For over 70 years, UNICEF has been the defender of children around the world, regardless of gender, religion, race or economic background. When the world’s most vulnerable need a champion in the face of conflict, disease or exclusion, UNICEF has been there.
Get to know UNICEF through our work on behalf of the world’s most vulnerable.
Our history in fact and photo
Explore the timelines below to learn about our 70 years of work on behalf of children. These retrospectives give context to our initiatives, and show how UNICEF’s mission evolved with the needs of children around the world.
Looking back and moving forward
As 2016 comes to a close, and we celebrate UNICEF’s many years in the field, we’re still experiencing one of the world’s worst refugee crises since World War II.
It was the depth of that refugee crisis, 70 years ago, that brought UNICEF into existence. This crisis is a stark reminder that while much progress has been made, the need for UNICEF’s work is as great as ever.
See photo essay “UNICEF@70: Then and Now”
Our priorities for children
Learn about our history, our ongoing mission, and the global programmes that are the backbone of our work for children.