creating a world fit for children are defined.
A world fit for children is one in which all children get the best possible start in life and have access to a quality basic education, including primary education that is compulsory and available free to all, and in which all children, including adolescents, have ample opportunity to develop their individual capacities in a safe and supportive environment.
What will a World Fit for Children mean in the long run?
The sustained fulfillment of the rights of every child, specifically:
• A good start in life
• Quality basic education
• All adolescents exercise their rights to development and participation
The United Nations Development Assistance Framework for the Pacific Subregion (UNDAF) set by the combined UN agencies is another mandate for UNICEF and it sets out the strategic focus for the commitment of the United Nations to the Pacific Island region from 2008 to 2012.
UNICEF will contribute to the interrelated priority areas of the 2008-2012 UNDAF and their associated outcomes. The areas are:
(a) equitable economic growth and poverty reduction
(b) good governance and human rights
(c) equitable social and protection services
(d) sustainable environmental management
